In true Cinque fashion, there was reminiscing during the closing of this past Tuesday’s city council meeting. The Marathon Mayor, termed limited out of office, banged his gavel for the final time, but not before his fellow councilmembers thanked him for a job well done.
“I have become a better man and better councilman by serving with you,” said Chris Bull. “It’s been a pleasure and we are going to miss you.”
Even realtor Karen Farley-Wilkinson, who crossed swords with city government over the central sewer and wastewater system, offered her appreciation.
“We owe him a great deal of gratitude,” she said. “If he hadn’t been that persistent, we wouldn’t have those two hotels starting right now and we wouldn’t have those 100 (transient) units.”
Cinque, who was one of the most significant leaders in the movement to incorporate Marathon, won his first election in 2007 by capturing nearly 29 percent of the total vote – the highest percentage a candidate has received since Marathon moved to at-large elections.
He moved to Marathon at the age of 17 “more than 35 years ago,” still has the same phone number, and lives in the same trailer he purchased back in the ’80s.
This past Saturday night, friends gathered to lampoon him at a roast benefitting Grace Jones. (Dignity and decorum prevents us from revisiting those jokes here.)
During closing statements at the council meeting on Tuesday, he praised city staff, the current council and those he served with over the years like Marilyn Tempest.
“It’s a process, Mike, it’s a process,” Tempest would tell him during his first year on the dais when he didn’t feel government was moving as quickly or being as responsive as he would have liked. Cinque said he learned many lessons during his tenure and offered advice to current and future councils.
“It’s a legislative process and it takes everyone working together to get anything done,” he said.
“When you live in a small community you have to be committed. I think we all have to be committed and connected to everybody. Everyone knows where to find me in the morning and at night. Everyone knows I will go to bat for them. I will fight for citizens’ rights. That is our job. It has been an enjoyment and an honor.”
On Tuesday, Nov. 5, Marathon voters will decide who will replace Cinque on the city council when they vote to fill two open seats.
