POINT PLEASANT — The borough of Point Pleasant held its 2025 reorganization meeting on Sunday, Jan. 5, welcoming a new member to the council and electing a new council president.
Mayor Robert Sabosik welcomed the packed room, “I would like to wish everyone here a happy and healthy new year and thank you all for joining us today as we embark on another year of making Point Pleasant Borough the best it can be.”
The meeting began with incumbent Antoinette “Toni” DePaola and newcomer William “Butch” Stevenson each taking oaths of office after winning the uncontested election in November. Both of them took their oaths surrounded by members of their families.
After they were sworn in, both of them gave brief speeches. Councilman Stevenson said, “First and foremost, I want to thank the residents of Point Pleasant for trusting me to serve you on town council. As a lifelong resident of this town, I am deeply honored and humbled to have been chosen. I am here for you and will listen to any concerns or ideas you may have for our community.”
He thanked all borough employees and first responders for continuing to better the Point Pleasant community, along with the mayor and council, specifically his running mate Councilwoman DePaola. He also thanked his “brothers and sisters” in the fire department, and his friends and family stating he could not do any of this without their support.
“Now, the real work begins. Together, as a community we can ensure our amazing town continues to grow and thrive, balancing progress with preserving what makes this town so exceptional,” said Councilman Stevenson. “I want to thank you again for this incredible honor. I’m excited to get to work, and I look forward to serving you.”
Councilwoman DePaola said, “It is hard to believe that 15 years ago I was sworn into my first term on council and I told myself it would be one and done, and then I would be moving on. When I chose to accept the nomination to run for council, my children were 10 and 15. They were rather young and involved with our community. I didn’t know if it was the right time to get involved, but as my son Joe always says, ‘If not you, then who?’”
She commended her children for all their support over the years, also thanking her parents, the community and her neighbors.
“The reason why I am still here and still doing what I do is because I truly love this community and want to keep it moving in the right direction,’ said Councilwoman DePaola. “I couldn’t do it without this wonderful team we have here in Point Pleasant Borough. Not only do we have a wonderful mayor leading and guiding us, we have dedicated council members who are here for the right reasons.”
She said, “We are not here for our own agendas, we are not here because we aspire to be politically connected, we are here because we love this town, we love this community and we want to do what is best for the borough of Point Pleasant. We couldn’t do what we do up here without the support, guidance, input and dedication of our borough employees, volunteers, our wonderful police department who keeps us safe, the school district that gives an exceptional education to our students and to the residents who are constantly pushing us, guiding us and making us better.”
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