Serra voted for city’s best interests, regardless of party

I’ve been quite vocal about my opposition to ideas generated by most Democrats, except when it came to Tom Serra.

I was 14 and just entering Vinal Tech when he was my principal. He was running a mayoral campaign and I volunteered for the opposing party.

I didn’t have the ability to understand what the dynamic was at the time, because I thought he was strict, and made it his mission to make my life hell. I later figured out he was a unilateral disciplinarian who perhaps was viewed as a tad harsh.

Tom Serra knew that the world was a cruel, hard place and he demanded the accountability in his school that the world demands on a daily basis. Then, he was elected mayor.

As part of helping the Republicans during my teenage years, I wasn’t exactly a fan of Tom Serra, but again, looking back at it, he ran the city — not as a disciplinarian, but he demanded the very best out of everyone working with him or for him. Of course, in the mayor’s office, the status quo is organized chaos on a regular basis.

My greatest moment with Tom Serra was campaigning outside the high school in 2015. I ran for mayor as a write-in candidate. We’d just one of those talks where we rehashed the last 20 years in a half-hour, along with the question: “Why are you Democrat, and not a Republican?”

He said something I’ll always remember: “Republican or Democrat, and how each one votes, is irrelevant. You need to believe deep in your heart that you vote in the best interest of the people of Middletown. That’s how Tom Serra votes.”

We may not all be on the same side, but we have more in common than different. We’ll miss you, Tom Serra. God be with you.

Brian E. Clark, Middletown