Career in public service was surprise for mayor Dorothy Avallone tells teens how she got involved in town BY LINDA DeNICOLA Staff Writer Dorothy Avallone FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — There was a great deal of teenage energy in the auditorium at the Barkalow Middle School just before Mayor Dorothy Avallone began speaking about her long career in public service. But the eighth-graders quieted down and listened attentively as Avallone spoke about the importance of setting goals. Avallone was the keynote speaker for a Career Information Workshop held on the morning of Nov. 30. After her informative program, which included questions, the students left for individual workshops that were led by parents and community volunteers. As part of the event, each student was able to pick five workshops to attend from among a list of 15 which included an environmental management chemist, optometrist, state police detective, journalist/teacher, pharmaceutical professional, international trader, aviation insurance person, chiropractors, social worker, interior designer, dentist, scientist, chef, digital broadcast TV person and building contractors. At the start of the assembly Avallone was introduced as one of the foremost leaders, and women, in the community, as well as the grandmother of Barkalow student MacKenzie Avallone. Avallone, the mother of seven children, told the students that four of her children graduated from Barkalow and noted that her granddaughter will graduate in June. She talked about the importance of setting goals and as an example she said that at one time she and her husband had a goal of moving out of Brooklyn, N.Y. They researched various towns and discovered Freehold Township. What she liked about the town was the school system, she said. Avallone explained that she often writes down her goals and said that sometimes they are a “little bit fuzzy.” One of her goals after she moved to the township almost 40 years ago was to do something for the community, but the goal was not specific. At first she got involved with the PTA at the Errickson School and became president of a homeowners association. Eventually, Avallone became president of the local Republican club and a commissioner on Freehold Township’s parks and recreation commission. That volunteer job turned out to be more than she bargained for, but she had set a goal to do everything she could for the township’s young people and especially for girls sports. She was instrumental in establishing girls softball and basketball leagues. “The goals that I set were all achieved,” the mayor told the students. She spoke about the importance of working together as a team, but also about developing as a person. She told the young people to think about goals for shaping their future and added, “Be true to yourself, do your best at everything you do, look your best and help some people along the way.” She told the children they should prepare themselves to earn a good living. She said they do not have to be rich, but they will be required to support themselves. She added that she never earned a lot of money, but she was comfortable and has had a good professional life. She did admit that some of the things she has achieved were not goals. “I never expected to be the mayor of Freehold Township and standing before you. Some things just happened,” Avallone said. She explained that her favorite job was raising a family. “My real goal in life was becoming a mother. Some people think that I may have overdone that,” she said. Avallone said her work in the community came about because of her children. But, she said, “It’s a good thing to have an idea of where you want to go. I’ve had a very full and promising life because of the goals I’ve set,” she said before taking questions from the eighth-graders. One child asked what it is like being a mayor and a mother. Avallone said sometimes it was hard, “but that’s why it is important to be organized.” She talked about the goals the Township Committee sets every year, which include maintaining a stable tax rate, preserving open space and improving local roads. After several questions were asked by boys, Avallone implored the girls to ask questions. When no girls spoke up, guidance counselor Pamela Galatro asked Avallone how she handled being the only woman at meetings where everyone else was male. Avallone, who has served as mayor a number of times, said it is easy now, but it wasn’t always that way. She recalled one former colleague who called her the “mayorette.” In other instances, she said, a fellow committeeman would raise his hand in front of her to indicate that she should be quiet in order for a committeeman to speak. She said even now when she is presiding over a meeting where there are professionals present, like engineers, they turn to the men, and not her, for information. “We really should get a lot more women out there. I wish all of you girls would get involved in the community,” she said. In response to a question about how a person can enter politics, Avallone said the person should decide which party he or she feels drawn to and contact someone in that party. “For instance, the Republican party in Freehold Township meets once a month and there are 20 or 30 boards in town. It’s a good way to get involved,” she said. Once again Avallone asked the girls to ask a question. Finally, her granddaughter spoke up and said she had a goal of becoming the first woman president of the United States some day. Avallone told her that she is not too young to get involved. “Come to [envelope] stuffing parties and help to get people out to vote,” the mayor said.