Thank you everybody and welcome to the regular monthly meeting of Mayor and Council Monday, November 24th, 2025 starting at 6:30 p.m. Missy, could you please call the role? >> Mayor Nuniato, >> here. >> Council President McGowan, >> present. >> Councilman Del >> here.
>> Counciloman Coach, >> here. Kley, >> Caso >> here. >> Cuz >> here >> Thank you. If you're willing and able, please stand for the salute to the flag. Missy >> in compliance with the open public
meetings law chapter 231 public laws of 1975 notice of this meeting was transmitted to the record and Herald News and filed with the burough clerk on December 23rd 2024 and is posted on the bulletin board outside of burrow hall. >> Thank you. We have no presentations or proclamations tonight. Missy, could you
please do the review? >> Yes. We'll be removing the ordinance on first read and we'll be adding a resolution under consent for a raffle license. >> Thank you. Anybody else have anything?
>> Seeing none, I ask for a motion. >> I have a motion by the council president. May I second? >> Second by Councilman Guzman. Any questions or comments? >> Seeing none, roll call, please. Council >> President McGawan. Yes. >> Council Del Coen. >> Yes. >> Counciloman Qu. Yes.
>> Councilman Erico. >> Yes. >> Councilman Guzman. >> Yes. >> Thank you. Um, we have no ordinances, so we'll move on to hearing of citizens. Anybody wishing to speak, please step forward to microphone, state your name and address, and keep your uh comments at five minutes or less, please.
Seeing none, we're going to close it to the public and now open it [clears throat] up for any council comment. Anyone from the council? See none. Uh we have no resolutions. Um consent agenda. Council president. >> Thank you, ma'am. All items are
authorized to be consent by the council will be enacted by one motion. These items are routine in nature. Motion. >> I have a motion by the council president. May I have a second? >> Second. >> Second by councilman Guzman. Any questions or comments? >> Seeing none, may have roll call, please. >> Council President McGawan.
>> Yes. >> Counciloman Delray Cohen. >> Yes. Council, >> yes. >> Councilman Ero, >> yes. >> Councilman Guzman, >> yes. >> Thank you. We have no new business to discuss. Uh, council reports. Council President.
>> Thank you, Mayor. Um, as the burrow is preparing for uh the Chamber of Commerce's um holiday parade and all the wonderful things, I'd like to remind the burrow and members of the burrow to please shop
small business Saturday. Uh, please come out and help all of these amazing businesses. Those of us who've had children come through the schools know that we ask all of those businesses to give us gift cards and to help us with the unbelievable array of uh
fundraising. And so the best way that you can show your appreciation for all of their kindness to us is by extending such kindness. Um and I I would like to just take a moment to acknowledge the passing of a former council woman,
Denise Ross. Denise was uh the Democratic Rutherford Democratic Municipal Chair. She was a council woman. During her time as councilwoman, she was the fire commissioner. Um Denise has remained actively engaged in the
burrow for the past 25 plus years. Um and most recently was on the uh county board of elections. Um, you know, often folks come and go off this DES and and some stay engaged, some
move on. Uh, Denise was one of those folks that I know certainly all of us up here have um had the privilege of of being around. Um, and I just wanted to share um, uh, one of my last conversations with
her uh, was kind of ironic because her passing was unexpected. She talked about, uh, finding kindness and she talked about, um, folks needing to learn how to be good mentors to each other um, and to have
open and difficult conversations, but to have them. And I think those words are incredibly poignant in politics particularly um and that discourse is a part of the process but it doesn't have to be the
end all be all right it could be in a positive way and I would like to think that that was a part of Denise's legacy for us uh moving forward. So, uh, our condolences to Denise's son Spencer and
his fiance, to her family members, to all the folks who served with her and who are close dear friends of hers in the borrow of Rutherford. Thank you, Mayor. >> Thank you, Councilman Delray Con. >> Thank you, Mayor. Um, I just similarly wanted to uh acknowledge the passing of
Denise Ross. Um, I had the benefit of, uh, attending her services at the time that her family and close friends were doing their eulogies. Um, uh, Councilman elect Dennis Mazone and I happened to be there at that time. And, um, I think it serves as a a different a different but
similar reminder to what the council president addressed, which is the council president is always really good at reminding us that we're all neighbors even though we are serving in in various capacities. And what was very special about being able to experience the number of speeches that were made about
Denise at her services was the fact that um we heard largely from her family about all of her family traditions, but and I only knew Denise in a very limited capacity where it's very easy to forget all the facets of a person that make
them loved by any number of people. Um, and so while I knew Denise as as a politician, as an advocate, as a public servant, I didn't know that she had famous eggplant parmesan, and that she was the aunt that not only bought you toys, but got on the floor with you to
actually play with them, and that you should always want to be that aunt, the one that also plays in addition to gifts. So, um, it's a good reminder, especially as we come on Thanksgiving, um, as we celebrate so much with each other, uh, for the next six weeks here in town. that despite differences, we
are all uh still neighbors. Um in the vein of Thanksgiving, I'm going to again ask uh although we won't be formally doing it as a council to please um make the food pantry a priority in the next 6 weeks. Um whether it's our food food pantry or the food pantry at the
Meelands, which does have the capacity to take refrigerated and frozen foods, that's really important. Um, so if you have the ability, if you're going shopping, even in the next couple of days for your holiday, if you could grab a few $25 gift cards to a local ger and
drop them at Burough Hall, either in the clerk's office or in the food pantry, we'd be very appreciative. Um, I'm probably going to be reminding you of this a lot in the coming months because things are still pretty dire for folks that rely on public benefits. Um, and otherwise, I wish you a safe and happy
Thanksgiving. I I know I myself am so grateful for this place that I love. A friend of mine and I were texting about Rutherford yesterday and he was saying how he had a Hallmark movie moment with the team at the recck department when he was returning uh soccer balls from being a coach and he just wrote, you know, I had this Hallmark moment with the recck
department and uh he had some expletives but used in a very positive way about how much he loved this town. So I do too. I hope to see you all at the parade on Saturday and I wish you a happy and safe Thanksgiving. Thank you. Thank you, Councilwoman. Counciloman Quatron. >> Thanks, Mayor. I also want to
acknowledge the passing of Denise and just say that, you know, she was I knew her I've known her over the years as a big supporter of Democrats in town, as a big supporter of women in politics and training women to run for office. Um,
and she just, you know, she was a she had a lot of conviction. She had a very strong personality. uh we may have differed recently over over some issues but I attended her services and I really valued her service to this community. I
think she did the unglamorous work of supporting elections, supporting candidates, not necessarily in the spotlight but behind the scenes and I think she did a very good job of it and it was very moving to see the testament to her life from her family and friends.
