Malool Resigns, Council Discusses How to Fill the Void

A month after she first her unexpired term as Scotch Plains Mayor to take on a position in the State Government, Nancy Malool has officially tendered her resignation igniting a contentious process to fill that vacancy until a new Mayor is elected.

Township Clerk and Interim Township Manager Bonnie Lacina stated that by law, the Scotch Plains Republican Committee has fifteen days to select three candidates to fill the mayoral vacancy until the end of the term.

After the committee selects the three candidates, the Scotch Plains Town Council has fifteen days to vote for a candidate. If the Council is deadlocked, the decision goes back into the hands of the Scotch Plains Republican Committee. Whoever is selected to fill the vacancy will have all of the same power and privileges as a regularly elected mayor of Scotch Plains.

Committee President Bill McClintock stated that the committee will be choosing the candidates at their May 30 meeting – which is not open to the public. The SP Council will review those candidates at the June 4 meeting council meeting. Until then, Deputy Mayor Mary DePaola will serve as acting mayor.

DePaola, who is also the Republican candidate for mayor, stated that for the next few months, the Council will be focusing on hiring a new Township Manager and hammering out the legal details of a pending police merger with Fanwood. 

“Although it is difficult to be without a Township Manager and our longtime mayor, we are ready to forge ahead and do what needs to be done,” DePaola said. “I am happy for her; I know that she had been job searching for a while. Part of the reason I decided to run for Mayor was to prevent any more transitions in our local government.”

When Patch upon the first announcement of her pending resignation, the former Mayor spoke in depth about being denied the nomination by the Scotch Plains Republican Committee and her disappointment in DePaola’s decision to run on the same ticket as herself.

“Mary has always said to me that the only way she would run [for Mayor] is if I was not running…I wasn’t surprised that she was selected,” Malool said. “Bill McClintock handpicked the five associate members who screen the potential Republican candidates. He told me that I shouldn’t even bother showing up to the announcement. The selection was basically fixed.”

When Patch spoke to DePaola yesterday, she stated that she hopes that going forward, everyone can “put that bumpiness in the road” in the past.

“Yes there was a challenge between the Mayor and myself when the nominations were announced, but we were able to focus on the work,” DePaola said. “It is what it is. Let’s put it behind us and focus on what’s best for the town.”

Patch also spoke to Councilman and Democratic candidate for mayor Kevin Glover who praised Malool for her dedication to the community, commenting on how the former Mayor was treated by her own local party.

“Some of the controversial decisions she made, such as replacing the township attorney, took courage and character because in the process of doing what is best for the people of Scotch Plains, she paid a price politically,” Glover said. “She always acted in the town’s best interest. A citizen’s need should not know political interest.”

Glover, who named Malool as a close personal friend, also commented on Malool’s bipartisanship and passion for serving Scotch Plains.

“She brought a calmness and civility to the council which quite frankly had not been present before she became Mayor,” Glover said. “I wish she had the opportunity to serve at the state level and finish out her term. She earned that opportunity. I look forward to seeing her contributions to the community as Director of Shared Services.”

When the Scotch Plains Republican Committee meets on Wednesday, May 30 to discuss who will be chosen as the three vacancy candidates, it is quite likely that the Republican candidate for mayor, Mary DePaola will be chosen as one of the three.

“I feel very positive about this process,” DePaola said. “I have a strong backing from the Republican Party… It’s hard to say if I will face contention from the Council, if chosen. Ultimately I can’t control whether or not they agree, but if they can’t, it goes back to the committee anyway. The council has been through enough. I hope we can set our differences aside and just get back to work.”