Mayor Al Nagy may only be halfway through his term, but he is quite certain he may seek another.
“The way I look at it now is, yes, I will run,” Nagy said.
For the past year, Nagy has brought numerous changes to the City of Newark. When he ran for the mayoral seat in 2011, his priorities remained stable: to increase public safety and build fiscal stability.
And during 2012, it is evident that the mayor has made large strides toward those goals.
Senior programs, which were once drastically reduced when the Senior Center was forced to close in 2010, have flourished throughout the year.
The Newark Police Department has added police officers to its force and the community’s involvement in assisting the policing agency has significantly increased with the re-establishment of the Neighborhood Watch program and the creation of a citizen policing program known as RAVEN.
Meanwhile, the city’s biennial budget remains balanced. The budget includes a surplus that is assisting the city rebuild its reserves.
But Nagy said accomplishing these goals was neither an easy task nor a feat he reached alone.
Nagy’s term marks Newark’s first change in mayoral leadership in 33 years, and Nagy said following in former Mayor David Smith’s footsteps was intimidating at times.
“The fact that [Smith] had a full-time job and led as mayor… that’s a testament of what kind of individual he was,” Nagy said. “He left a high bar to attain.”
And when Nagy took over the mayoral seat, it was not the only change on the Newark City Council. Joining the council this year as its newest members were councilmembers Suzy Collazo and Bob Marshall, and Nagy said Newark has been “blessed” to have a council that collaborates well.
“With what we have done, it’s been a positive year for us,” Nagy said.
There are still many plans Nagy has for the future, including the building of electronic signs in the city along Interstate 880 and Highway 84, the approval of the Newark General Plan update and the Lake Seawall Replacement Project, the transition of waste collection services from Waste Management to Allied Waste and the re-opening of the Silliman Aquatic Center.
Still, Nagy said his top priority remains the same.
“Maintaining the quality of life we enjoy in Newark,” he said.
Nagy’s current term expires in November.
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