SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The Sept. 12 meeting of the South Orange Board of Trustees proved a bittersweet one, as village leaders bade farewell to Trustee Bob Zuckerman and welcomed back Trustee Steve Schnall.
This meeting was Zuckerman’s last on the board, as he and his husband have moved to Asbury Park. In addition to village leaders holding a celebration for Zuckerman the night before, village President Sheena Collum presented Zuckerman with a proclamation, commending him for his years of service to the village, both as a trustee and prior to that as the executive director of the South Orange Village Center Alliance.
Following farewells to Zuckerman, Schnall, who previously served two terms on the board, was sworn in to complete the remainder of Zuckerman’s term, which concludes in the spring.
“The people of South Orange are just some of the most amazing people on the planet, and I really mean that from the bottom of my heart. There’s just so much love in the room, so much goodwill, which is really special,” Zuckerman, who is 3.5 years into his first term on the board, said at the meeting. “It’s been almost 3.5 years and we’ve accomplished a lot together in those 3.5 years. Sheena mentioned that I was chairing the planning and economic development committee, and we are transforming this downtown, from one that was kind of old and tired to one that is what we call ‘smart development.’”
Zuckerman highlighted redevelopment projects such as Taylor Vose, the Village Hall renovation, Fourth and Valley, the old Wells Fargo site, the Baird renovation and the new library.
“All of these are just very exciting changes here for us in South Orange,” Zuckerman said, also commending the recently merged South Orange and Maplewood fire department, the village’s improved bond rating, and the village’s approval for up to five cannabis retail licenses. “I was really proud to lead the cannabis task force when we came out with a really great conclusion.”
Zuckerman praised the community, as well, for coming together during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This community really rose together, came together, to fight this dreaded disease,” he said, thanking the community for being so supportive, cohesive and upstanding.
“I could speak for a long time, but I won’t because I know we have a meeting, but I want to give some thanks. First, collectively, to the governing body, both existing and the previous one that I served under. I thank you all for your friendship, your kindness, your camaraderie. I have now seen examples of the complete opposite of what we have here in South Orange, so we are truly blessed. We really like each other, we get along, and we can really make a difference,” he said, pausing then to say something personal to each of his board colleagues, concluding with Collum.
“I thought, ‘How am I going to thank Sheena?’ And I just wrote, ‘For everything,’ because from the first time we met … we became instant best friends and we have been through so much together,” he said. “Sheena, I can’t thank you enough.”
Just as Zuckerman said an emotional farewell to his colleagues, they too wished him well and expressed their sadness at his leaving.
“This is a very sad meeting tonight; I’ve already gotten my quota of tears in. Tonight is the last meeting where Trustee Zuckerman is going to be sitting with us on the dais,” Collum said. To Zuckerman, she added, “You exude everything that is right with public service. Somebody who is selfless, somebody who truly listens and adapts to members of the public who come forward in a variety of different ways, whether they’re coming out hot or coming out wanting to collaborate, you will really listen.
“Bob, you mentioned some of the highlights of your tenure, but if we’d really gone through it, it would be hundreds of pages,” she continued. “I’m going to close by saying I love you and I already miss you.”
Trustee Bill Haskins thanked Zuckerman for always giving advice and empathy, and helping Haskins find his way on the board.
“Thank you so much for your service to South Orange. It has been an absolute honor for me to serve with you,” Haskins said, adding that Zuckerman was a key part of passing South Orange’s reusable bag ordinance. “You were a tremendous partner in all of that with us.”
Trustee Donna Coallier, who ran a joint campaign with Zuckerman and Trustee Summer Jones, expressed how much she will miss Zuckerman and his husband, Grant Neumann.
“You’ve really shown us how to get this job done, you’ve really shown us how government works, you’ve shown us how to do it and do it well with everything you put your eye to,” Coallier said. “And whether it was our campaign or the various initiatives that you led, I’m just in awe watching how you get it all done and wanting to do more along those lines. You’ll be deeply missed, along with your husband, Grant. You guys have been a real special part of the community in and outside of your elected role. It’s a tremendous sadness to see you guys leave town.”
Trustee Bobby Brown, who ran against Zuckerman in 2019, lost, then ran again in 2021 and won a seat on the board, expressed his appreciation for his colleague.
“To learn about you personally, to be able to compete cooperatively against you in that election, just allowed me to get a deeper view into not only how you were as a candidate but as a human being,” Brown said, adding that Zuckerman brought empathy and enlightenment to him. “For me, just on a personal note, I want to say thank you to you and to Grant.”
In addition to discussing Zuckerman’s accomplishments on the board, Trustee Karen Hartshorn Hilton highlighted his personality and ethics.
“I want to talk a bit about the work that we do up here. It really, truly is a privilege and an honor to serve the residents of South Orange,” Hartshorn Hilton said. “And there’s so much planning and work that goes on behind these agendas. We all really do study and have a huge learning curve because we cover so many different topics and really do learn from each other. And as the record shows, I’ve been on the opposite side of you for a couple of votes, and, especially with that, you and I have spent a tremendous amount of time talking through the issues. … I thank you for that. South Orange is going to miss you; I’m going to miss you.”
Jones spoke about how Zuckerman supported her throughout their campaign.
“I think running really changed who I am as a person. And during the campaign, it was rough; I don’t fundraise, I hate knocking on doors, it’s very scary for me. And all along you said, ‘I’ll help you out, we’ll do this, we’ll do that.’ I think running, and I think Trustee Coallier can attest to this, you become a family because you go through your ups and downs,” she said. “We did not agree on everything — our pictures were amazing, but we did not agree on everything — but we got through it and our whole line won, which I thought was really great. It goes to show that when we came out we came out very strong because we all had different strengths.”
After Zuckerman left the dais, Collum called up Schnall to take the oath of office and resume his seat upon the board.
“Pursuant to the village charter, this board can appoint someone to fill that vacancy. It is my great honor and pleasure to share that the best path forward for us was to go to our immediate past colleagues, both Trustee (Walter) Clarke and Trustee Schnall, understanding that they love the village, they work hard, they know the issues, they’re familiar with our staff and that we have a very bold and aggressive agenda that is occurring now,” Collum said, before calling for a vote. The board voted 5-0 to reappoint Schnall.
And Zuckerman made it clear that he is just down the turnpike and that South Orange will always be a home for him.
“It is truly one of the great honors of my life to have served on this board. I love South Orange, I will always love South Orange,” Zuckerman said. “This is not goodbye, it is just see you later.”
Zuckerman resigns from South Orange governing body; Schnall rejoins board added by Yael Katzwer on
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