STORY AND PHOTOS BY STEVE KELMAN
CRESSKILL, N.J.—A new Democratic councilman was administered the oath of office in Cresskill at the reorganization meeting of the governing body.
Bergen County Surrogate and former Cresskill Mayor Michael R. Dressler swore in new council member Leslie Kaplan at the Jan. 1 meeting. Kaplan will replace outgoing Republican Councilwoman Simone Tsigounis, after a narrow Election Day victory was upheld, 635 votes for Kaplan and 632 for Tsigounis.
Cresskill Mayor Benedict Romeo was administered the oath of office by Borough Clerk Francesca Maragliano. He will begin serving his sixth term in office.
Republican Councilman Mark Spina, the leading vote-getter on Election Day, with 717, was also sworn in to his third term by Maragliano. The borough clerk then administered the oath of office to Borough Attorney Christos J. Diktas.
Councilman James Cleary was elected council president for 2020.
Bergen County Clerk John Hogan certified the elections of Kaplan, Spina and Romeo. He told the governing body that he has known Kaplan for 10 years and that he will be an asset to the borough. Hogan said that Jan. 1 is an important day in municipal government.
“This is an essential day for our democracy and for our freedom,” he said.
Bergen County Freeholder Tracy Zur presented Certificates of Accommodation to Kaplan, Spina and Romeo.
“[The freeholders] want to express our gratitude… the work that the borough council does is the nuts and bolts of what makes our community run,” she said.
During public comments former-Borough Clerk Barbara Nasuto praised Romeo.
“It is very special we have had a mayor serving as long as Mayor Romeo. When they elected him, the town made a very good decision,” she said. “He has served, and will continue to serve, the people of this town.”
Romeo then gave the annual New Year’s Day address.
The mayor first said he wanted to recognize council members and staff that help make the borough run as smoothly as it does.
Romeo said that the “commitment by these six [council members] makes my job a lot easier.”
The mayor also thanked Maragliano, the police department, fire department/EMS, and the DPW for all of their efforts.
Romeo noted the passing last year of former borough attorney, Vincent Salvatore.
A new baseball field at the Merritt School, a parking project on Allen Street “that added over 80 parking spaces to aid our downtown district,” and receiving affordable housing certification were among the accomplishments that the mayor noted in 2019.
“We are expecting almost $1 million to be transferred into our borough [affordable housing] account to be used for future projects,” the mayor said.
Looking forward into the new year, the mayor said a number of projects will happen. Among these is a passive park replacing the Merrifield House that is expected to be torn down this year.
The Cranford Park basketball court will be done over with a grant from the Bergen County Open Space fund.
Romeo said the borough will also partner with the board of education to “make improvements to the baseball field behind the high school, putting in a drainage system and lighting the field.”
A home for developmentally disabled adults will be built as part of a new affordable housing project, the mayor said, on the corner of Washington Street and East Madison Avenue.
Romeo said that the home would ease the minds of the parents of these developmentally disabled adults, knowing that their children living there “will have a chance at life after they are gone.”
“And [this will] fill our hearts that we as a borough take care of our own,” he said.
Romeo said that the borough has, and will continue to look for, “ways to participate in shared services programs with our surrounding communities.”
“While we have extended invitations to these municipalities, we have yet had no takers,” he said.
Toward the end of his address Romeo said that Cresskill is a community where bi-partisanship should be practiced.
“Since taking office in 2000, I have strived to eliminate politics and work together for the good of Cresskill,” he said.
“We have taken the politics out of the decision-making process and work for the betterment of Cresskill,” the mayor said. “In closing I must say that after 20 years, it is still my honor and privilege to serve as mayor of Cresskill.”
Professional appointments for 2020 are as follows: Diktas, borough attorney; Lerch, Vinci & Higgins, auditor; Gina A. Calogero, prosecutor; James F. Foley, public defender; Rogut, McCarthy, Troy, LLC, bond attorney; Azzolina & Feury Engineering, Inc., engineer; Joseph H. Burgis, planner; McNerney & Associates and Paul Hoelscher, appraisers; David F. Corrigan, labor attorney; Ditkas, Schandler, Gillen PC and Morrison Mahoney, LLP, tax appeal attorneys.