Mayor's seat was lifelong goal for Acropolis Crowd packs Township Council meeting for swearing-in ceremony BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis was his usual polished self when he began his speech after he was publicly sworn in. PATRICIA A. MILLER Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis' name went on the sign at the entrance to Windward Beach on Princeton Avenue the day after the Nov. 6 election. Acropolis defeated former Democratic Mayor Daniel J. Kelly by more than 1,800 votes. But he faltered briefly when he came to one sentence. "I've always said there can be no greater job…." he said, then closed his eyes, overcome with emotion. "I told my wife I would get through that," he said to the crowd that packed the council meeting room. "I know I have the best job in the world." Acropolis, 50, was sworn in to office at the Nov. 20 Township Council meeting by state Sen. Andrew W. Ciesla. He was elected Nov. 6 to serve the remaining two years of former Mayor Joseph C. Scarpelli's term. Council members voted unanimously to select Councilman Michael Thulen to serve as Township Council president to replace Acropolis, who chaired the 2007 meetings until he was elected mayor on Nov. 6. COURTESY OF BRICK TOWNSHIP State Sen. Andrew W. Ciesla, far right, joins the crowd that packed the Township Council meeting room on Nov. 20 for the public swearing-in ceremony of Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis. Ciesla swore in Acropolis that night. "He's often criticized for asking the tough questions," said Councilman Anthony Matthews, who nominated Thulen. "I believe he would be a good leader for the next few months." Thulen will serve as council president until the New Year's Day organization meeting, when a council president will be selected for 2008. "I'd like to bring my family up here," Acropolis said before he was sworn in, and the first three rows in the audience got up. "We need another room," a man in the audience joked. "We have two years to prove ourselves to the people of Brick Township," Acropolis said. "Make no mistake. Being an elected official is all about public service, not self-service. I will not only be a hands-on mayor, the buck stops with the mayor." One of his goals is to improve "customer service" in Town Hall, he said. "This is all about an attitude change," he told the crowd. "Some will be able to adjust to that change, some will not." Acropolis plans to start putting "transition teams" in Town Hall to evaluate the effectiveness of each department. He singled out the construction department as one area that needs closer scrutiny. "The customer service attitude might need to be reinforced," he said. "I believe we have good people in the department downstairs," Acropolis said after the meeting. "But I just believe that some of them are not in the right positions down there. There are some people that can deal with the public and some that can't. You might be great at data input and reviewing documents, but not really good at interacting with the public. It's up to us to find out where. Acropolis was sworn in as mayor at a private ceremony on Nov. 13, one week after the election results were certified. But he wanted another ceremony that residents could attend, he said. Acropolis was the winner in the race for the two-year unexpired term. He beat former Democratic Mayor Daniel J. Kelly by more than 1,800 votes. His election ended almost a year of turmoil that began with former longtime Democratic Mayor Joseph C. Scarpelli's sudden resignation last Dec. 8 for "personal reasons." One month later Scarpelli pleaded guilty 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, when a special mayor election could be held for the remaining two years of Scarpelli's term. "It touches me that so many people came out for me," Acropolis said after the meeting. "It's a great job to have and I hope we will be able to get some good things accomplished. I'm very thankful. I don't take anything for granted." Control of the Township Council remains in Republican hands. Council members Ruthanne Scaturro, Anthony Matthews and Michael Thulen were reelected. Board of Education President Brian DeLuca was elected to his first council term.