Englishtown Borough Council holds first of what is expected to be many town hall meetings
The meeting was held after John Alite, a former member of the Gambino crime family, was appointed to the council. But members of the community say they have no problem with Alite’s past.
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After a former member of the mob was recently appointed to the Englishtown Borough Council, the mayor held a town hall on Friday, led by residents.
Councilman John Alite was in attendance, but residents said they didn't have a problem with him serving on the council. They even defended the new councilman against someone from out of town who bought up his past.
Alite, who was appointed last week, formerly worked for the Gambino crime family under John Gotti. Alite ended up serving time in prison after testifying against the mafia.
Those who live in Englishtown mainly wanted to address issues concerning their local lake which could violate safety regulations according to the state. It could also force people to move out of their homes.
RELATED: Former member of Gambino crime family gets second chance as Englishtown councilman
Alite says he's proud to serve people who are more concerned about the future of the town than his past.
“This is one of the reasons why I love this town. In this small community, everybody knows each other, everybody stays with each other, they're very polite, they're very passionate. They are forgiving. They don't care about what I did 20 years ago they care about what I did in the last 15 years,” he told News 12.
Englishtown Mayor Daniel Francisco says that before nominating Alite for the council position, four members of the council were asked to step down. The mayor said he is not ready to disclose what led him to that decision. The council plans to vote on temporary replacements for those positions at the next council meeting.
The mayor says Friday’s town hall will be the first of many, which will happen periodically with different members of the council.
