WEYMOUTH — The town council Monday appointed a former Weymouth veterans services director to fill the vacant council seat. Councilors voted 9-0 to appoint Frank Burke, a Bluff Road resident, to serve the 18 months left in the term of former Councilor Victor Pap of North Weymouth, who resigned from the council last month, citing family and professional commitments.
“I want to be a voice for my community,” Burke, 65, said after the council’s meeting. “I’ve done it before and I’m looking forward to doing it again.”
Pap was re-elected to a two-year term in November. Under the charter, the District 1 seat would have gone to the runner-up in the last election. Because Pap ran unopposed, the next in line would be the candidate for an at-large seat on the council who lives in Pap’s district and got the most votes without winning a seat. But Ted Miller, the only candidate who fit those criteria, no longer lives in the district. That left it up to the council to choose someone to fill the seat until the next town election, in 2013. Frank Burke and Gary Peters, a neighborhood activist who lost to Pap in the race for the seat in 2007, were the only two residents to officially enter their names for consideration, council President Arthur Mathews said.
Councilor Patrick O’Connor, who nominated Burke, said, “I believe Frank is an incredibly qualified North Weymouth resident of 33 years who will do an excellent job. He’s going to be a great member of our team.” Burke was the veterans services director from 2002 until he retired in January. He was a town meeting member for 20 years and ran for an at-large seat on the council in 2000. He is a past president of the North Weymouth Civic Association and chairman of the town’s veterans council.
Burke said the top issues facing North Weymouth are repairing the sea walls – highlighted by flooding there during Monday’s coastal storm – and reducing the impact of construction of the new Fore River Bridge on the neighborhood.