Menza to be sworn is as mayor after winning recount
June 26, 2009 | 17 comments so far, add yours here
Joseph Menza will be sworn in as Hillside’s new mayor on July 1 after winning a last-minute recount last week by seven votes.
Menza, who won the runoff election against Councilman Jerome Jewell earlier this month by just one machine vote and several absentee and provisional ballots, will take office at noon on Wednesday, July 1 at the municipal building.
The recount, which was requested by Jewell, resulted in Menza losing one paper vote, which officials said was invalid because of extra markings.
While Menza won the mayor’s office, the council remains under the control of the Hillside Democratic Committee by a veto-proof 5-2 margin.
The council is already flexing its partisan muscle by scheduling the annual organization meeting for 6 p.m. on July 1, four hours after the swearing-in ceremony. In the past, and in most communities, newly elected officials are sworn in during the organization meetings.
The state’s top education official last week upheld the School Ethics Commission’s finding that former school board member Elbert Smith violated several school ethics rules and upheld the panel’s recommendation that he be suspended for six months.
The Township of Hillside will hold a Memorial Day ceremony at 11 a.m. Monday at the Municipal Building to honor veterans whose lives were lost.
