Distasi chosen to fill vacant council seat

Peg Distasi was appointed to fill a vacant seat on the Vernon Township Council at its Feb. 6 meeting.

Former council president Brian Lynch resigned his seat in January.

Distasi, who was elected in a 3-0 vote, had applied for previous vacancies, and she ran an unsuccessful campaign for a council seat in November.

Councilman Joe Tadrick chose not to vote because he was appointed to his position when Councilman Harry Shortway resigned late last year for health reasons.

Distasi was nominated for the open seat by Councilman Brad Sparta.

Councilman Patrick Rizzuto nominated three other applicants, Bill Higgins, William DeYoung and Steve Dunlop, but his motions were not seconded.

Applicants Mark Heftler, George Nikanorov and Peter Knipe were not nominated.

Distasi, who has lived in Vernon for 35 years, was a key figure in bringing the mountain of waste on Joseph Wallace’s property on Silver Spruce Drive to public attention in 2008. The mountain remains as various lawsuits and charges against Wallace are tied up in court.

Distasi, who is running for a council seat Nov. 7, said she has been attending council meetings since 2013. She also has been a member of the Environmental Commission.

She will serve until the end of this year.

Voters will elect a candidate in November to fill the rest of Lynch’s term, which ends Dec. 31, 2025.

Council vice president Natalie Buccieri was elected council president for the rest of the year.

Sparta, Distasi and Buccieri voted for Buccieri, while Rizzuto and Tadrick voted for Rizzuto, who was council president in 2022.

Rizzuto was elected vice president unanimously.

CORRECTION: Peg Distasi’s last name was spelled incorrectly in an earlier version of this article.