That same year, the town also elected its first Democratic mayor in more than 80 years.
"I don't have a problem with giving these powers to a Democratic mayor."
Any Democratic mayor, they suggest, would have done equally well over the past four years.
They also speculated about the political and personal legacy the Democratic mayor will leave in this city of 240,000 people.
Today the 40-year-old Democratic Mayor is struggling to keep his job.
It certainly has been for both Democratic and Republican mayors over the last 15 years.
Some of the state's major cities have Democratic mayors.
Each of them has got a former Democratic mayor boosting them.
The Democratic Mayor said he was pleased that the school board bill appeared to be making progress.
In 1989, the borough elected a Democratic mayor and council who pledged to lower the rates.