New mayor is sworn in with three other commissioners

By Larry Barszewski

Stewart Satter was sworn in as Manalapan’s new mayor March 28, succeeding Keith Waters, who had served six years in the position and could not run again because of term limits.

Satter, who served as a town commissioner since 2019, ran unopposed for mayor. Also elected without opposition were John Deese, Simone Bonutti and Kristin Rosen.

“I’m looking forward to working with everyone,” Satter told commissioners.

The overall Town Commission has a new look, with three women on the sevenmember board for the first time in town history. Rosen is a first-time commissioner and Bonutti returns to the board after a year’s absence. They join Commissioner Aileen Carlucci, who was appointed last year to fill the seat that Bonutti had to give up because of term limits.

Rounding out the board are Commissioners Chauncey Johnstone and Richard Granara, whose terms expire next year, as

Gulf Stream

does Carlucci’s.

The changes on the commission were done without a single vote being cast, as all four candidates this year ran unopposed. The commission voted to name Deese as vice mayor and Bonutti as mayor pro tem.

The mayor and commissioners are elected to two-year terms and receive no compensation. There is a threeconsecutive term limit for the mayor’s position, and the same limit for each commissioner, and there is a combined fourconsecutive term limit for serving both as mayor and as commissioner.

In other town news:

• The commission agreed to discuss at their next meeting the need for pickleball restrictions in the town after two La Coquille residents complained of a tournament held at the neighboring Eau, and that the sport participants are much noisier than those in tennis.

• Police Chief Carmen Mattox submitted a report to commissioners that the Florida Department of Transportation may have found a reason for the flooding being experienced on State Road A1A near Ocean Avenue. FDOT subcontractors cleaning out the drainage system did a video inspection of the drainage pipes.

“During the video inspection

Commissioners (l-r) Kristin Rosen, Simone Bonutti and John Deese and Mayor Stewart Satter take their oaths of office.

Tim Stepien/ The Coastal Star

process a portion of the FDOT drainage system was discovered to be collapsed,” Mattox wrote in his report to commissioners. “FDOT is assuming that a heavy vehicle drove off the road and parked over the section of pipe causing it to be damaged sometime last summer which is when they believe the flooding began. FDOT is currently discussing options for replacing the broken section of pipe and restoring the system.” Ú