Expect changes in Town Hall, Acropolis says New mayor plans 'transition teams' to scrutinize departments BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis' alarm clock went off at 5 a.m. on Nov. 7, the day after he was elected to serve out the two remaining years of former Mayor Joseph C. Scarpelli's term. Stephen C. Acropolis By 6 a.m., after three hours of sleep, he was at the township public works department with Councilman Anthony Matthews and Brian DeLuca, who was elected to his first term on the council. "We went over to see the guys at public works, just to thank everybody," he said. "The guys at public works and township employees gave us a lot of support over the last couple of months. One guy who worked in Brick for 25 years said to me they had never had a mayor who got elected come out the very next day and thank them." Acropolis, 50, has been a township councilman for 12 years. He lost to Scarpelli - his political nemesis - by 184 votes in a bitter 2005 mayoral election. This year, the margin was much more comfortable; Acropolis won over Democratic Mayor Daniel J. Kelly by more than 1,800 votes. Acropolis received 10,001 votes, or 54.64 percent, over Kelly's 8,140 votes (44.47 percent), according to the Ocean County Clerk's Office. A total of 18,303 residents went to the polls or filled out absentee ballots. The turnout was roughly 6,000 fewer votes than in the 2005 election, he said. "You always hope for a nice margin of victory," Acropolis said. "I was humbled, let's put it that way. Everybody knows the type of election we just went through. I've said to people there would be no better job than to be mayor of the town you grew up in." The election ended almost a year of turmoil that began with Scarpelli's abrupt resignation on Dec. 8 for what he termed "personal reasons." One month later, he pleaded guilty in federal court to accepting bribes from an unnamed developer. He is slated to be sentenced on Dec. 17. The GOP-controlled Township Council picked Kelly out of three names submitted by the local Democratic organization to serve until November, until a special mayoral election could be held for the remaining two years of Scarpelli's term. Acropolis planned to be sworn in on the afternoon of Nov. 13, once the election results are certified by the county Board of Canvassers and Ocean County Clerk Carl W. Block. "We've kind of been running the show anyway the last year and a half," he said. "We are and have been doing a lot of the heavy lifting. We are happy to do it. Dan Kelly's a nice guy. But being the mayor is not always being the nicest person. It's about getting things done. Sometimes you have to ruffle feathers." Kelly and his running mates went to the Red Lion Inn Election Night to congratulate Acropolis. "I appreciate the gesture of him coming over and congratulating us," Acropolis said. Acropolis won't be wasting any time getting down to business. "I think there will be some changes in town hall," he said. "People don't vote for change to have the status quo." He plans to have several "transition teams" of residents examine different township departments for several weeks to see if any changes need to be made. "These are people that have been in town for a lot of years, that want to be involved in the process, so we are going to get them involved," Acropolis said. The teams will start looking at township departments on Nov. 20 and continue for 10 to 20 days after that. A meeting is scheduled for Dec. 10 to discuss the results of the reviews, he said. "Between Dec. 10 and Jan. 1, we will look at possibly some changes we want to make," he said. "There's not going to be wholesale layoffs or firings. We may be reallocating assets. If somebody retires in the tax assessor's office or tax collector's office or someplace in town hall, we might replace them or replace them in another department. We are not going to be laying off people. We are not going to do that." The teams will take a close look at the public works department and the police department," he said. "We will look at everything," he said. "Nothing is off the table. There's been a lot of movement over the past two years that has done some of the housecleaning I think needed to be done from the Scarpelli years. I'm not going to come in here with any bit of certainty that everybody is staying or everybody is going. You can't make those decisions without doing the work first." Acropolis said he couldn't say whether Business Administrator Scott M. Pezarras would remain as administrator. "Scott is a good business administrator and a good CFO," he said. "BAs do not grow on trees. We'll have to look and see what Scott wants to do. Scott may not want to work for Steve Acropolis." Acropolis said he plans to be a "hands-on" mayor. "There are people out there that may not like that," he said. "I'm a highenergy guy. I was a hands-on full-time councilman. I'm going to be a full-time mayor. People know what they are getting with me. I'm not somebody who sits behind the desk looking at Web sites all day." Acropolis plans to ride with police department officers and public works employees. He will carry two-way radios with him so he knows "what's going on in town at any given moment." "You have to be available," he said. "People on our crews will have to be available all the time. This is the 11th largest municipality in the state. Every employee in Brick has to respect what they do for the taxpayers." Acropolis said he could have accepted a defeat in the election. He was more worried about the premature birth of his grandson the Sunday before the election, he said. The baby was born six weeks early. "It really puts everything into perspective about what's important in life," he said. "I have a great life. I have a great family. It was OK if I was not successful." And the new mayor is not taking anything for granted. "This is a two-year term," he said. "I've basically run elections every two years. It keeps you on your toes. I've got two years again to prove to the people of Brick I'm trying to move this town forward."