Watchung Council Taps Pote to Fill Mayoral Post

The Watchung Borough Council voted to elevate Council President Stephen Pote to mayor Thursday, filling the void left by the sudden death of Gerald Mobus March 17.

Pote will serve as mayor at least until the November election, when voters will elect a mayor to complete the remaining year of Mobus' term. 

"To those who know me, and those who don't, trust that I will work very hard to ensure that we, up here, will govern this town with great competency and compassion," Pote said after he was sworn in. "I ask for your patience—under normal circumstances, there would be the ability to transition from one mayor to the next—Jerry's sudden passing makes things harder.

"But in his memory, as your mayor, I'm ready—this council's ready—to work that much harder," he added.

The next matter for the new mayor and council was to fill two empty council seats—one vacated by Pote's selection and one vacated March 14 by Karen Cassidy.

State law provides for the council to select from a field of three nominees for council openings provided by the local party organization of the last elected holder of the post—both Pote and Cassidy are Republicans, and the municipal club nominated Deanna Beck-Clemens, Robert Gibb and Ronald Jubin to fill the vacancies, with Beck-Clemens and Gibbs getting the nods after council members interviewed them and then met briefly in executive session to discuss the candidates.