So, um, I'm I'm I'm I'm glad that I was able to witness that and I condolences to her family again. Thank you. >> Thank you, Councilman. Councilman Ero. >> Thank you, Mayor. I also want to acknowledge the passing of Denise. Um, Denise was many things to our community
and to the local Democratic party. Uh, but she honed a particular skill which I think is often lost in modern politics, which is that she was direct uh without ever seeming to be rude or unkind or condescending. Um, you always knew where you stood with Denise, uh, for better or for worse. And she always knew that the
true power in our system of government was with those who we serve, which is the the public. Her legacy lives on, I hope, in the success of our burrow, and I thank her for her mentorship and friendship, and she'll be deeply missed. Um, on a lighter note, I want to wish
everyone a happy Thanksgiving. Remind everyone that our holiday parade and float is on Saturday beginning at 1:30. Um, I also want to remind uh everyone that the recreation department has a bunch of great programs and events that are going on, including uh letters from Santa and house decorating contests and
a gingerbread house contest. I think all those deadlines for registering for those are uh the first week of December. Uh and then finally, we as a burrow are also participating uh in collecting toys in the toys for tots program. Uh for the time being, we're asking everyone to bring donations to Burough Hall and
direct them to our burough clerk, Missy. Uh we'll announce details uh uh about that shortly. I believe donations uh should be unwrapped uh and new toys uh and we really appreciate all the support that uh we anticipate getting for that. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Councilman Councilman Guzman. >> Thank you, Mayor. Um also to echo and my colleagues comments, uh Denise Ross, you will certainly be missed. My condolences to her family. Um, I've had the privilege of working with her through
for the past five years and she's always stayed pretty much the same person, full steam ahead and get get your job done. So, Denise, thank you for all you've done for all of us. Um, Rutherford residents, I'd like to wish
you all a very warm and happy Thanksgiving and I hope it's filled with family and friends. Thank you. >> Thank you, council. Uh, first off, I I also would like to echo the settlement sentiment. Um, Denise was my friend. We've had knockout dragouts for many years, but at the end
of the day, we always ended um as friends, and she was a person that really cared about our community. She would let me know constantly what we were doing right, what we were doing wrong, and I did appreciate that about
her. Um, so she was an intricral part of this community and when she served on council and her service to the uh county. So, she really did care and she
will be missed. Thank you. Um, I do have a couple of appointments tonight. Michael Bowman, Mark Polyani. Provisional appointments to Labor One, step one, effective December 8, 2025. In accordance with the rules and
regulations of the New Jersey Civil Service Commission, I'd ask for council consent. >> Motion. >> Motion by Council President. May I have a second? >> Second. >> Second by Councilwoman Delray Con. Any questions or comments? Seeing none, roll. >> Council President McGawan.
>> Yes. >> Councilwoman Del. >> Yes. >> Councilwoman Co. >> Yes. Councilman Erico. >> Yes. >> Councilman Guzman. >> Yes. >> Thank you. Next, I have uh Christopher Salviano. Provisional appointment as construction code official step 5
effective January 1st, 2026 in accordance with the rules and regulations of the New Jersey Civil Service Commission. I'd ask for council consent. >> Motion. >> Motion by the council president. I have a second. >> Second. >> Second by Councilwoman Delray Con. Any questions or comments? Seeing none, have
a roll call, please. >> Council President McGowan. Yes. >> Counciloman Delerone. >> Yes. >> Council Guatron. >> Yes. >> Councilman Erico. >> Yes. >> Councilman Gman. >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> Uh we now have a second hearing of citizens for agenda items and agenda
items only. Anybody from the public wishing to speak? >> Seeing none, we're going to open up for the council. Seeing none. Um next order of business would be adjournment. I'd ask for a motion. >> Motion. Motion by the council of the
president. All in favor? >> I. >> Have a great holiday, everybody.