Catasauqua Borough Council held its reorganization meeting Jan. 3. Mayor Barbara Schlegel ran the meeting until a borough president and vice president were elected by council.

Longtime Councilman Brian Bartholomew was elected unanimously by his peers to become borough president for the next two years. He replaces former borough Councilman Vincent Smith.

Newly elected Councilman Howard Cunningham was elected by a 5-1 vote to become the borough’s vice president.

The borough manager, treasurer, solicitor, code enforcement/zoning officer, engineer, fire chief and others all retained their positions for the next two years.

The newly elected council members received the oath of office from Magisterial District Judge Michael D’Amore. Newly elected Councilwoman Jill Smerdon received her oath of office before the meeting, as she attended the meeting virtually. Councilman Paul Cmil was not present during the swearing in of council members. He arrived later and received the oath of office at that time.

The current council makeup has a majority of members with four years or less of elected political experience. At an earlier meeting, Cmil noted council will face many challenging issues during the next two years.

Major issues facing council in 2022 include a potential renovation, replacement or closure of the municipal swimming pool; the multimillion-dollar Iron Works project; increase of large truck traffic within the borough; and street repairs, to name a few.

Schlegel told council she looks forward to working with them, as she has done for 16 years. She noted she is at their service to assist them in any way.

The next council meeting will be 7 p.m. Jan. 31 at the borough’s municipal complex, 90 Bridge St. It is a hybrid meeting, with both in-person and virtual options. Visit catasauqua.org for the call-in and access codes to participate virtually.