Patrick sworn in for new term as Council reorganizes, marks Administrator Rohal's retirement
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At the borough's annual reorganization meeting, Mayor-elect Stuart Patrick, incoming Administrator Michael Zichelli, and councilors-elect Peter Hughes and Richard Law took their oaths of office. Council elected Councilor Daniel Murphy as Council President for 2020; the recorded vote shows Murphy abstaining from the vote on his own nomination while the other five councilors voted aye. Mayor Patrick read a proclamation honoring outgoing Councilor David Lefkovits for nine years of service, including chairing two committees. Council confirmed the mayor's 2020 standing-committee assignments, a lengthy slate of appointments to borough boards and commissions (including the Board of Adjustment, Planning Board, Board of Health, Library Board of Trustees and Historic Preservation Commission), reappointment of Meyner & Landis as borough attorney, and the year's meeting schedule, holiday calendar and temporary 2020 operating-budget appropriations — all approved unanimously.
The meeting marked a major administrative transition: longtime Borough Administrator Michael Rohal retired after 21 years in the role, including negotiating NJ Transit's Montclair rail connection, launching the borough's street-paving program, and shepherding a bond-rating upgrade. Deputy Administrator Mike Zichelli was sworn in as his successor, and Erik DeLine was hired as the new Director of Planning & Development.
In his year-end report, Mayor Patrick highlighted that Moody's upgraded the borough's bond rating to Aa2 in October 2019; two major development projects, a 45,000-square-foot medical office building at 311 Bay Avenue and a 110-unit Baldwin Street apartment complex (with 17 affordable units), advanced during the year; the borough completed a major sanitary sewer rehabilitation and continued replacing more than 650 lead water service lines; and Glen Ridge again achieved Sustainable Jersey silver certification. He also cited Police Department progress toward NJSACOP accreditation, a new Traffic Unit, a joint Citizen's Police Academy with neighboring towns, and the Public Library being voted New Jersey's favorite in 2019, with expanded hours beginning that same night.
What to watch
- Planning Board's Master Plan Re-Examination report, expected to come before Council in 2020
- Police Department's NJSACOP accreditation, anticipated in the first half of 2020
- Lead water-line replacement project (650+ services), targeted for completion by August 2020