Times Change But Haddonfield Mayors Stay in Haddonfield

This article is based on the interviews conducted for the article, "LIFE
AFTER BORO HALL" that appeared in HADDONFIELD LIVING MAGAZINE

By Dr Ilise L Feitshans JD and ScM and DIR Haddonfield NJ

What can you say about a town where the mayors are your neighbor and everyone knows them by their first name? Not 1 or 2, but 3 former mayors reside in Haddonfield with their spouses and are each active contributors to the spirit of volunteerism and community that are the Hallmark of Haddonfield's quiet power and prestige. Tish Colombi, who officiates at weddings, turns unwed people into spouses. Gene Kain, of Kain Murphy Funeral Services deals with their passing away, and Jack Tarditi of Conner Strong insures people, non profit organizations and their employees. He also serves as Trustee of Symphony in C (35 years!), Salvation Army, Cooper Foundation, the Helene Fuld School of Nursing, the South Jersey Community Foundation, Haddonfield Cultural Events Commission, the Camden Public School Educational Foundation, Haddonfield Educational Trust and the South Jersey Tourism Corporation. By way of full disclosure: Jack, who has been called "the role model for the energizer bunny" by colleagues who know him for years actually has a resume of volunteer activities that exceeds the word limit of most articles. Jack serves on several boards of directors, plays tennis regularly and has a dozen grandchildren. Not to be understated is the committment to Haddonfield by Tish Columbi , who was awarded the Driscoll Award for outstanding community service by the Haddonfield Civic Association in 2018.

Tish

Known for her distinctive red dresses and her tireless civic volunteerism, Haddonfield's first female mayor could not have been the typical housewife that one associates with women of her generation because her activities, although geared to meeting the needs of her family and their surrounding community, rarely allowed her the luxury of staying home! Mayor Letitia Colombi is known to everyone as “Tish.” Having served for many years first as a Commissioner and then as the first female Mayor of Haddonfield, Tish credits the Haddonfield Council of Churches, the many committees associated with the public schools and the vast array of civic organizations with forming her sense of Haddonfield community and her networking to make and maintain Haddonfield as a great place to live and raise children. The town is decorated with many tributes to her love of children and addressing their needs: a public playground and the statue, "Exuberant Girl," that was dedicated to her in front of Borough Hall. Both during her tenure as mayor and in the years that have followed, Tish has been a key part of the efforts towards creating a vibrant cultural matrix in which every voice can be heard and every citizen has a sense that they can participate and have their say. In her final year as mayor, Tish made a point of visiting every school, church and volunteer organization personally to thank them for their contribution to our community. She viewed this tour around the community organizations as an expression of gratitude to her constituents and a way to say "Thank you" but not "farewell."

In an era of polarized national politics, Tish has expressed the desire that Haddonfield will keep true to its Quaker heritage of governing by consensus and compromising among the leaders in order to keep the social fabric whole. “The key to our success is that we are non-partisan, " Tish said in an interview for this article.

"We have a Mayor and two Commissioners with equal vote and we do not allow political parties” said Tish. “This is a legacy from our Quaker heritage and it is our community's greatest asset. We are not divided by partisan politics and everything we do is a product of consensus.” How fitting that her current work codifies unions between people regardless of their sexual orientation, religion or race.

Gene

Former Mayor Gene Kain agreed with Tish when he was asked about the role of consensus in the governance of Haddonfield. A former wrestling coach at Haddonfield Memorial High School, Gene has owned the funeral home before, during and after serving as mayor and is still a consultant there. “I am just a gym teacher. I don't know anything and I could be wrong,” was the starting point of his position in negotiations in major decision making. "But it is the ability to work together that makes us a town.” The only thing that Gene admits he misses about his service as mayor is the ability to get things done to help people directly in their daily life, because people responded quickly when he called. For example, Gene spoke about an autistic elderly man in town named Kirk, who threw a disruptive tenant's belongings out of the house. Then Kirk was scared to go home in case the man returned. Kirk wanted to sleep in the police station overnight for safety. The police called the mayor, who figured out a way to keep everything calm until morning. In the morning, a team was assembled including people from Kirk's church, 2 lawyers, and the police working with the mayor to help Kirk get to public services he needed. Helping Kirk was easy according to Gene because, although small, it was important and “that is what you do in a small town.” Gene and his wife still serve on boards of directors in town including the Friends of the Haddonfield Public Library which brought a subtle facelift and sorely needed major renovations to a historic landmark building.

Jack

Jack Tarditi was mayor for 16 years; for almost a generation one could not imagine Haddonfield without him as mayor. Jack urged Gene to run for commissioner before Jack left office because he knew Gene would do a great job. Jack is quick to point out that even though he wanted Gene to be mayor after him, he could not ask Gene to run for the job because the commissioners select the mayor. But he knew that Gene had the energy and the deep involvement in Haddonfield daily life that the job requires. Jack's advice that Gene would be a good mayor proved prescient. “If you become mayor” Jack said, “it is because you are involved.” Despite knee surgery Jack plays tennis every morning at 7 a.m. in the summer, rides his bicycle and serves on an impressive list of charitable boards. Never a passive guest, Jack “As a Mayor Emeritus, I also do weddings,” such as Flyer Hall of Famer, Bernie Parent and his wife, Gini, on the Beach in Avalon in July 2016.

“It is not I. It is we. We working together makes this town a great place to work and live.” Jack credits his wife Barbara for his success. Jack notes that, because she is patient, loving, non-evaluative and an active altruistic philanthropist he has had the permission and the support to accomplish many things.

Like Tish and Gene, Jack agrees that non-partisan politics and open discussion are the hallmark of Haddonfield's unique form of governance and perhaps also the secret of the town's success. In conclusion, the leaders who have run Borough Hall have remained heavily invested in the town long after their tenure has ended. Is residence of three former mayors who continue to look after the life and death of this pleasant town the secret of what makes Haddonfield great? For sure! “I am just a gym teacher. I don't know anything and I could be wrong ...”