-ELECTIONS-
By Chadwick Dolgos
Coletta Perry will become the next mayor of Crafton after handily securing victory on election day by a 19% margin.
She will be sworn in during the board’s January reorganization meeting, and already has big plans for her new role.
“In borough municipalities, the mayor can be what you make of it,” she said in an interview with Gazette 2.0.
Perry said she hopes to be a proactive mayor that will engage in community and economic development as well as various safety topics.
“The primary responsibility of the mayor is the safety forces,” she said.
“We’ll be looking at how we need to change and grow to be able to be well-equipped and be responsive to our changing needs and how we do policing.”
While Perry, who currently serves as vice president of the borough’s council, will no longer have a vote on council issues, she explained that there’s much a proactive mayor can achieve.
“Proactive mayors can be very key to bringing attention to the community, to be the face of the community, and to bring interested new homeowners and economic development.”
Perry defeated councilman Fred Amendola by nearly 300 votes, receiving 59.27% of the total votes cast.
Council makeup
Colton Chandler and John Oliverio are the only two members of the current council returning for another term. Chandler was selected by the council on Feb. 25 to replace former councilman Anthony Saba, and Oliverio was selected on March 11 to replace former councilman Edward Alo.
Newly elected members of the council include Erin Bollenbacher, Vincent Ridilla (four-year terms), Kirsten Compitello, and Justin Marks (two-year terms).
“I’m very encouraged by this new council,” said Perry.
Perry’s term on council currently has two more years, which will have to be filled by the newly elected council. When asked if interested in the open seat, Amendola said he hasn’t ruled it out.
“If they decide to choose me, I would serve,” Amendola said.
Perry will succeed current Mayor Jim Bloom, who served three terms and did not seek reelection, making Perry only the second woman to hold the position. Former Mayor Susan O’Connell, who served from 2006-2010, preceded Bloom and was the first woman elected to the role in Crafton.