U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. returned to his former hometown to administer the oath of office Watch video
HAMILTON -- Hamilton Mayor Kelly Yaede was sworn into her first full term on Friday by none other than U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., who returned to his former hometown to administer the oath of office.
"It is an honor for all of Hamilton Township for you to be here and leave a mark not only in Hamilton Township ... but for the entire country to see what has come from this great town," Yaede said.
She promised to continue to lay a firm foundation for future generations and encouraged young people to dream big about what their life could be like.
"Realize that everyone has the opportunity in the greatest country, but you have to earn it and you have to work for it and nothing will come easy," she said. "I stand before you as the first female mayor and it didn't come easy.
"There are no limitations to your success if, each and every day, we all do our best," she continued, pointing to herself and Alito as examples of that.
Yaede, a 47-year-old Republican, was first appointed mayor in December 2012 following the resignation of former Mayor John Bencivengo. She easily won a two-year term the following year to become the first female elected mayor and in November won a second term, beating Democratic challenger Amy Inman by 59 to 40 percent.
"I will never lose sight that my No. 1 job is to serve the residents of Hamilton Township," the mayor said.
She said it was a historic moment to have Alito swear her in. Alito, though born in Trenton, grew up in Hamilton and attended Steinert High School before graduating from Princeton University. He took his seat on the Supreme Court in January 2006.
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"I will always regard Hamilton Township as my home," he said during brief remarks. "I was speaking with Mayor Yaede, talking about opportunities and about hard work and about having dreams and I know those are things that are very important to her and I do think they characterize the best of Hamilton Township."
Hundreds of people attended the inauguration, which also included the swearing-in of Republican council members Ralph Mastrangelo and Ileana Schirmer.
Mastrangelo was a 26-year-veteran of the Hamilton police department where he served primarily as "Officer Friendly," a familiar face in the school district who oversaw and taught the D.A.R.E. programs. He was nominated after Councilman Kevin Meara pulled his re-election bid.
"I'm not a traditional politician and I don't intend to be one," he said. "Working hard every day to do what's best for our township is not a left or a right goal -- it's just the right thing to do."
He said he looked forward to advancing an open and transparent government, increasing economic opportunities and stabilizing taxes.
"I'm ready to get to work," he said.
Schirmer, like Yaede, was elected to her first full term in November. The Cuban-born businesswoman replaced the mayor on council in 2012 before being elected the following year to fill Yaede's unexpired term.
Schirmer, the township's first elected Hispanic official, said she has been working a lot with the Hispanic community and would continue to be a voice for them.
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.