Glen Ridge swears in two new councilors and bids farewell to 15-year veteran Paul Lefkovits

At its annual reorganization meeting, the council first honored departing volunteers, adopting resolutions thanking Historic Preservation Commission members Gregory Switzer and Sarah Gibbons, and longtime HPC chair Peter Harrigal, who was credited with expanding the historic district to roughly 90 percent of the borough and publishing its first design guidelines. The council also adopted a resolution in memory of a longtime Zoning Board of Adjustment and Glen Ridge Country Club board member who died unexpectedly in February 2021 (rendered inconsistently in the recording as "Valenco" and "Paletchko"). All of these resolutions, and every recorded vote at the meeting, passed unanimously.

Mayor Patrick then swore in newly elected Councilors Anne Marie Morrow and Rebecca Meyer, followed by an extended proclamation and lengthy personal tributes from the mayor, Borough Attorney John Malyska, Administrator Michael Zichelli, and fellow councilors honoring outgoing Councilor Paul Lefkovits, who was stepping down after 15 years on the council. Lefkovits was credited with chairing Parks and Recreation during construction of the Hurrell Field complex, and with a decade as Police Commissioner overseeing the shared fire-suppression services contract with Montclair, the body-worn camera program, and the department's eventual state accreditation.

The council then elected Deborah Mans as Council President for 2022, reappointed John Malyska of Meyner & Landis as municipal attorney, adopted its 2022 bylaws, meeting schedule (including 6:30 p.m. workshop sessions and a monthly 5:30 p.m. public safety committee meeting), holiday schedule, and temporary 2022 budget appropriations, and approved a $600 petty cash fund. Committee chair assignments for 2022 were announced, and the council noted that a full slate of board and commission appointments — covering more than 80 volunteers across a dozen committees — would be presented at the next meeting; the mayor's annual address to citizens was also deferred to that meeting.

What to watch

• Full slate of 2022 board/committee appointments (80+ volunteers) to be presented at the next meeting.
• Mayor's annual address to the citizens deferred to the next meeting.

Watch key moments

• 0:00 — i ann marie morrow do you solemnly swear
• 27:38 — i rebecca meyer do you solemnly swear