BROWNSVILLE - Police officer, chief, mayor, school director, street crew foreman - no matter which hat Sam Nicola wore, he was dedicated to serving the public. Nicola, who passed away Monday at the age of 81, served 37 years on the borough police force, retiring Dec. 31, 1987, as chief. A day later, he was back at work in the borough, serving as a working foreman on the street department.
Borough council President Jack Lawver, who was with Nicola his first day on the job on the street department, recalled Nicola's love of heavy equipment. "Sam loved to operate machinery. We had that old high lift that didn't have a cab on it. It had a piece of Plexiglas for a windshield, but no matter how cold it was, he wanted to be out in that high lift," Jack Lawver said. Nicola worked on the street department for three and a half years. He also served a four-year term on the school board and eight years as mayor.
"It was a pleasure and an honor to serve with him," said long-term Brownsville Area School Board Director Stella Broadwater. "He truly cared for the students. If there was a problem, he wanted it resolved now. He was for the kids and for the taxpayers." Nicola was also known for some unorthodox police practices, like never carrying a gun. "If he did arrest somebody, he'd give them an option. If they could outrun him in a block, he'd let them go. He never lost," Jack Lawver said.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by the Skirpan Funeral Home in Brownsville, with a funeral Mass at the Historic Church of St. Peter Friday morning.
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