"Our thoughts and prayers are with Mayor Cardinale, his family and friends, and the people of Berlin during this very sad time," Mr. Abbruzzese said.
Mr. Williams said Mr. Cardinale reveled in the trappings of being a small-town mayor - he loved the ribbon-cuttings, the community forums, the public events. A registered Republican, Mr. Cardinale represented and cared about everyone, Mr. Williams said, and often was visibly upset if he couldn't make his constituents happy.
In Berlin, like many small towns, the job of mayor comes with full-time hours but part-time pay. Mr. Cardinale received a $5,000 stipend that didn't come close to covering the long hours he worked.
"He loved it, and he was very much a people person. He loved the people of this town. It didn't matter what color you were, if you had lived here forever, or had just come, he loved them all, and they loved him," said Mrs. Cardinale, his wife of 22 years.
At the time of his death, Mr. Cardinale was working on a growth plan for Berlin. Like many towns on the Eastern Shore, Berlin has been discovered by developers, and residents are torn between shoring up their tax base and keeping the quaint town the way it is.
Berlin has never lost a mayor during a term, Mr. Williams said.
Mr. Williams will be mayor until Oct. 14, when there will be an election to determine his successor. Mr. Williams said he is unsure whether he will run for the permanent post. Right now, he said, he and the rest of the town are focused on mourning Mr. Cardinale.
"He tried to make everyone happy, every day," Mr. Williams said. "He had a big heart, but unfortunately not a strong one."
A Mass of Christian burial will be offered at 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. John Neumann Catholic Church on Beauchamp Road, near Ocean Pines. A viewing will be held one hour before the Mass and also from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. tomorrow at the Burbage Funeral Home in Berlin.
In addition to his wife and stepdaughter, Mr. Cardinale is survived by a daughter, Christina Arnold of Parkton; two stepsons, Howard Harrison of Ellicott City and Kelly Booth of Glen Burnie; two other stepdaughters, Cindy Hare of Crofton and Stacey Simpson of Newark; three brothers, Pasquale Cardinale of Kingsville, Joseph Cardinale of Timonium and John Cardinale of Belcamp; three sisters, Minnie Thornton of Fallston, Margaret Ruiz of San Antonio and Theresa Dragunas of Jarrettsville; 12 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
His marriages to Mary Francis Tanks and Sandra Cardinale ended in divorce.
rona.kobell@baltsun.com
