FAIR LAWN — As the borough observes its centennial this year, it also set a new milestone: For the first time, women hold the majority of its council seats. The five-member governing body also welcomed its first Latina council member this week.
“A hundred years is an awful long time to wait for change,” newly appointed Mayor Gail Rottenstrich said Tuesday after she was sworn in, altering the gender balance on the panel.
“But change is here. The future is here,” she said, “and the future is most definitely female.”
Rottenstrich, who has served on the Borough Council since 2017, took the oath of office at the municipal building on the same night fellow Democrat Nathalie Salinas was sworn in to fill a vacancy on the council. Its members appoint one of their own to serve as mayor for the borough of 35,000 residents.
Rottenstrich will fill that position after the resignation of former Mayor Kurt Peluso, who stepped down from the council after he was hired last month as borough manager. Salinas was appointed to fill Peluso’s empty council seat.
The Fair Lawn council now has three female members, Rottenstrich, Salinas and Deputy Mayor Cristina Cutrone, and two men: Josh Reinitz, who serves as the deputy mayor of community affairs, and Kris Krause.
Fair Lawn mayor credits her mentor
In the past, Rottenstrich has served as deputy mayor and in the separate position of deputy mayor of community affairs. She is also the CEO of Zago Manufacturing Company, a Newark business that manufactures sealing fasteners and components, the borough website says.
Rottenstrich also serves on the boards of the New Jersey Manufacturers Extension Program, a nonprofit that assists state businesses; Infinity Tomorrow, which provides aid to adults with developmental disabilities; and Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey.
Flappers, fedoras and Fair Lawn:Town has a roaring time reenacting first council meeting
She said it was an honor to be sworn in by state Assemblywoman Lisa Swain, a former Fair Lawn mayor whom she called her mentor and friend and who had first asked her to run for council. Rottenstrich joined Swain as one of six female mayors in the borough’s history.
“I wouldn’t have been able to run for office or be mayor if I didn’t have the full support of my family, who I am so grateful to have here tonight,” Rottenstrich added.
The new mayor promised to work “diligently, productively and collaboratively so we can find the best solutions for the many challenges that we will face together as a team.”
Councilwoman Salinas breaks ground
Salinas comes to the council with “20 years of marketing and production experience at a major international music company,” says her profile on the borough site. She has also served as a production lead for the local Inaugural Latin Heritage Celebration, co-chaired the music committee at the local Arts & Music Festival and developed programming at Fair Lawn’s Senior Citizens Center, the profile says.
A first-generation Latina born to Ecuadorian parents, Salinas was “proud, honored and excited to stand before you today as a newly appointed councilwoman here in Fair Lawn,” she said Tuesday night.
“I understand and welcome the responsibility of this role,” she added. “My upbringing was shaped by the love, sacrifice and guidance of my parents, [who] instilled in me the fundamental values of cooperation from an early age. I want to continue this spirit of collaboration as I serve the borough of Fair Lawn with dedication and passion.”
Stephanie Noda is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: noda@northjersey.com
Twitter: @snoda11
