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BY MICHAEL OLOHAN
OF NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
DEMAREST, N.J.—Council President Gregg Paster decided to step down from his seat on the Borough Council about a month early to allow newly-elected Democratic Councilwoman Janice Kurys to jump right into council matters. Paster, who previously served as borough attorney from 2005 to 2011, resigned effective Nov. 28.
Paster, 53, decided not to seek reelection this year following almost five years on the council, including a recent stint as president.
Paster said he and Kurys talked about a faster transition when she was recent top vote-getter in Nov. 6 elections with 1,221 votes, joined by fellow Democrat Daryl Ury Fox with 1,198 votes.
Kurys and Fox beat Republican opponents Joseph Connolly and Barbara Johnson for two open seats.
Councilwoman Daryl Fox will take over Paster’s role as council president as she is senior council member.
This Nov. 6, Democratic mayoral candidate Melinda Iannuzzi defeated eight-year Republican Mayor Ray Cywinski, with Cywinski attributing his loss to “straight-line voting” by registered Democrats.
Paster previously told Northern Valley Press he was proud of his work negotiating collective bargaining agreements with local police and public works employees and “serving the interests of all parties fairly and evenly.”
Also as chair of the ordinance committee, Paster was involved in amending the zoning ordinance, a first in two decades, and various public safety initiatives.
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