WESTWOOD—As Westwood approaches its return to pre-pandemic life following changes in state guidelines for the vaccinated, Durene Ayer was recently appointed as borough administrator to lead the transition to normalcy.
“I think one of the biggest challenges will be starting things up again, from opening up Borough Hall to the many different types of events that we have around town,” said Ayer, an Old Tappan resident who began working as Westwood’s borough administrator on May 17.
“My goal is to assist the governing body and keep with the small town community Westwood is, but at the same time, continue to move it forward,” she said.
Westwood Mayor Raymond Arroyo said that Ayer was the only candidate in mind to replace former Borough Administrator Ben Kezmarsky, who is now Mahwah’s borough administrator.
Westwood CFO Frank Elenio stepped in as interim borough administrator until Westwood’s governing body unanimously approved Ayer for the role on May 4.
“Westwood needs a grounded, thoughtful, and intelligent central manager to navigate that [opening] process, and all those adjectives apply to Durene,” Arroyo said. “The Borough Administrator runs the day to day operations — it’s the most important role in the borough.”
Prior to becoming Westwood’s borough administrator, Ayer worked for Malcolm Pirnie, an environmental engineering firm, and its subdivision, Red Oak Consulting.
She also served as Westwood’s chief financial officer from 2012 to 2018 and then as the Park Ridge CFO. Park Ridge Borough Administrator Julie Falkenstern said an interim CFO is on the job while interviews are being conducted for a permanent hire.
Park Ridge Mayor Keith Misciagna said Ayer was an exceptional CFO for Park Ridge.
“She will be sorely missed by me and everyone else that worked with her during her tenure here. Park Ridge’s loss is Westwood’s gain as I’m sure she will do a great job for all the residents of Westwood in her new position,” he added.
According to Arroyo, Ayer crafted municipal budgets and disciplined annual aggregate debt reduction while supporting contemporaneous property valuations, which kept the borough’s bond rating high as Westwood’s CFO.
From her prior stint in Westwood, Arroyo believes Ayer’s insight will help the borough operate efficiently and act as a “two-fer” for taxpayers.
“Durene’s familiarity with the budget, our professionals and our staff provides a huge advantage in minimizing her learning curve in this new role,” Arroyo said. “I think the only challenge for Durene will be acclimating herself, but we chose her because we know her work ethic, her intelligence and her fundamental competencies. She has the full support of the governing body, the borough clerk, the borough CFO and the borough attorney.”
Ayer said that she decided to take on the role of borough administrator because she enjoyed previously working with the Westwood staff and supports its policy decisions in moving the borough forward. The position encompasses personnel labor negotiations, customer relations, construction management oversight, and operational efficiency and effectiveness projects — which she has had previous experience with — and she now looks to streamline the processes.
“Westwood is a beautiful borough,” Ayer said. “It’s very community-oriented, and the downtown, events and recreation are amazing. I enjoy working with people and giving back to the communities.”