The Broad Street gardens in Sewickley received a prominent new feature dedicated to former Mayor Brian Jeffe.
Sewickley Borough presented a plaque to Jeffe on Aug. 31 on Broad Street at the intersection of Thorn Street, displaying a portrait of Jeffe’s face and his years in office with the words “mayor, gardener, friend” on it.
“I enjoyed my 11 years as mayor tremendously. It has been extremely rewarding,” Jeffe said to the small crowd gathered at the intersection of the garden.
Current Mayor George Shannon said Jeffe is dedicated to the community.
“He has really been a wonderful mayor. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like Brian, and that’s hard to do with making decisions and not split the room,” he said.
Jeffe took office in 2010. On his first day as mayor, he realized he did not have an office in the borough, so he quickly changed that to give residents more access to him.
“I ensured that all residents’ concerns were heard. I take great pride that there is no drama associated with me,” he said.
His 11 years as mayor make him the borough’s longest-tenured mayor in Sewickley in more than 80 years. He was in his third term when he announced his resignation in July of 2020. Recently, the Tull Family Theater announced Jeffe as a newly appointed member of its board. He is also a partner at Seubert & Associates, a Pittsburgh insurance agency.
His time as mayor left an impact on those who worked with him.
Councilwoman Cindy Mullins said the borough wanted to look into ways to honor Jeffe for his service when he resigned last year. The plaque was chosen to be installed in the gardens because Jeffe is one of the many community organization members who helped create the beautiful floral space.
“There’s a nice plaque dedicating the Gazebo in Wolcott Park, and we thought a similar plaque to Brian would be nice,” Mullins said.
Sewickley Police Chief Rich Manko complimented Jeffe on how involved he was with the community as mayor. Before Jeffe became mayor, he said, most people would only see the mayor during Memorial Day.
“He is sorely missed as mayor,” Manko said.
While his time as mayor is over, Jeffe’s time in Sewickley is not.
“We are not going anywhere. We hope to be behind the scenes, giving a lot of labor to help projects around town,” he said.
