DOVER – James Dodd is on a rescue mission.

The former – and now new – mayor of this historic Morris County town took the oath on New Year’s Day before an overflow crowd at the local American Legion hall and bluntly proclaimed:

“We will dedicate this year as a year of recovery.”
From what?

The pandemic? A horrible flood? A meteor strike?

Dodd was being more pragmatic.

“We weathered the storm of a chaotic administration that, regrettably, left us in a state of disarray.”

This is a Democratic town in a Republican-county, but don’t be fooled. The animosity among Dems here is real and long-lasting.

Dodd was ousted as mayor in 2019 when the county Democratic organization at the time refused to back him. He ran as an independent and narrowly lost to Carolyn Blackman.

But when 2023 rolled around, the coalition that put Blackman in Town Hall was itself split, giving Dodd, who resumed running as a Democrat, a clear path to victory,

Blackman attended Dodd’s swearing in, sitting in the rear of the room. Dodd, graciously, noted her presence as he introduced the assortment of local political dignitaries who normally attend such events.

But the new mayor had harsh words for Blackman’s Administration.

Dodd said the chaos was evident in an administration that had three business administrators in four years, one of whom oversaw the sale of prime town real estate – the old Newberry Building – at a $5 million loss.

He also faulted the departing administration for executing a shared service agreement with West Orange (not exactly a neighbor) to handle town finances.

Listening “between the lines” it seemed clear that Dodd was hinting at some type of fiscal chicanery that ensued over the last four years. To that end, he said will not rest until he accounts for how all money was spent when he was out of office,

“Government is not a place to get rich on the backs of the taxpayers” he said and the crowd cheered.

Dodd said that by “recovery,” he meant to reinstall programs and department efficiency that he said marked his administration.

That means growth to stabilize property taxes, a mayor’s hotline to make sure public questions are answered and working with NJ-Transit to reopen a restaurant at the train station. He also wants to build a memorial to the victims of the Covid pandemic.

The mayor invited those who share his vision to work with him to rebuild community pride.

Most members of the governing body are Dodd supporters, so this was kind of a celebration.

But all was not smooth.

Right from the start, the mayor sparred with Council member Karol Ruiz who asked a series of questions about the salary of the new town clerk and the appointment of police chaplains. At one point, he threatened to remove her from the meeting for being disruptive. Dodd said she was “nitpicking.”

Wow! And this was the first meeting of the year. .

On a lighter note, the whole event was briefly delayed because there was no Bible to swear in the mayor.

It was county Sheriff James Gannon, who was in attendance, and who came to the rescue by leaving the room and returning with a Bible.

Talk about being prepared.

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