Catasauqua Borough Council met Jan. 5 to swear in new members and reorganize. Judge Melissa Pavlack, of the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas, brought up the recently elected borough leaders for their swearing in.

Those sworn in include the new mayor, Anthony Alcalde; the tax collector, James Delburtis; and Councilmembers Howard Cunningham, Tara Nicholas and Robert Zakos Jr.

After the swearing in, Alcalde shared some words with those present before the reorganization portion of the meeting. He thanked those who stood by him and supported him. He said he was humbled and energized to be there serving the community.

“I believe we will get more out of ourselves and our town when we listen to each other, respect different perspectives and remember that we are human first,” Alcalde said. “My vision is simple — a community where everyone feels heard, where progress is thoughtful and communication is clear.”

He said he is looking forward to working with council and members of the community.

“Leadership is about service, and service starts with listening,” he said. “My promise is to lead with openness, respect and willingness to do the work.”

He then called for nominations for council president.

Councilwoman Kim Brubaker nominated Councilwoman Rev. Virginia Schlegel. Nicholas also nominated Cunningham, who declined the nomination.

Schlegel was elected to the role by a vote of 5-1, with Cunningham opposed.

Schlegel said she was moved and overwhelmed for the opportunity to serve the community in this role. She said she is looking forward to talking to people and hearing more about their issues.

Schlegel nominated Brubaker to serve as council vice president. Cunningham nominated Nicholas but failed to receive a second.

Brubaker was voted in 5-1, with Cunningham opposed.

Council then nominated candidates to serve as the vacancy board chair. The three candidates were Jill Smerdon, Vince Smith and David Bernini, all former councilmembers. Bernini won the seat with a vote of 4-2.

Now that there was a vacancy board chair, the council seat left empty by Gene Schlegel’s resignation could be addressed once again. The Dec. 29, 2025, special meeting to address the seat resulted in tie votes for Michael Sciabia and Sean O’Boyle.

Council and Bernini voted between the two candidates, and O’Boyle received the majority with a vote of 5-2, with Cunningham and Nicholas opposed. Council then approved a resolution officially naming O’Boyle to the council seat.

A number of other appointments were approved, including Glenn Eckhart as borough manager, Deanna Decker as treasurer, Jared Hanna as interim solicitor, Remington and Vernick as the borough engineer, Portnoff and Associates as the delinquent tax collector, Keycodes Inspection Agency and Richard Luthcke as the building code official/zoning officer, Zelenkofske Axelrod as the auditor and Richard Hertzog Jr. as the fire chief. Also approved were the fire department officer and driver lists, the planning commission members and the zoning hearing board.

It was noted there is now a vacancy on the zoning hearing board since Zakos is on council. He officially resigned his zoning board seat, and residents interested in serving on the zoning hearing board, for a term to expire in December 2028, should contact the borough.

Some appointments were put on hold to be addressed at the next council meeting, including council committee appointments, the Mid-Eastern Counties Association of Boroughs representatives, the manager liaison committee members, representative to the Catasauqua Area School District, Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority representative and the recreation board members.

After the reorganization meeting, council held its regular workshop and committee meetings.

The next borough council meeting is set for 7 p.m. Jan. 19 in the municipal complex, 90 Bridge St.