After going without a Mayor for almost a year, Girardville's new borough leader, Michael Zangari was sworn in.
On February 18th, 2019, the borough of Girardville accepted the resignation of Mayor at the time, Joseph Catizone.
Catizone cited his reason for resigning as "dedicating time to his family". Since then the borough has gone without a Mayor.
Fast forward a few months, Girardville resident, Michael Zangari, 23, stepped and ran for the Mayor's seat in the Primary and General Mayoral races unopposed.
Zangari became the youngest person to become Mayor in the history of the borough.
On Monday evening, along wit the swearing-in of council members, Zangari was officially sworn into the position by Magisterial District Judge Christina Hale.
After the meeting, Skook News spoke with Mayor Zangari:
Why did you want to become Mayor of Girardville?
"I've coming to council meetings faithfully for years and being a part of the fire department, I saw things I simply didn't like, and things that I would do differently. This was the perfect opportunity for me, as a young man who grew up in the borough to put his hat in the ring and give it a shot. I know I don't have all the answers, but I have ideas that the next guy may not. I'm confident we have the backing and support of our borough." said Zangari
When asked what issues he would focus on first?
"I feel when you fix things like the police department and code enforcement, some of the other problems start to fade away As a first responder, I see what these departments go through". Zangari said.
"I truly believe that if someone feels safe where they live, they will stay. This borough needs to provide that feeling. It's not that this borough is not safe, but some things have gone unnoticed." added Zangari.
On blight, "When you fix up one area of town, people begin to take pride in their town, then you get more people interested in being a part of the community. We are going to take our town back.".
Story/Photos/Video by J. Reed/Skook News
Full Interview with Mayor Zangari below:
