Borough Councilmen Receive Thanks for Service as Terms End

Three Councilmen were thanked for all their years of service to the borough at their final regular council meeting last week.

Council President Pete Alyanakian, and Councilmen Jim Cunningham and Peter Williamson will end their run on council at the end of the year.

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Cunningham, who has served on council for a total of 26 years, received the borough's Community Service Award in what appeared to be a shock to him.

Alyanakian presented Cunningham with the award from council and said Cunningham had served the borough in a variety of different roles from being at the fire department to actually being a Media Borough employee.

"(Cunningham) has dedicated more than 26 years of community service to this town in a way that few can. His ability to take complex ideas and simplify them for the public to understand...has been something to see. It's been a pleasure to serve with him these last four years," Alyanakian said.

Cunningham, who was not expecting the award, said he was honored and humbled to receive the award.

"I'm greatly appreciative of my collegues for thinking of me in this way," he said. "I've served over a period of 40 years, 26 years in elected office in the borough. When I first ran in 1969, Lyndon Johnson was President of the United States and the Vietnam War was raging. I'm leaving in 2012 and our country has elected the first African American president and the war, thank God, in Iraq, is over. So I'd like to think that our society is moving forward and is a better place today than it was 40 years ago. I'd like to think that in some small way, that my efforts, have made Media a better place to live today than it was 40 years ago."

Cunningham said he wanted to accept the honor not in his name but in the name of the citizens of Media, past and present.

"(Those) who honored me by electing me to office to represent them," he said. "These individuals had confidence in me and they supported me when they thought I was right and stuck my feet in the fire when they thought I was wrong. But they are the ones that are the real backbone of this community and they are the ones that make this community a wonderful place to live and raise a family. ...I'm honored that I've been able to serve them all these years."

Alyanakian, who is also leaving council, echoed Cunningham's words and thanked the borough for the privilege to serve them.

"It's certainly been a privilege to be elected three times to serve the residents of this town. There's no better feeling in the world then when you do get elected and the work that you get to do up here is certainly a unique experience to have and I've been honored to do this for 12 years," he said. "It's never been a dull moment. The residents in this town are extraordinary and it's been a honor to be sitting up here for the last 12 years, having this opportunity to really vet some issues."

Alyanakian said when he was first elected, he had very dark hair and his children were three years old and nine months old and now his children are in high school (and his hair is a little more gray).

"It just brings back fond memories of those days and to serve with some of the people I've been fortunate enough to serve with ... it's really been a fun ride here," he said. "And regardless of your politics and how heated some of these elections get, it's all about making Media a better place. Nobody has the best idea, we all just think we do. But it's the people who make the decisions about how Media is run and if you remember that, you put the residents and voters first, you really can't do the wrong thing here. I want to thank everyone for the time they've given me up here, it's been a real honor."

Williamson, who served on council for six years and served on the planning commission, said having a diverse government and not having one particular party or opinion is wise.

"I've never had a more formidable debater than Mr. Cunningham and I appreciate him for it," he said.

Williamson said he would think in his own delibrations, "what would Councilman Cunningham do" and it sharpened his own thinking and said Alyanakian brings the same passion to the job.

"I'm sorry I won't be serving with any of these people any more," Williamson said.

All of the other council members thanked each of three men for their time served and knowledge they each brought to the council.

For more stories from this, Dec. 15 council meeting, and .