Didn't You Hear? Summit Has the Best Mayor

Whether you like it not, Rocco Monfared thinks Summit has the best mayor.

Monfared, the owner of Rocco's Tailor Shop, put a sign in the window of his Summit Avenue shop Tuesday stating that Summit has the best mayor and thanking Mayor Jordan Glatt for his assistance with "the parking situation."

Monfared is referring to council's recent action to change two of the parking meters on the corner of Franklin Place and Summit Avenue from 5-hour meters to 15-minute express parking, a move requested by Monfared.

The longtime business owner in Summit said he used to have parking spots behind his store for customers to use, but when Infiniti purchases the property on Franklin Place, shoppers could no longer park there.

"We lost a lot of customers," he said.

Monfared said he wasn't getting any traction with the city on his request to make some of the meters on Franklin Place express parking, so he reached out to a man he knew nothing about nor has ever even met: Mayor Glatt.

"He was very nice," Monfared said.

Soon after, Monfared was in communication with City Administrator Chris Cotter and within two months, council had approved the change and the new signage was up on Franklin Place.

"That was wonderful," Monfared said. "I hope he does more good things for small businesses."

In the few short weeks since the change, Monfared already said he's seen an increase in business.

"I didn't know how to express my feelings," he said. "So I put up a sign."

Glatt said that his assistance in this matter was routine and Monfared's gesture was "totally unnecessary" and a "little embarrassing," he said laughing.

"It was very nice of him," Glatt said.

But the mayor said he fields hundreds of phone calls a week from residents and business owners with requests or complaints of all sorts. His assistance with the parking meters was just part of his job, he said.

"The mayor is like the complaint department. I think it made sense (to change the meters)," he said. "There was just no reason not to do it."

Like the change or Mayor Glatt for that matter, Monfared's sign will remain in the shop window until the end of May.

"To me, he helped a small business man like me before I even met him," Monfared said.