Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Administration topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Wallington approves 2026 reorganization slate, elects Dennis Graham council president and introduces parking ordinance
Summary
At its Jan. 7 reorganization session, the Wallington Mayor and Council approved a broad consent agenda of administrative appointments and authorizations, elected Dennis Graham as council president and introduced an ordinance to revise restricted parking near residences of disabled drivers.
Wallington’s Mayor and Council held their 2026 reorganization session on Jan. 7, approving a long slate of administrative appointments and routine authorizations, electing a council president and introducing a parking-related ordinance.
Mayor Melissa Dabal called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Oaths of office for newly elected Councilwomen Susanne Preinfalk, Beata Balik and Sylwia Hejzner had been administered before the meeting; members of the Wallington Republican Club presented flowers in recognition of the newly sworn council members.
The council unanimously elected Councilman Dennis Graham as council president after a motion from Councilwoman Justyna Marciniak and a second from Councilman Eugeniusz Rachelski. The governing body then approved a consent agenda that lists numerous routine resolutions — including appointments of professional service providers, designation of depositories, officer appointments, and authorizations for purchases and shared services — by an en-mass motion from Councilwoman Beata Balik and a second from Councilman Rachelski. The minutes show unanimous roll-call approval for the consent agenda.
Councilman Rachelski moved and Councilwoman Balik seconded the introduction of Ordinance 2026-01 by title only. The ordinance is described in the minutes as "an ordinance to amend Section 307-28 of the Code of the Borough of Wallington to revise the process for restricted parking zones in front of or near residences of disabled drivers." The minutes record the ordinance’s first reading/introduction; no substantive debate or ordinance text is included in the minutes beyond the title.
The council also approved committee and liaison assignments (Finance, Police, Public Works, Redevelopment, Planning Board liaison, Board of Education liaison, Library Board liaison and others) and a set of planning, health, recreation and library board appointments as listed in the minutes. The record lists elected officials and borough staff and notes that, following adoption of Resolution 2026-01, the governing body did not convene into closed session and continued in open session.
Votes at a glance: Dennis Graham elected Council President — motion: Justyna Marciniak; second: Eugeniusz Rachelski; outcome: approved (unanimous). Consent agenda (Resolutions 2026-001 through 2026-075, with some numbers omitted as shown in the minutes) — motion: Beata Balik; second: Eugeniusz Rachelski; outcome: approved (unanimous). Ordinance 2026-01 (introduction, first reading) — motion: Eugeniusz Rachelski; second: Beata Balik; outcome: approved for introduction (unanimous). Committee assignments approved — motion: Eugeniusz Rachelski; second: Susanne Preinfalk; outcome: approved (unanimous). Board appointments approved — motion: Eugeniusz Rachelski; second: Susanne Preinfalk; outcome: approved (unanimous). Approval of Nov. 24, 2025 minutes — motion: Eugeniusz Rachelski; second: Justyna Marciniak; outcome: approved (unanimous).
The minutes note that Mayor Dabal delivered the annual State of the Borough address and that a copy of the address is attached to the official record; the text of that address was not included in the minutes provided.
