New Berkeley Councilman Sworn In

Michael Signorile (left) gets sworn in by Mayor Carmen Amato. The new councilman’s wife, Debbie, is holding the Bible. (Photo by Chris Lundy)

  BERKELEY – Michael Signorile was sworn in as the newest member of the Township Council. It may be his first time as a municipal official, but he is no stranger to serving people in an elected capacity.

  As the president of Holiday City South, he said he is usually called upon to help people in the community. The council position will be the same thing on a larger scale. He will be representing Ward 3, which includes neighborhoods like Holiday City South, Silver Ridge Park, and Manitou Park.

  During his first Township Council meeting, on Aug. 24, he was sworn in by Mayor Carmen Amato. His wife, Debbie, held the Bible. He had a group of people cheering for him in the audience.

  “The mayor asked me to jump in and I said yes,” he said during the meeting.

  Amato talked him up, filling in the blanks since Signorile seemed too humble to talk about himself.

  “He’s a little modest,” Amato said. “He has a banking background. He has law enforcement background. He is well respected and well-liked in his community.”

  A former police officer, he also has experience investigating white collar crime.

  After the meeting, in a phone call with The Berkeley Times, Signorile spoke more about how he intends to serve the town.

Friends of Michael Signorile came out to cheer him on. (Photo by Chris Lundy)

  “People got to step up to the plate,” he said about the issues going on in the country. Whatever difference they can make, they have to find a way to make things better.

  He said there will be a learning curve in the beginning, but “I think I got some good teachers there,” meaning the other council members.

  He takes the spot on the council originally held by Judy Noonan, who had been on it for 10 years. Noonan resigned in August and moved to Manchester. She parted ways with a letter thanking the township employees who do the work of the town but mentioning “unprincipled political decisions” of the governing body that she could no longer abide by – and backlash she said she received if she went against the grain. She did not go into further detail or single out anyone by name.

  Since Noonan is a Republican, the township’s Republican party chose her replacement. The rest of the governing body is also Republican.

  Signorile will have to run in the Nov. 3 election. If he wins, he will fulfill the rest of Noonan’s term, which ends Dec. 31, 2021.