TENAFLY—The borough’s independent mayor is challenged in his bid for a fifth term by a Democratic council member and a Republican nominee.
Mayor Peter Rustin asks residents to back him for reelection as an independent in Column 4, while Councilman Mark Zinna is mounting a challenge with the backing of local Democrats. Republican Emanuel “Steve” Savas did not respond to emails and phone calls asking him to participate in this article.
Also on the ballot, the Democratic nominees for council are unopposed and expected to be elected. Democrat Incumbent Daniel Park and Planning Board member Adam Michaels are the nominees, after they both received more votes than current Councilman Max Basch in June’s Primary. We’ll feature profiles on Park and Michaels in next week’s edition.
We invited the candidates to submit a 250-word statement outlining their backgrounds and issues that are of importance to them; they appear in alphabetical order by last name. Asterisks denote incumbents.
Peter S. Rustin*
—Political party: Independent
—Age: 72
—Years of residency: 39
—Career: Small business owner.
—College degrees or certifications: B.S. in Accounting – Clarkson University
—Family: Wife, Janie; sons, Jon and Lee; two grandsons.
—Past elected experience: Tenafly Board of Education, two terms; Mayor of Tenafly, four terms
After 16 years as Tenafly’s Mayor, people ask, “why do you still want to be Mayor?” My answer, “It’s the most rewarding job I have ever had!” I’m blessed with the time and energy that allows me to serve Tenafly seven days a week.
As Mayor, I have created and expanded shared services with neighboring towns and our Board of Education. I made sure Tenafly is COAH (Council on Affordable Housing) compliant, preventing huge legal expenses. Our recreation facilities have been improved and expanded. A new Municipal field, new tennis courts and finally a dog park! We have a Senior bus and a Senior Services Coordinator to serve seniors, many of whom live alone. Increases in Municipal taxes have been kept close to flat and the level of services remains high. Our Moody’s bond rating of AAA keeps our interest expenses low.
Most important, as an independent, I have kept politics out of the Mayor’s office.
My priorities for the next four years start with keeping the increases in our taxes as small as possible. The roads must be fixed but we must do so with a reasonable spending plan. Our downtown needs to be improved; parking and traffic need to be addressed. Our parks need to be upgraded.
On Nov. 5, voters will decide if they wish to return to office a Mayor who is an advocate for everyone, one who returns calls and quickly responds to concerns, questions, or problems. No promises, I proudly stand on my record.
—Peter Rustin
Emanuel Savas
—Political party: Republican
—Age: unknown
—Years of residency: 44
—Career: U.S. Army (Korea), IBM, government service, professor.
—College degrees or certifications: B.A., B.S., University of Chicago; M.A., Ph.D., Columbia University
—Family: Wife, Helen; two sons.
—Past elected experience: Tenafly Borough Council
Editor’s note: Savas did not reply to requests to participate in this feature. Biographical information above is based on information he provided to Northern Valley Press in 2015 when he sought the office of borough council.
Mark Zinna
—Political party: Democrat
—Age: 58
—Years of residency in town: 18
—Career: Business owner
—College degrees or certifications: B.A. in History and Political Science from SUNY Albany
—Family: Married with four children
—Past elected experience: Current member of Tenafly Borough Council in third term
This year, I am running for Mayor of Tenafly on the Democratic ticket. As a councilman for seven years, I understand that in order to make the changes and improvements we are striving for, there needs to be a change in Mayoral leadership.
My service and commitment to Tenafly includes:
• Four children, all have attended our Tenafly schools, of which two are currently in Tenafly High Schoo
• Seven year’s experience as a Councilman
• Member of the Planning Board, Police Commission, Recreation, Access For All, Transportation and Youth Services committees
• Balanced seven budgets
• Built affordable housing and senior living homes
• Created a Senior bus service
• Reduced long term debt liabilities
• Negotiated shared services with the Board of Education
Over the last few months I have pursued a “listening” campaign to further understand the needs of our residents.
My platform has been developed with my experience and feedback from the community which includes:
• Repairing and improving our roads and infrastructure
• Revitalizing our downtown
• Improvement of parks, recreation and community spaces
• Create seamless communication between Tenafly Leadership and the community
My commitment is to be your full-time Mayor driving to make Tenafly work exceptionally well at delivering services to our residents and increasing our quality of life.
Professionally, I have owned businesses in the restaurant, home building, and data management fields. I am a graduate of SUNY Albany and hold a Bachelors degree in history and political science.
—Mark Zinna
Sample Ballot
