Mayor Tony Vauss led the annual State of The Township event last week at Transcend Worship Center.
The event included a promotion ceremony for police officers and firefighters, awards handed out to township employees, an address by Orange Mayor Dwayne Warren, a performance by the Irvington High School Marching Band and videos introducing council members, department directors and highlighting accomplishments from the last year.
Transcend Pastor Jerry Smith started off the night with a prayer and Andrew Potts Jr. sang before another video explained a new program called “Key to the City,” a program to help qualified people, including township employees, achieve home ownership within Irvington.
“A great opportunity for home ownership,” said Donald Malloy, the township Parks and Recreation director who helped emcee the event.
LeRoy J. Jones Jr., chair of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, spoke briefly, extolling the virtues of the mayor, council and township.
“I am here once again with my bride to hear all that has been accomplished here in Irvington and what’s coming in the future,” Jones said.
In addition to Jones and Warren, other political figures included East Orange Mayor Ted Green, State Sen. Renee Burgess and Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker.
In his remarks, Vauss talked about the importance of unity and helping out one another.
“In this day and age, we are either going to float together or sink together,’ Vauss said. “Now more than ever we need to come together.”
Vauss talked about the importance of working with other municipalities to combat shared problems.
“I want everyone to understand the problems they have in Orange, East Orange, Newark, are all our problems,” Vauss said, later adding events like this one are important because people need to come together and support each other.
“If we don’t live together we will perish together,” he said.
Warren talked about the difficulties of being a mayor in an urban city and how you can be pulled in opposite directions by well meaning people. He also talked about the history of Irvington and the participation of people of color within the government and that the next day, March 27, was Irvington’s birthday, the township having been created on that date in 1874.
“My message is about unity, my message is about standing up to support Tony Vauss and supporting Irvington,” Warren said. “It is only through unified action that we are going to get to a place of success. Let’s move in unity in all we do.”
About a dozen awards were given out and members of the police and fire departments who were being promoted came up to be sworn in to their new positions.
A business award was given to Lee Chester of Chester Property Care, LLC and Community Leadership awards were given to Debra Douglas; Allison Bryant; Davante C. Smith; Marian Thompson; Shelley E. Pettiford; Tawana Moreland; Yasmina King; and Kim Williams. Leadership Awards were given to Kimberly Pierre; Sean Evans; Maj. Crosby Munro and SFC Harvey Craig.
Police Sgt. Brechner Jeannot also received a proclamation for his prompt response to a call about an unwanted caller at the mayor’s residence.
The police promotions included David Reyes and Mario Clarke to lieutenant and Tanisha Little, Shamala Abraham, Alex Dorleant, James Dorval, Eric Simmons, Samuel Addo, Michael Johnson, Bao Họ, Lamar Ransom, Patrick Cadet and Shakira Gattison to sergeant.
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