DEPTFORD TWP. After 20 years of serving the township as the deputy mayor and a councilwoman and most importantly as an advocate for the residents Jackie Love will leave her post and pass the torch to her son and new councilman, Wayne.

"The citizens of Deptford Township were the most important and rewarding part of these years," said Love. "The residents have been my highlight and will continue to be. They supported me and I supported them and I picked up some very good friends and lasting relationships. I was happy at graduations and cried at funerals with them and they became my brand new family."

Love was working for the county as its first ever director of disability services when she was asked to run for council. Though she hadn't planned on running for political office, she was elected and began two decades of civil service, always trying to be "accessible and available" to the residents.

"You don't realize how much you touch people's lives just by showing up to an event or answering the phone," said Love. "A lot of times concerns they had came up on weekends and they could reach me at home."

Love said one of her major goals, upon being elected, remains unattained but she has hope for the future.

"Many homes in Deptford Township need upgrades and services, but we never had enough funds and I leave here with that goal not accomplished," said Love. "I wanted to establish new construction funds to help homes that were substandard and allow residents to stay in their homes. Within these 20 years, I have aged with the population and while I'm blessed with my home, I know others who had to give up theirs and move into senior housing."

One change in the township that not all residents agreed with, but Love thought was a positive step, was the addition of Walmart stores.

"I'm thrilled that the seniors over there in Deptwood have a place to shop in Walmart even though it was a controversial decision in town," said Love. "I want people to remain in the township and enjoy themselves. The community focus should be there."

Love said that the creation of recreation areas, renovations to the library and county expansion within the township have also been a big plus in her view.

"I think the county expansion has been a win-win for both of us," said Love. "Residents can go to college here, attend GCIT it benefits the residents here as well as in the entire county. We also have the Deptford Mall and the whole shopping district that surrounds it, we can get to the city in a matter of minutes and we're not far from the shore. The township is really in a great location that's close to everything and it gives the aura of both a suburban and country setting which is neat."

Love also admires the progress of the township's schools over the last two decades.

"I think technology has done wonders for the schools and look at programs like the ROTC, they have made great strides," she said. "I think that it has been a slower progress than some people might like at times because they are feeling the burden of taxes, but the schools have grown in a major way in preparing students for careers out in the world."

Love said she's been a resident of the township "practically my whole life" and considers herself a homegrown person who others can relate to.

"I was born in South Philadelphia but when my mom died in 1956, my grandmother built her own house down here and I went to Woodbury High because there was no Deptford High School then," said Love. "My grandmother was here, my aunt was here and I had other relatives here as well. I also raised my children, Wayne and Wanda here."

Speaking of Wayne, Love said his announcement that he would run for council came as a surprise.

"My children used to walk and campaign with me and they grew up very much a part of my political life, but I was surprised when he decided to run," said Love. "He certainly has been supportive of me all these years and although a mom doesn't know everything, what I can tell him is to be himself, to follow his passion for helping the residents and not to forget why he was elected in the first place to empower the residents."

Wayne said he was eager to take his post and that, while he's a rookie on the Deptford council, he's not a stranger to politics and knows what to expect.

"I am excited about serving and the opportunity to continue in my mother's legacy," said Wayne Love. "She is a stellar public servant and I want to follow her path."

"Residents will be surprised and pleased that someone else is coming in who is there to serve them, not himself," said Jackie Love.

Love said she's not sure what the future holds, but that it's an "exciting time" for her. She hopes to spend more time with her family, including four grandchildren, and at the Mt. Zion Wesley United Methodist Church.

"I certainly want to honor my church, and in my political life I was sometimes arriving late or leaving early for civic duties," said Love. "I want to provide more time and fulfill my duty to my church. I'll be transitioning out of certain volunteer things I've been involved with in many facets of the community, but I'm not leaving totally. I will help the community with special events and would like to be counted in a group helping people."

For Love, who's won a variety of special honors for community service and political achievements during her term, the real reward will always be her relationship with the residents.

"I encourage citizens, as I always have, to be vocal, attend council meetings and don't hesitate to call council people," said Love. "We are moving together as Deptford grows and the township cannot grow without the partnership with its constituents."