Editing Saddle River, New Jersey (section)

===Local government===
[[File:Saddle River Town Hall On Memorial Day.jpg|thumb|Saddle River Town Hall On Memorial Day 2023]]
Saddle River is governed under the [[Borough (New Jersey)|borough]] form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey.<ref>[https://njdatabook.rutgers.edu/sites/njdatabook.rutgers.edu/files/documents/inventory_of_municipal_forms_of_government_in_new_jersey.pdf ''Inventory of Municipal Forms of Government in New Jersey''], [[Rutgers University]] Center for Government Studies, July 1, 2011. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref> The governing body is comprised of a mayor and a borough council, who are all elected on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term. The borough council includes six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle.<ref name=DataBook>''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'', [[Rutgers University]] [[Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy]], March 2013, p. 165.</ref> The borough form of government used by Saddle River is a "[[weak mayor]] / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an [[veto override|override]] by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.<ref>Cerra, Michael F. [http://www.njslom.org/magart0307_p14.html "Forms of Government: Everything You've Always Wanted to Know, But Were Afraid to Ask"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924045019/http://www.njslom.org/magart0307_p14.html |date=2014-09-24 }}, [[New Jersey State League of Municipalities]]. Accessed November 30, 2014.</ref><ref>[https://njdatabook.rutgers.edu/sites/njdatabook.rutgers.edu/files/documents/forms_of_municipal_government_in_new_jersey_9220.pdf#page=6 "Forms of Municipal Government in New Jersey"], p. 6. [[Rutgers University]] Center for Government Studies. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref>  The mayor serves as chief executive officer, and is an ex-officio member of all municipal committees and is the approving authority in the Borough of Saddle River. Mayoral appointments to the various boards and committees in the borough are subject to confirmation by the borough council. Borough council members serve on various operating committees and function in a liaison capacity to provide information and direction to the entire governing body.<ref name=Council/>

{{As of|2024}}, the mayor is [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] Albert J. "Al" Kurpis, whose term of office ends December 31, 2027.<ref name=Mayor>[https://www.saddleriver.org/mayors_office Office of the Mayor], Borough of Saddle River. Accessed April 20, 2024.</ref> Members of the Saddle River Borough Council are Council President David B. Hekemian (R, 2025), Duncan B. Carpenter (R, 2025), Christopher DiGirolamo (R, 2024), Jon Kurpis (R, 2026), Jeffrey S. Liva (R, 2024; elected to serve an unexpired term) and Ravi Sachdev (R, 2026).<ref name=Council>[https://www.saddleriver.org/mayor_council Mayor and Council], Borough of Saddle River. Accessed April 20, 2024. "The Borough form remains the single most popular form of local government in New Jersey. This form dates back to the Borough Act of 1878 and was revised in 1897 and by the Borough Act of 1987. The Borough mayor is elected at-large to a four-year term. Six council members are elected at-large to staggered three-year terms.</ref><ref>[https://www.saddleriver.org/vertical/sites/%7B2E7E07BD-0A79-4A05-9B79-960D47AACDC0%7D/uploads/0258_adoptbudget_2024.pdf 2024 Municipal Data Sheet], Borough of Saddle River. Accessed April 20, 2024.</ref><ref name=BergenCountyDirectory>[https://www.co.bergen.nj.us/images/About_Bergen_County/2024-county-directory.pdf#page=62 ''2024 County and Municipal Directory''], [[Bergen County, New Jersey]], April 2024. Accessed April 15, 2024.</ref><ref name=Bergen2023>[https://www.bergencountyclerk.gov/_Content/pdf/ElectionResult/District%20Canvass%20NEW.pdf Official Statement of Vote 2023 General Election - November 7, 2023 Official Results], [[Bergen County, New Jersey]], November 27, 2023. Accessed January 1, 2024.</ref><ref name=Bergen2022>[https://www.bergencountyclerk.org/_Content/pdf/ElectionResult/Certified%20Statement%20of%20Vote%20Book%2011-21-22.pdf Bergen County November 8, 2022 General Election Statement of Vote], [[Bergen County, New Jersey]] Clerk, updated November 21, 2022. Accessed January 1, 2023.</ref><ref name=Bergen2021>[https://www.bergencountyclerk.org/_Content/pdf/ElectionResult/Statement%20of%20Vote%2011-17-21(1).pdf Bergen County Statement of Vote November 2, 2021 Official results], [[Bergen County, New Jersey]], updated November 17, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.</ref>

In August 2022, the borough council appointed Jeffrey Liva to fill the seat expiring in December 2024 that had been held by Rosario Ruffino until he resigned from office earlier that month in protest over the cost of a park project.<ref>Stoltz, Marsha A. [https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/saddle-river/2022/08/17/saddle-river-nj-appoints-planning-board-member-to-council-seat/65405863007/ "Saddle River fills empty council seat with Planning Board member"], ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]'', August 17, 2022. Accessed March 15, 2023. "Planning Board Chairman Jeffrey Liva has been appointed to a seat on the Borough Council. Liva succeeds council President Rosario Ruffino, who resigned July 20 after a disagreement with other members over the cost and design of what is now estimated to be a $1.45 million footbridge connecting the two halves of Rindlaub Park separated by the Saddle River."</ref> Liva served on an interim basis until the November 2022 general election, when he was elected to serve the remainder of the term of office.<ref nAme=Bergen2022/>

John Azzariti and Ravi Sachdev were sworn in to three-year terms by Mayor Albert Kurpis during a combined in-person/remote session in January 2021. Azzariti had been appointed to the council last July after Councilman John DeRosa resigned for professional reasons. However, Azzariti chose to run with Sachdev for two open three-year terms, seats previously held by Paul Schulstad—who resigned in March 2020—and Eric Jensen, who did not seek a new term. Christopher DiGirolamo was elected to serve the one year remaining on DeRosa's term of office.<ref>Stoltz, Marsha A. [https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/saddle-river/2021/01/12/saddle-river-nj-council-swears-new-councilmen/6636608002/ "Who are Saddle River's two newest council members?"], ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]'', January 12, 2021. "John Azzariti and Ravi Sachdev were sworn in by Mayor Albert Kurpis during a combined in-person/remote session on Jan. 2.... Christopher DiGirolamo was appointed last March to fill Schulstad's term until the election. However, he ran for the remaining year of DeRosa's unexpired term in November, and was sworn in immediately following the election."</ref>

In March 2020, the borough council appointed Christopher T. DiGirolamo to fill the seat expiring in December 2020 that was vacated by Paul Schulstad when he resigned from office earlier that month.<ref>Stoltz, Marsha A. [https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/saddle-river/2020/03/19/saddle-river-nj-fills-empty-council-seat/2868218001/ "After former councilman's unexpected resignation, Saddle River fills vacant seat"], ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]'', March 19, 2020. Accessed May 14, 2020. "Christopher DiGirolamo was appointed to the borough's council last week, succeeding Paul Schulstad. DiGirolamo, an eight-year borough resident, will serve out the nine months remaining in Schulstad's second term.... Schulstad resigned unexpectedly March 2 in the last year of his second three-year term, giving no reason for his departure."</ref>