Township of Nutley swears in Mayor Scarpelli

NUTLEY, NJ — Joseph P. Scarpelli was sworn in as Nutley mayor on May 17 at the township’s Board of Commissioners meeting. Scarpelli, who tied with outgoing Mayor Mauro G. Tucci in the township’s last election, took the reins at Nutley Town Hall.

“To my fellow commissioners, thank you for your support,” the mayor said. “To Mauro Tucci, thank you for sponsoring this resolution tonight and for your friendship, not only these past two years, but throughout my tenure on this board.

“Two years ago, within five minutes of the county clerk posting the results, Mauro and I talked and agreed to split the four-year mayoral term, taking two years apiece. We worked as a team these past two years, and we will continue to work as a team for the next two years,” Scarpelli continued. “When you talk to people outside of Nutley, they always ask, ‘Why would you guys split the mayorship?’ It’s almost foreign to them that two people would put ego aside and do what’s best for the town. But that’s what we do in Nutley. That is what this Board of Commissioners does every day. We may not always agree on the details, but we always put what’s best for Nutley into every decision we make.”

Scarpelli said he is ready to take point on the various issues that Tucci worked on for the past two years.

“As Mauro laid out at the last meeting, the issues we have faced have been unprecedented: the coronavirus pandemic, storms Isaias and Ida, protests on our streets, the rescue squad demise and absorption into public safety, the ON3 development issues, the Ciccolini building collapse, and the Pool Club litigation. Mayor, thank you for your leadership, thank you for your graciousness, and thank you for your class,” Scarpelli told Tucci. “The last time I had the honor of taking this gavel, Commissioner Alphonse Petracco gave me a special moment by passing the gavel to my dad to present to me. That picture sits on the wall over my desk. As Mauro is also family, this ranks a close second to that day six years ago.

“I am very excited for our future,” Scarpelli concluded. “Thank you for the honor and privilege to serve as your mayor as we continue to move our township forward.”

  FEATURED, Mayor Joseph Scarpelli, Mayor Mauro Tucci, Nutley Board of Commissioners