By Tom Davidson
GREENVILLE — A new day has dawned in Greenville.
For many folks in the borough, there’s no evident change. But for small town political aficionados, a shakeup in borough government and a new appointment to Greenville Water Authority represents a new era in local politics.
Richard H. “Dick” Miller is a private citizen again. His sometimes stormy, four-year term as mayor officially came to an end Monday with the swearing in of the town’s new mayor Pete Candela. Miller also lost out on a bid to retain his position as president of the water authority.
“I’m not going to cry over spilled milk,” Miller, 67, said. “It’s a new day and I wish my successors well. I guess I’ll have more time for myself.”
The town also said good-bye Monday to Pete Longiotti, who served two terms as council president during a trying time for Greenville. Councilman Brian W. Shipley was selected to succeed Longietti as council’s nominal leader.
Shortly after Longiotti took office, the town confronted mounting fiscal problems by becoming a financially distressed community under state Act 47. He became council president in December 2002.
That was the same time that Miller, a businessman and longtime Democratic operative, was emerging as a major critic of the past management of the town, which was blamed for the borough’s fiscal decline.
Miller made headlines as mayor for his relentless criticism of borough council actions and taking the unprecedented step of vetoing a borough budget one year. The veto, largely symbolic, was overridden by council.
Shipley’s selection as council president this week marks a political comeback of sorts. Shipley was picking up the pieces of a broken political career when he ran for borough council in 2007. A former Mercer County commissioner, Shipley resigned after a scandal in fall 2001 involving his use of a county-issued credit card and computer.
Shipley, 39, owns his own insurance company. He’s been a force on and off in local Republican politics since he was elected at 18 to the Reynolds School Board.
“It’s certainly not something I sought,” Shipley said of the council presidency. “Frankly, I was hoping Pete was going to serve a while longer. I’m certainly humbled by the decision of other members of council.”
Running Greenville’s government is a team effort, Shipley said.
The town needs to do more to implement its recovery plan under Act 47 and needs to figure out how to remake the way recreation services are administered in the borough.
“I think that’s probably one of the most pressing issues,” Shipley said. “I think we finally have to come to some resolution to provide recreation services in an affordable fashion.”
As mayor, Candela, 60, a Republican, said he’s intent on improving code enforcement in the borough to improve the housing stock and would like to see more community activities, aimed at “getting citizens out and involved.”
Candela moved to town five years ago and has managed several businesses. He is a native of Dayton, Ohio.
Miller, 67, said he’s going to focus his attention on his business, Keystone Research Inc., a company that acts as a court-appointed receiver for bankrupt companies.
Council on Monday also welcomed new members Thomas D’Alfonso, Stephen May and Theodore Jones.
They rejected Miller’s bid for another four year term on the Greenville Water Authority board, instead appointing John Gibson to the post.
Gibson, 62, a semi-retired chemical engineer who teaches part-time, hadn’t yet been informed of his appointment when contacted Tuesday.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Gibson said of serving the authority.
The town also enters 2010 without a borough manager since Ryan Eggleston left in November to manage Oil City.
