Among the “whereas” typical of resolutions approved by municipal boards were words not so typical honoring Allesandro “Sandy” Nicolo.

Nicolo retired after some 20 years with Salisbury Township, including the last five years as assistant township manager-director of community development.

Making the motion to bring the resolution honoring Nicolo to a vote at the Oct. 23 Salisbury Township board of commissioners’ meeting was Commissioner Heather Lipkin, seconded by board of commissioners’ Vice President Rodney Conn. The resolution was approved unanimously 5-0 by commissioners.

The resolution expressed “the appreciation of the board of commissioners” to Nicolo “for his years of service to the township and its citizens.”

The resolution continued, whereas, “during his tenure, his ability to communicate and interact effectively with residents” afforded him the opportunity to be appointed community development director, and

“Whereas,” Nicolo served the residents and the administration “with diligence and a willingness to better the township.”

The “whereas” were just getting started.

The resolution stated, “Sandy’s disarming approach, clever responses and unassuming nature provided the department with a well-rounded and easily approachable spokesperson.

“Whereas, Sandy’s spiritual guidance, joy of comedic pranks, use of ChatGPT and his overwhelming generosity and respect for his colleagues have made his presence at Salisbury Township invaluable, memorable and irreplaceable.”

The resolution stated the Salisbury board of commissioners “accepts with grateful appreciation the notice of intent to retire from Sandy Nicolo for the many years of dedicated service he has rendered to the Township; and

“Be it further resolved that the best wishes of the members of this board and staff be extended to Sandy Nicolo for a long and happy retirement.”

Salisbury commissioners and officials who lauded Nicolo at the Oct. 23 township meeting included Salisbury Township Police Lt. Christopher Casey, who recalled, “I’ve worked with Sandy for 18 years.

“He’s continually shown good leadership qualities. He was never afraid to ask for advice. He was always great to work around.

“You’re a good dude. We’re going to miss you,” Casey said to Nicolo.

As Salisbury code enforcement officer, Nicolo’s duties included visiting properties. Residents were not always glad to see him.

Casey noted during one code enforcement problem, township police were called as backup when a resident seemed to put Nicolo’s safety in jeopardy. Casey said Nicolo was able to diffuse the situation.

In an Oct. 26 phone interview for this article, a reporter for The Press, asked Nicolo about his approach to handling confrontational situations with residents.

“I was doing code enforcement,” Nicolo recalled. “It included responding to complaints. There were times when I had to have police backup to respond to some of those code enforcement complaints.

“That was always my style: to bring them into compliance with reason and respect. I always tried to respect them,” Nicolo said.

“As assistant manager, I was handling a lot of the complaint calls, not necessarily code enforcement, but other complaints.

“When we switched trash collectors, people were calling with concerns. I was fielding a lot of those calls to help the manager out,” Nicolo said.

Nicolo attributed his ability to handle emotionally-charged situations to his faith.

“It’s taught me to be more patient and being more restrained when things get difficult,” said Nicolo, 63.

Nicolo said before work at the Salisbury Township Municipal Building, he attended Daily Mass at St. Ann’s Church, Emmaus. Nicolo attends Sunday Mass at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Lehighton.

Nicolo and his wife Theresa live in the Lehighton area. They have been married for 36 years. They are the parents of Daniel, 27 and Andrea, 30.

Before working for Salisbury Township, Nicolo worked in the public works department and eventually in code enforcement for Lower Southampton Township, Bucks County, from 1986 to 2005.

Nicolo was hired by Salisbury Township as code enforcement officer on Oct. 19, 2005. He was appointed community development director, overseeing zoning, planning and code enforcement matters. Nicolo was appointed Assistant Manager-Director of Community in January 2020.

Nicolo said in the interview with The Press that his public works experience in Lower Southampton was invaluable for his roles in Salisbury Township.

In Lower Southampton, Nicolo said, “We paved roads, maintained township parks, did the snowplowing, maintained the sewer system and did routine maintenance.

“That was a whole department that I had knowledge of.”

In 2000, he was hurt on the job. “I had two back surgeries.” That led to a new career track that he continued on. “They [Lower Southampton] offered me a position as code enforcement officer and rental inspector.”

“I got several residential building inspector certifications,” Nicolo said.

Before working for Lower Southampton, he worked in HVAC for a private firm.

Nicolo is a graduate of Archbishop Wood High School, Warminster, Bucks County, Class of 1980. He attended the all-boys school there. He studied HVAC at Orleans Technical College, Philadelphia.

In Salisbury, as code enforcement officer, he was in charge of overseeing a third-party building inspection company, Code Master Inspection Services.

“I was able to help in all departments in matters that involved building inspections,” Nicolo said.

As director of community development and assistant township manager, Nicolo helped implement a number of township improvements.

“We assisted with public works in developing the sewer lateral ordinance. We assisted in developing the noise enforcement ordinance with public conduct for the police department. We developed the rental inspection ordinance. We amended the property maintenance ordinance. I developed the MS4 program for the township.

“Reorganizing the department was my biggest accomplishment. We changed the location of the office. We moved it up to the front lobby, so that people could come directly to us.

“Our work was kind of disjointed. We took everything and put it back in our office.”

Efficiencies and procedures were implemented to make things run smoother, including GovWell, a software program for local government, with an agreement approved by commissioners at the Oct. 23 meeting.

Nicolo said the new Giant supermarket expected to open in November is a big plus for the township.

“We were able to get Giant into the South Mall, which is going to turn that mall around.

“We’d like to attract more commercial businesses and try to maintain our neighborhoods, so that we have a good balance.”

“Salisbury is kind of unique. Salisbury has South Mountain and Lehigh Mountain, which is very rural. Lehigh Street, East Emmaus Avenue and East Susquehanna Street are very developed.

“The biggest challenges for Salisbury are the sewer rehabilitation project and the MS4 mandate, that was forced on the township by the state, and the cost of the police radios by the county,” Nicolo said.

At the Oct. 23 meeting, Nicolo said, “Working for Salisbury Township has been an incredibly rewarding experience and it has been an honor to serve this community.

“I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to my coworkers and staff for their unwavering teamwork and professionalism.

“They come to work each day dedicated to service in the best interests of the township and it has been a privilege to work alongside them.

“I would also like to acknowledge those who shoulder the enormous responsibility of making difficult, and often thankless, decisions on behalf of the community: the board of commissioners. Your service and leadership are deeply appreciated.

“Thank you all for the invaluable experiences, opportunities and friendships I have gained during my time with Salisbury Township. It has truly been a privilege.”