Editing Passaic County, New Jersey (section)

===County government===
[[File:City of Paterson, NJ from Garret Mountain.JPG|thumb|The [[Passaic County Court House|Passaic County Court House and Administration Building]] complex (center) is located in [[Downtown Paterson]].]]
The [[Passaic County Court House|Passaic County Court House and Administration Building]] complex is located at the [[county seat]] in [[Paterson, New Jersey|Paterson]].<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20141018171654/http://www.emporis.com/complex/passaic-county-courthouse-administrative-building-complex-paterson-nj-usa Passaic County Courthouse/Administration Complex ]}}, [[Emporis]]. Accessed July 9, 2015.</ref> In Passaic County's commission form of government, the [[Board of County Commissioners (New Jersey)|Board of County Commissioners]] discharges both executive and legislative responsibilities. Seven Commissioners are elected at-large for three-year terms on a staggered basis. A Director and Deputy Director are elected from among the seven Commissioners, at an annual reorganization meeting in January.<ref name=PassaicCommissioners/> Passaic County operates through six standing committees of the Board of County Commissioners. They are: Administration & Finance; Health, Education and Community Affairs; Public Works and Buildings & Grounds; Law & Public Safety; Human Services and Planning and Economic Development. The Commissioners also appoint individuals to departments, agencies, boards, and commissions for the effective administration of the county government. In 2016, commissioners were paid $28,500, and the director was paid an annual salary of $29,500.<ref>Gallo Jr., Bill. [http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/03/how_much_your_county_freeholders_others_in_nj_earn.html "Which N.J. county freeholders are paid the most?"], [[NJ.com]], March 11, 2016. Accessed October 25, 2017. "Freeholder director: $29,500; Other freeholders: $28,500"</ref> The Commissioners select a County Administrator, who, in the role of chief administrative officer, supervises the day-to-day operation of the county government and its departments; County counsel Matthew Jordan took office as administrator in 2022, succeeding Anthony J. DeNova III, who had served as administrator for 19 years.<ref>[https://www.passaiccountynj.org/departments/administration Administration], Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed June 21, 2022.</ref><ref>[https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/anthony-tony-denova-says-goodbye-as-head-of-passaic-county-government/ar-AA15ON8d "Anthony 'Tony' DeNova Says Goodbye as Head of Passaic County Government"], [[MSN.com]], December 20, 2022. Accessed April 13, 2023. "Passaic County Business Administrator Anthony 'Tony' DeNova was 'clapped out' on Friday as he ended his 19-year tenure at the head of Passaic County's government. Earlier this month, DeNova announced that he would be stepping down at the end of the year and will be replaced by County Counsel Matthew Jordan."</ref>

{{As of|2025}}, Passaic County's Commissioners are (with terms for Chair and Vice-Chair ending every December 31):<ref name=PassaicCommissioners>[https://www.passaiccountynj.org/government/passaic-county-board-of-county-commissioners Board of County Commissioners], Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed June 21, 2022. "Passaic County is governed by a seven-member Board of County Commissioners. Each County Commissioner is elected at large for a three-year term. The board is headed by a director, who is selected for a one-year term at the board's annual reorganization meeting (at the first meeting of the year in January)."</ref><ref>[https://www.passaiccountynj.org/home/showpublisheddocument/5034/637822548988000587 2022 County Data Sheet], Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed June 21, 2022.</ref><ref name=PassaicDirectory>[https://www.passaiccountynj.org/home/showpublisheddocument/1938/637667926512370000#page=9 ''Passaic County 2021 Directory''], Passaic County, New Jersey, updated as of April 2021. Accessed April 29, 2022.</ref><ref name=Passaic2021>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Passaic/111517/web.278093/#/summary 2021 General Election November 2, 2021 Official Results], Passaic County, New Jersey, updated November 18, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.</ref><ref name=Passaic2020>[https://www.passaiccountynj.org/home/showpublisheddocument/3378/637678115691870000 November 3, 2020 Summary Report Official Results], Passaic County, New Jersey, updated November 20, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.</ref><ref name=Passaic2019>[http://www.passaiccountynj.org/Election%20Results/2019/General/Summary%20Report%20111819_1230.pdf 2019 General Election November 5, 2019 Summary Report Passaic County Official Results], Passaic County, New Jersey, updated November 18, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020.</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Commissioner 
! Party, Residence, Term End 
|-
| Director John W. Bartlett 
| D, [[Wayne, New Jersey|Wayne]], 2027<ref>[https://www.passaiccountynj.org/government/passaic-county-board-of-county-commissioners/john-w-bartlett-esq John W. Bartlett Esq.], Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed June 21, 2022.</ref>
|-
| Deputy Director Cassandra "Sandi" Lazzara 
| D, [[Little Falls, New Jersey|Little Falls]], 2027<ref>[https://www.passaiccountynj.org/government/passaic-county-board-of-county-commissioners/cassandra-sandi-lazzara Cassandra "Sandi" Lazzara], Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed June 21, 2022.</ref>
|-
| Orlando Cruz 
| D, [[Paterson, New Jersey|Paterson]], 2026<ref>[https://www.passaiccountynj.org/government/passaic-county-board-of-county-commissioners/orlando-cruz Orlando Cruz], Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed April 9, 2023.</ref>
|-
| Terry Duffy 
| D, [[West Milford, New Jersey|West Milford]], 2025<ref>[https://www.passaiccountynj.org/government/passaic-county-board-of-county-commissioners/terry-duffy Terry Duffy], Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed June 21, 2022.</ref>
|-
| Rodney DeVore
| D, Paterson, 2027<ref>[https://www.passaiccountynj.org/government/passaic-county-board-of-county-commissioners/nicolino-gallo Nicolino Gallo], Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed June 21, 2022.</ref>
|-
| Bruce James 
| D, [[Clifton, New Jersey|Clifton]], 2026<ref>[https://www.passaiccountynj.org/government/passaic-county-board-of-county-commissioners/bruce-james Bruce James], Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed June 21, 2022.</ref>
|-
| Pasquale "Pat" Lepore 
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|D]], [[Woodland Park, New Jersey|Woodland Park]], 2025<ref>[https://www.passaiccountynj.org/government/passaic-county-board-of-county-commissioners/pasquale-pat-lepore Pasquale "Pat" Lepore], Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed June 21, 2022.</ref>
|}

