On July 1, 1776, while Thomas Jefferson and other founding fathers were working on the final drafts of the Declaration of Independence, there was a heightened sense of hope covering the young nation. For many people at the time, other than the loyalists who disagreed with the beliefs of Adams, Franklin and Hamilton, there was great excitement about the future and much anticipation over just how the path to freedom would twist and turn.

Fast forward 231 years to July 1, 2007. On that date, Sea Isle City’s five new council members (Mike McHale, Frank Edwardi, Bill Kehner, John Divney and Mary Tighe) and Mayor Len Desiderio were sworn into office during an inaugural ceremony on the Promenade. Like the earliest Americans, people in the 08243 zip code also have a great deal of hope about their new form of government – and you can bet that everyone is anticipating just where it will lead.

Fortunately, unlike our founding fathers, we don’t need to fight a war to reach our goals here in Sea Isle, but that doesn’t mean that we can afford to take a "hands-off" approach either. Our new council members and the mayor are counting on residential participation to make this new government a success. And since there is much work to complete, Sea Isle’s leaders will need our input, our advice, and occasionally our time.

In an effort to reach out to every resident, the new council has decided to offer an additional evening meeting to their schedule so that anyone who works during the day will now be able to learn what is happening within the city’s government. The two monthly meetings will be held on the second floor of the Public Safety Building on the second Tuesday at 7 p.m. and the fourth Tuesday at 10 a.m.

According to City Council President Mike McHale, he too is very excited about the immediate future of Sea Isle City and wants as many people to get involved as possible.

"We already have more than 100 people who have signed up for the new citizen involvement committees that were formed," says McHale. "But we need everyone’s help, and anyone who wants to join one of the committees can give their name at city hall."

The committees McHale mentioned include: a "Shoulder Season" Committee, (to help businesses during the off season), a Teenage Development Committee (to explore what can be done for local teens), an Information Systems Committee (to examine the town’s current technology base), and a FEMA Committee (to hopefully get back our discount on flood insurance). Additionally, there are also committees for Citizen Involvement, Zoning, Parking, Beautification, Grants, Communications, Finance, and Non-Tax Revenue Generation.

"We welcome as much input as possible," added McHale. There’s a lot that has to get done, but the people of Sea Isle City seem very optimistic, and so do the business leaders."

As we all enjoy the many freedoms afforded to each American, let’s remember the words of Alexander Hamilton: "Here, the people govern."