The mayor of Fair Lawn has stepped down from his position to take on the role of the town’s borough manager.
Kurt Peluso, 41, a Fair Lawn native who has been mayor for six years, announced his resignation on Tuesday night, the same night his fellow members of the borough council unanimously approved a one-year contract to hire him as manager of the town of almost 35,000 residents.
The town’s government is run by its five elected council members, who each year select one of their own to be mayor. So the Democrat was actually resigning from the council seat he has held for 12 years.
Peluso, who starts his new job on Monday, will take the place of longtime borough manager Jim Van Kruiningen, who retired last year. In an interview, Peluso declined to say how much his salary will be, adding the number needed to be finalized by the borough clerk.
But he said he is taking a “significant cut” compared to Van Kruiningen’s final salary. The former manager was paid about $200,000 in 2021, according to state data.
“The borough manager is a huge position in our form of government,” Peluso in an interview Wednesday. “It’s something we took very seriously. It was really heartwarming over the last few months that I had a number of borough employees, volunteers and former elected officials really encouraging me to consider taking on this role.”
In a statement posted on Facebook Tuesday night, he added, “It has been an absolute honor to serve as an elected official, especially my time as mayor. I really enjoy every aspect that comes with it. The part I love the most is serving the residents of Fair Lawn,”
In addition to his time as an elected official in the borough, Peluso said he has also worked as head of recreation in Oradell as well as with nonprofits including the YMCA.
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With his government and private-sector work, “combined with my involvement with this community as an elected official and [a] volunteer in numerous capacities, I realized I had the experience needed to serve in this role,” Peluso wrote in his post.
Maureen Ruane has been serving as interim borough manager since Van Kruiningen left.
When Peluso decided to enter the running for the manager position, he recused himself from all communications regarding the position, he added.
With Peluso’s resignation, Councilwoman and current Deputy Mayor Cristina Cutrone will now become acting mayor.
The council will fill Peluso’s seat from a list of three candidates to be submitted by the Fair Lawn Democratic County Committee, as state law requires. Once the appointment is made, the council will select a new mayor. A permanent replacement for the council seat will be selected by voters in November’s general election.
Peluso said he enjoyed his time as an elected official and thought it was healthy to bring new voices onto the town’s governing body.
“This is a full-time role so now I can commit 100% of my time to serving the town that I was fortunate enough to be born and raised in,” he said.
Gene Myers covers disability and mental health for NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY Network. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: myers@northjersey.com
Twitter: @myersgene
