Franklin Park honors outgoing mayor Dennis O'Keefe and departing council members

Franklin Park Borough Council and residents paid tribute to outgoing Mayor Dennis O'Keefe and departing council members at the Dec. 3 meeting, offering tokens of appreciation and public thanks for long service to the borough.

The meeting opened with recognition of Councilman Thomas Schwarzmeyer for years of service and volunteer work, followed by a formal recognition and remarks for Mayor Dennis O'Keefe, who has served as mayor for 16 years. In accepting the council’s appreciation, O'Keefe thanked staff, police and public works and said he intends to remain involved in the community after his term ends on Jan. 5: “You make Franklin Park the beautiful, thriving community that it is.”

Public commenters also offered tributes. Carol Hess read a prepared statement, saying she and her husband wanted “to thank the outgoing mayor, Dennis O'Keefe, and council members, Tom Schwartz Meyer and Luke Muslinski for their outstanding service and dedication to Franklin Park.” Ken Fetterman told the council he had taught civics and praised the officials for listening, researching issues and seeking compromise.

Representatives of the borough’s fire company thanked the council and highlighted collaborative work on a station replacement project, which the speaker said saved more than $800,000 during planning and construction; the figure was presented by the fire company representative at the meeting.

Multiple council members and staff thanked the departing officials and expressed confidence in the incoming members. The meeting record shows ongoing offers to act as resources to the borough in the future.

Provenance: Based on remarks and public comments recorded beginning at SEG 015 through SEG 336 in the meeting transcript.