"It's the end of an era. There will not be a Bryant officially involved in the leadership of the community," said the Rev. Douglas Goldsborough, pastor of Mount Zion United Methodist Church in Lawnside, where members of the Bryant family are parishioners.
In Lawnside, a small, predominantly African American town that was a stop on the Underground Railroad, no other family has the cachet of the Bryants. The affluent and politically influential family's departure from the town's political scene is being met with a mix of nostalgia and relief.
For some, they were the town's blessed sons, who used their education and name to bring money and attention to a borough of 2,800 people. For others, they were a power-mongering clique, and you were either in or out. Critics were not surprised when Wayne Bryant was indicted in 2007 on charges that he illegally steered money to the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
"Hopefully, this is the end," said Willa Coletrane, a member of the town council who frequently clashed with the mayor. "When we ran for office, they said, don't even bother because you can't beat the Bryants. I still think it was a fluke."
Fresh blood
The official explanation for Mark Bryant's leaving office is that after more than 30 years - he joined the Borough Council shortly after graduating from Rutgers - it was time for some fresh blood for the town and a long desired break for himself. But this year's election would have been his first since his brother's legal troubles arose.
And Mark Bryant, who runs the government-funded community health-care center CAMcare, acknowledged his brother's indictment, which he continues to argue was racially motivated, had an impact on his decision.
