Cooper steps down after six terms on council BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer WEST LONG BRANCH - After a 24-year run as a West Long Branch councilman, Richard F. Cooper Jr. has retired from his seat on council but his involvement in local government is far from over. At the Jan. 1 reorganization meeting, no sooner had Cooper, 72, vacated his council seat than he was appointed to a four-year term on the Planning Board. "For half of my married life, I served on the West Long Branch council," said Cooper in an interview last week. "We have always re-arranged vacations based on council meetings and now we want to travel," he said. "I think it was just time for a change. "I will miss it," he said, adding, "but I do plan to stay involved." Cooper ran for office in 1982 and was sworn in for his first council term on Jan. 1, 1983. On Dec. 6, Cooper served as a member of council for the final time. "Through the years, I have served with 22 different members of the council," Cooper said. "I have worked with a lot of nice people. It was just time." At the reorganization meeting, Steven Cioffi took the oath of office as a councilman. He will fill the seat Cooper held for more than two decades. Other officials sworn in at the Jan. 1 meeting, included Mayor Janet W. Tucci and Councilwoman Barbara Ruane. Tucci won election in November, after filling the last year of the unexpired term of former mayor Paul Zambrano, who resigned his seat after he was arrested on charged of extortion by the FBI in February 2005. Ruane was sworn in to office to fill a new term after filling the unexpired term of former Councilman Joseph DeLisa, who was also arrested by federal authorities for extortion. At Cooper's last council meeting, Tucci and the council weighed in on Cooper's service. "Those of you that know him, know that even though he worked a full-time job, [serving on council] was a full-time job for him," Tucci said. "He seldom missed a meeting and he was one of the major reasons why taxes went up 0 or 1 cent. "Cut, cut, cut," she continued. "It is people like him you should be thankful for." Councilwoman Bettina Munson also thanked Cooper. "You are really a great citizen to this town," she said. Councilman Joseph C. Woolley agreed. "Dick Cooper, what a guy," Woolley said. "It is amazing at all the places you show up in the borough. "Dick is very good with a pen, but he is even better with an eraser," he said. Cooper said he decided to get involved in local government almost 25 years ago, simply because he was asked to. "I was raised in West Long Branch and then I lived outside of the borough for 10 years," he said. "I moved back in 1969 and have been living here ever since. "In the 80s I was asked to run for council and I was convinced," he continued. "I agreed, I ran and I was elected." Of the six committees of the council, Cooper has served on five: Administrative and Finance, Fire and First Aid, Recreation, Public works and Police. "The only one I haven't served on is the Public Properties Committee," Cooper said. An active member of the borough's volunteer First Aid Squad, Cooper said among all the committees he served on, he acted as the financial chairman of the Administrative and Finance Committee for the longest period of time. "I really got satisfaction out of arriving at a municipal budget that represents the services that residents are accustomed to, while keeping the tax burden down," he said. "It was always a challenge, though." Serving as councilman was not a personal accomplishment, Cooper explained, adding that it was a way for him to give back to his community. Some of the highlights of Cooper's career as councilman include acquiring and developing parks, purchasing and developing the current Borough hall building on Broadway and the Franklin Lake project. "During my tenure, I was proud we were able to update the Public Works Department so they could have the equipment that they need," Cooper said. "But I am most proud of the voters of West Long Branch for permitting me the privilege of serving on council for 24 years. And I thank the 22 people I got to serve with over the years," he said. Cooper added that he is also proud that he was able to help residents who were having problems. "I am nonpolitical when it comes to the residents," he said. "I am going to miss being able to help them. "I will also miss the challenge of being able to put together a budget every year," he said.