Councilmen thanked for service to Sayreville
Dems, GOP agree two served in best interest of residents
BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer
Two members of the Sayreville Borough Council have served their final meeting on the governing body.

Rory Zach

Democratic Councilmen Dennis Grobelny, 65, and Rory Zach, 51, neither of whom sought re-election this year, conclude their terms today. Tomorrow, Democrat Lisa Eicher and Republican Kenneth Kelly, the victors in a four-way race for the two seats Nov. 4, will take their seats.

Grobelny and Zach were honored during a Dec. 15 council meeting, when Republican Mayor Kennedy O'Brien presented them with plaques for their years of service to the community. Grobelny served for six years, while Zach was on the council for three.

"This is not enough to say thank you," O'Brien said as he presented the plaques.

Grobelny and Zach are lifelong borough residents who both served as volunteer firemen for many years, O'Brien noted. Zach is still a firefighter. Grobelny also volunteered with the first aid squad.

Despite many disagreements the mayor had with the Democrats over the years, O'Brien wished them both well and thanked them for their service.

Dennis Grobelny

"I have always known that any decisions you made were always in the best interests of Sayreville," O'Brien said.

Democratic Councilwoman Kathy Makowski expressed gratitude to the outgoing councilmen.

"I can say that it has been a pleasure to serve with both of them," Makowski said. "I find them to be knowledgeable, gracious and true, dedicated servants for this community. They have always done the right thing."

Republican Councilwoman Paula Siarkiewicz thanked Zach for serving with her on the council's administrative and finance committee.

"I'd also like to thank Councilman Grobelny," she said. "On a personal note, I'm going to miss both of you."

Democratic Councilman Stanley Drwal said the two councilmen had a great combination of strengths and their presence will be missed. He described Grobelny as an elder statesman with a bulldog approach and said Zach embodied the political goals of Jeffersonian democracy, in which Drwal said people arrived at public service through various fields and performed their service before going back to their professions.

"It was a great combination of personalities we had up here," Drwal said.

Zach, who served a single three-year term on the dais, said while it feels like only yesterday when he was sworn in to his council seat, in other ways it has been a long three years.

"It's been a challenging three years," he said. "We've had some difficult budgets we've had to deal with."

Zach noted that budgets would continue to be a challenge for borough officials in light of the recession.

"I hope the decisions we made in the past three years I've been up here, at least budget-wise, have been the right ones," he said.

Zach said he is proud of the many borough employees and volunteers who devote themselves to the community. He also noted that the council was able to replace public works vehicles, install laptop computers in police vehicles, and aggressively address issues with the borough's construction department last year. He also said he was proud that the former National Lead redevelopment process was moving along and the commuter park-and-ride on Raritan Street was complete.

While members of the council have not always agreed on various issues, Zach said he thinks all of them had the best interests of residents in mind.

"It's really been a pleasure to serve with everybody up here," Zach said. "… I can honestly tell you that after I leave, I know in my heart every decision I made was in the best interest of the borough of Sayreville."

Grobelny also addressed the public, echoing the sentiments Zach expressed regarding the disagreements members of the governing body have had over the years. He said that despite their differences, it was a pleasure working with the mayor and the other council members.

Grobelny said it's been an honor and a privilege to serve the residents of Sayreville for the last six years. He said that while the borough's sex offender ordinance, approved in 2005, was considered controversial by some, he believes it was good that officials prohibited registered sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of schools, parks and other places where children may be present.

Grobelny, also a member of the Sayreville Economic Redevelopment Agency, expressed pride in the progress the agency has made with the former National Lead site. He said the project will create many jobs and bring millions of dollars to Sayreville to help stabilize taxes.

Grobelny said he wished his late wife Jean could be with him for the ceremony that night.

He said he plans to remain active at Borough Hall.

"I've lived in Sayreville all my life," Grobelny said. "I'll be here from time to time."

Grobelny told Greater Media Newspapers later that the last three-year term he served with the council was difficult for him with the loss of his wife and then his

brother, Ronald. He said he plans to relax for at least a year, and he did not rule out the possibility of serving as a public official again. "After the last three years, it's been a little rough and I still haven't gotten everything settled with it," Grobelny said. "I just have to take the time to do it." Zach said his job with the Middlesex

County Office of Emergency Management, as well as his volunteer service with the fire department, made it difficult for him to seek another term on the Borough Council. He did not rule out the possibility of running for a seat again in the future.

"Maybe when I retire, whenever that is, I would consider it again," Zach said. "… I would have run again if I felt like I had the time to devote to the position, and I just didn't feel like I did."

With Kelly and Eicher on board, the council will now be split evenly, with three Democrats and three Republicans.