BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The NJ State League of Municipalities has announced that Mayor Michael Venezia has been elected to its executive board. Venezia was elected Nov. 17 by NJ mayors.
According to Michael Darcy, the NJSLM executive director, Venezia had been recommended by the outgoing board president, West Caldwell Mayor Joseph Tempesta Jr., who said Venezia was very active in Bloomfield and its surrounding area.
“The league is concerned that a mayor is in touch with what is going on in his county,” Darcy said in a telephone interview this past weekend.
Tempesta Jr., in a telephone interview, said Venezia was a good choice because Bloomfield represented a cross-section of suburban and urban conditions.
“He understands government pretty well,” Tempesta Jr. said. “He’s a young guy with a long career ahead of him. He’s in a good position and a friend.”
Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr., in a statement to this newspaper, said he could not think of a better person to serve on the executive board of the NJ League of Municipalities.
“As mayor of Bloomfield, he has sparked economic development, stabilized tax increases, increased the minimum wage for municipal employees and made public safety a priority,” DiVincenzo said. “Mike is a dynamic leader and having him on the board will provide a strong, statewide voice for Essex County.”
Venezia, in a telephone interview earlier this week, said it was an honor to be elected and he was excited about his new endeavor.
“I look forward to being a voice not only for Bloomfield, but also Essex County and the state,” he said.
The term of a board member is one year and renewable, according to Darcy, and all 22 NJ counties are represented on the 28-seat board. There are three vice-presidents and a president or chairman.
A board member is typically re-elected or they become ineligible to continue serving because they will no longer be an elected public official, Darcy said. Board members can move up through the ranks by being elected as third vice-president, then second vice-president, and so on, to the presidency. Vice-presidents may serve one year at each level and the president’s term is only for a year.
“It’s designed to move more people up through the chairs,” Darcy said.
The responsibilities of the board include oversight and direction of the league, strategic direction — whether it will focus on state or national issues — and internal management, according to Darcy. It meets semi-annually in Plainsboro while vice presidents and president meet quarterly. Venezia will be sworn-in Dec. 6, at the Princeton Marriott, in Plainsboro. New Jersey has 565 municipal governments. The NJSLM has 13,000 members holding either elected or appointed public office.
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