Colin and Mayor Leonard Desiderio are joined by Colin's grandfather, Kevin Norris Sr., and father, Kevin Norris Jr., for the ceremony. (Photo courtesy of Sea Isle City)
By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
You’ve got to admire the moxie of a 9-year-old boy who requests a meeting with the mayor of Sea Isle City and then confidently sits in the mayor’s chair after he arrives at City Hall.
Actually, Colin Norris was impeccably polite when he walked into the City Council Chambers on Tuesday to accept a proclamation from Mayor Leonard Desiderio declaring him an honorary full-time citizen of Sea Isle.
Colin, dressed in a Sea Isle City T-shirt, shorts and black sneakers, chatted with the mayor like the two were old friends.
“Anything I can do to help you, you call me,” Desiderio assured Colin.
Desiderio presented Colin with his honorary full-time citizen proclamation at the end of a City Council meeting. Members of Council and Police Chief Anthony Garreffi also got to meet Colin and pose for pictures with him during the ceremony.
“He is enjoying every second of it,” said Colin’s dad, Kevin Norris Jr., who was joined by Colin’s grandfather, Kevin Norris Sr.
Asked how he felt about the excitement of meeting the mayor and receiving his proclamation, Colin exclaimed, “Great.”
Police Chief Anthony Garreffi, left, and members of City Council watch as Mayor Leonard Desiderio presents a proclamation to Colin Norris.
The Norris family lives in Chalfont, Pa. Their connections to Sea Isle include a summer home on 57th Street owned by Kevin Norris Sr.
Both the dad and grandfather said Colin came up with the idea to meet the mayor and made it happen.
“It was on his bucket list,” Kevin Norris Sr. joked.
Clearly impressed by Colin, Desiderio good-naturedly mentioned the possibility of appointing the kid to a city advisory board for youth recreation.
Afterward, Desiderio invited Colin to sit in his chair in the mayor’s office in City Hall. Colin immediately accepted the offer.
“During my visit with Colin, I learned that he enjoys his schoolwork, he is a polite young man, and he has a very bright future,” Desiderio said in a statement afterward. “My thanks go to Colin’s father, Kevin, and his grandfather, Kevin, for bringing him to this week’s City Council meeting and for introducing me to another young person who gives me great hope for the future.”
Colin, who will enter fourth grade this fall, appeared to be ready to help out Sea Isle in whatever way he can, including possibly serving on a city advisory board.
“Yeah, I would like to be on a board,” he said, smiling.
Colin and Mayor Leonard Desiderio are joined by Colin's grandfather, Kevin Norris Sr., and father, Kevin Norris Jr., for the ceremony. (Photo courtesy of Sea Isle City)
