Secaucus Mayor Richard Steffens presided over the final council meeting of his 129-day term on Tuesday night, earning praise from members for uniting a fractured governing body and “healing” the town from the taint of political scandal.

“It was an honor to sit here,” Steffens said toward the end of the hour-long public meeting. “It was humbling.”

Steffens and Drumeler

Steffens, a former council Democrat chosen by the local party to finish the term of indicted ex-Mayor Dennis Elwell, gaveled the meeting to an end shortly after 8 p.m., drawing to a close the Democratic Party’s recent dominance over Secaucus politics.

“You stepped into a difficult situation and Secaucus owes you a debt of gratitude for healing the town,” 3rd Ward Democrat John Shinnick said of Steffens.

Resident Andrew Conti called Steffens a “gentleman,” who made the public more comfortable speaking at public meeetings.

When the council convenes on Jan. 2 at Secaucus High School, Shinnick will be the lone member of his party on the council. Third Ward 16-year council veteran John Reilly and 1st Ward March appointee Dawn McAdam were ousted by voters in favor of Independents Bill McKeever (3rd Ward) and Rob Costantino (1st) in November.

Mayor-elect Mike Gonnelli, an Independent from the 2nd Ward, thanked Steffens for his service in “brining unity back to the council,” and for smoothing the transition to the incoming administration.

A congenial spirit at the the public meeting contrasted sharply with contentious discussions in the closed session that preceded the Dec. 22 meeting, council members said.

Steffens described the session as “heated,” but added that the “discussion” — which dealt with town personnel and was therefore closed to the public — ended in compromise.

“Even though we didn’t agree on everything, we had the ability to compromise,” Gonnelli said Tuesday, while speaking of the council’s last few months under Steffens.

Changes Planned

Gonnelli’s Independent Take Back Secaucus slate will hold a 6-1 advantage on the governing body come January. He previewed some planned changes for his administration Tuesday night, including an overhaul of professional services contracts, reviewing the town’s pricey participation in the North Hudson Community Action Corp., pushing for a second ambulance and possibly an  advanced life support unit in town.

“I know supporters become non-supporters,” said Gonnelli. “[But] everything we’ll do will be in the best interest of the community.”

Another key issue facing the incoming administration is the $12M recreation center.

Second Ward Councilman John Buecker, who chairs the council’s finance committee, said the center will be a key fiscal challenge in the next year.

“We have to make that rec center work,” he said.

A key measure of the facility’s first year in operation will be on Feb. 1, when the first year-long memberships come up for renewal.

Bueckner, who noted he found a 2006 news clipping alluding to the rec center as a $7M project while cleaning his desk recently, said a combination of cutting costs and increasing membership would be ideal for the financial health of the institution.

The town has not yet begun paying off the facility; instead, it has made payments on the interest for the center’s construction. The rec center will go to permanent bonding in the first quarter of 2010, Bueckner said,

Steffens Tuesday night commended the work of town administrator David Drumeler in convincing Trenton to let the town bond the rec center costs, as well as the payment of tax appeals.

Reilly, McAdam Exit

Steffens wasn’t the only member of the governing body to attend his last meeting. Reilly’s tenure spanned several administrations and the public safety liason and deputy mayor was praised by members of both parties on Tuesday night for his service to Secaucus.

Shinnick called Reilly a “great mentor,” noting the now-grandfather recruited Shinnick to the town’s Democratic committee.

“You certainly did a lot for this town,” Bueckner said of Reilly.

Gonnelli said he has known Reilly through the fire department for about 40 years and called the retired UPS employee “an asset to the town over the last 16 years.” While Gonnelli acknowledged that “sometimes politics separates friendships,” he expressed a desire to heal any such wounds and said he will be calling on Reilly during his tenure as mayor.

“The people up here generally love the town and care about it,” said Reilly, “I wish the new administration a lot of luck.”

Also leaving the council at the hand of voters is McAdam, who was tapped by town Democrats after Richard Kane resigned earlier this year.

Gonnelli said he admired her efforts as a council member and campaigner saying “no one worked harder.”

WAY TO SNOW: Steffens praised the Dept. of Public works and emergency services personnel for preparing and handling the Dec. 19 snow storm. Steffens and other officials like Gonnelli and Police Chief Dennis Corcoran participated in an Office of Emergency Management meeting before the storm to coordinate the town’s response.

A resident said snow had been moved to cover a pathway that children take to school on Mill Road Ridge, posing a dangerous situation where they had to walk in the street, which has low visibility in the morning on sunny days. The council said they would review the matter.