The following remarks were made by former Maplewood Mayor Victor De Luca upon his swearing in to his 9th term on the Maplewood Township Committee on January 1, 2024. De Luca has served 14 non-consecutive years as mayor and is beginning his 25th year on the TC.
Maplewood Township Clerk Liz Fritzen, Janey De Luca and Victor De Luca
Happy New Year!
I’m proud and honored to have received your support for another term on the Maplewood Township Committee. Thank you for joining me on my 8,766th day in office.
I love this job and give it all that I can. My commitment to Maplewood and to improving the lives of those who live and work here is as strong as ever. I look forward to the next three years to get things done and to make our community the best it can be.
Congratulations to my running mate, Dean Dafis. Your leadership as Mayor over the past two years was outstanding and we appreciate all you did. You are smart and tireless and Maplewood is fortunate to have you on the Township Committee for another three years.
Thank you to the Maplewood Democratic Party Chair Ian Grodman and Vice-Chair Garnet Hall for your leadership and wisdom. And congratulations to Assemblywoman-Elect Hall. We’ll see you in Trenton on January 9 th for your swearing-in. Thanks also to the Democratic District Leaders for your work in last November’s election, in which 23% of Maplewood voters turned out compared to 17% county-wide. Nice job all!
Janey, Janey, Janey – You are my biggest supporter, my best friend, my partner in life and my love. Thank you for sharing me with Maplewood. I could not have done any of this without you by my side.
I am fortunate to serve with three extraordinary women – Nancy, Jamaine and Deborah. Nancy, I look forward to your leadership as our Mayor and stand ready to assist you in anyway possible.
And speaking of women, I hope you are as excited as I am that for the first time in Maplewood’s 100+ year history, we will have a woman Mayor, a woman Deputy Mayor, a woman State Senator, two women General Assembly Members, a woman as District 2 Essex County Commissioner, and a woman in the U.S. House of Representatives. There’s not another municipality in the state that can say that. How about a round of applause?
Today, we celebrate democracy. In dozens of county and municipal buildings across New Jersey and the United States, elected officials are being sworn in to represent the people in their communities. We all take the same oath to uphold the constitution. No one, from Township Committee to President, should violate that oath, and if they do, they should pay the
consequences. The upcoming 2024 election is going to be the most consequential in modern history. The future is in our hands and we must organize and take action from now through November. We cannot afford to sit this one out.
And during the next year, I don’t intend to do much sitting.
We’re hard at work to ensure that by Labor Day, you’ll walk through the doors of the new Maplewood Memorial Library. It will be a magnificent building, the most environmentally sustainable library in the state. And for every dollar we are spending, 40 cents is coming from the state and federal governments and the Maplewood Library Foundation. I want to thank Library Director Sarah Lester, and Ben Cohen, former Mayor Ellen Davenport and all the Board members of the Library Foundation for your vision and dedication.
I want to give a shout out to my partner in all things fire department, South Orange Village President Sheena Collum. Sheena and I spent many hours over many years hammering out the framework for the establishment of the South Essex Fire Department and now it’s a reality. The South Essex Fire Department, the only consolidated fire department in the state of two separate municipalities, is better able to provide fire and emergency services to the people of Maplewood
and South Orange.
There’s a lot more I hope to accomplish over the next 12 months, including creating more affordable housing opportunities; reducing fees at the Maplewood Pool; making improvements to our infrastructure – sewers, roads, buildings – to meet present and future demands; strengthening police and community relations; advancing pedestrian and bike safety; and
promoting environmental sustainability.
I’m very happy the new Master Plan speaks to a “One Maplewood” approach. We must walk our talk. We’ve made headway on Irvington Avenue but more needs to be done. Springfield Avenue has come a long way over the years and we need to continue with that effort. From Berkeley Road on the Millburn border to Berkeley Street on the Irvington line, our actions must back up our words about valuing diversity and inclusivity and about being a welcoming community.
I believe leaders must use their voices. As an elected official I will not be a bystander. I’ll continue to advocate for social, economic and racial justice. I’ll speak out against anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. I’ll fight for the rights and safety of LGBT and Transgender people. And I’ll keep lobbying for stronger gun laws.
I want to take a moment to thank our Township employees who are led by a great group of Department Heads. Our employees come to work every day ready to make our lives better and we appreciate their dedication. I want to especially recognize and thank Township Clerk Liz Fritzen and just retired Township Attorney Roger Desiderio. And I’m very happy we hired Patrick Wherry as Township Administrator.
I also want to thank the hundreds of volunteers we have in town. From coaching to playing music in the park to serving on a board or committee to participating in a civic group, we would not be the terrific town we are without your help. I encourage all our residents to get involved in some way to improve our community.
So, get ready for 2024. I am. I’m motivated and energized and hope you are too.
Thank you.
