Napolitano Elected Moorestown Mayor; Garwood Elected Deputy Mayor

At 26 years old, Victoria Napolitano is not intimidated by the notion of being among the youngest mayors in Moorestown’s history.

She was first elected to council at the age of 24, has two years under her belt and is looking forward to her term as mayor.

“So much for Republicans being the party of old white men,” Napolitano said in front of the local television cameras and a packed town hall at Tuesday night’s reorganization meeting.

Napolitano succeeds Chris Chiacchio as mayor of Moorestown. She was elected by members of council by a 4-0 vote with one abstention Tuesday night. Phil Garwood was elected deputy mayor by a 4-0 vote with one abstention.

In each case, Democrat Greg Newcomer abstained, while the Republican candidates each received the unanimous support of their party brethren.

And although Newcomer cast three dissenting votes among the subsequent appointments for various positions and committees, each member of council spoke about moving forward in 2015.

“Our agenda will not be controlled by ideologies,” Napolitano said in her first speech as mayor. “To those who would seek to create division and friction, you are not welcome here. This will not be a place for ‘gotcha moments.’ This will be a place for getting things done.”

Napolitano said this year’s budget would come without a tax increase.

“I’ve talked to thousands of residents and their number one issue is taxes, so council’s number one priority will be tax relief,” Napolitano said. “We will reach out to local businesses and look to build on the economic momentum we have.”

She also said improving the Lenola Town Center District would be a priority, as well as public safety.

“While we have mayors in other cities who turn their backs on the cops of their city, this mayor stands firmly behind our law enforcement,” Napolitano said.

Napolitano is Moorestown’s second female mayor. Stacey Jordan was named Moorestown’s first female mayor in 2013, and served for one year before stepping down.

On Tuesday night, Jordan was sworn in to another four-year term in office, and Manny Delgado was sworn in to his first term following their victory in November’s election.

“I’m proud to continue the tradition of conservative women stepping up to lead in Burlington County,” said Napolitano, citing Moorestown Board of Education Vice President Kathy Goldenberg, former Burlington County Freeholder Director Leah Arter and Burlington County Freeholder Mary Ann O’Brien, all of whom were in attendance Tuesday night.

The attached image of Victoria Napolitano is a Patch file photo.