Republicans have not won countywide office since 2021. Nicolino Gallo's 2021 third-place finish for the three Board seats at stake then represents the first time any Republicans have been in the county government since now-State Senator Kristin Corrado left her position as County Clerk to win that seat in 2017, as well as the first time the Board has had any Republican members at all since 2012, when then-Freeholders Deborah E. Ciambrone, Michael Marrotta, and Edward O'Connell were defeated.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wildstein |first=David |date=February 27, 2019 |title=Passaic freeholders face challenge at Dem screening committee |url=https://newjerseyglobe.com/local/passaic-freeholders-face-challenge-at-dem-screening-committee/ |access-date=April 13, 2023 |website=New Jersey Globe |language=en-US}}</ref> In March 2023, the commission swore Orlando Cruz, the president of the Greater Paterson Chamber of Commerce (as well as its counterpart in neighboring Wayne), into office to replace retiring commissioner T.J. Best, who resigned at the beginning of the month to spend time with family members down in [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Passaic County commissioner resigns to spend more time with his children |url=https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/passaic/2023/02/15/passaic-county-nj-commissioner-tj-best-resign-term/69906435007/ |access-date=April 7, 2023 |website=North Jersey Media Group |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Orlando Cruz Sworn-In as New Passaic County Commissioner |url=https://www.tapinto.net/towns/paterson/sections/passaic-county-news/articles/orlando-cruz-sworn-in-as-new-passaic-county-commissioner |access-date=April 7, 2023 |website=TAPinto |language=en}}</ref>

Constitutional officers, elected on a countywide basis, are:

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! County Office 
! Party, Residence, Term End 
|-
| County Clerk Danielle Ireland-Imhof 
| D, [[Hawthorne, New Jersey|Hawthorne]], 2028<ref>[https://www.passaiccountynj.org/government/passaic-county-clerk County Clerk], Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed June 21, 2022.</ref><ref>[http://coanj.com/member-list/clerks/ Clerks], Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey. Accessed June 21, 2022.</ref>
|-
| Sheriff Thomas Adamo
| D, Wayne, 2027<ref>[https://www.pcsheriff.org/office_of_the_sheriff/sheriff_richard_h_berdnik.php Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik], Passaic County Sheriff's Office. Accessed June 21, 2022.</ref><ref>[https://coanj.com/member-list/sheriffs/ Sheriffs], Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey. Accessed June 21, 2022.</ref>
|-
| Surrogate Zoila S. Cassanova 
| D, Wayne, 2026<ref>[https://www.passaiccountynj.org/government/passaic-county-surrogate/our-surrogate Our Surrogate], Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed June 21, 2022.</ref><ref>[https://coanj.com/member-list/surrogates/ Surrogates], Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey. Accessed June 21, 2022.</ref>
|}

The Passaic County Prosecutor is Camelia M. Valdes of [[Bloomingdale, New Jersey|Bloomingdale]], who was appointed by Governor of New Jersey [[Jon S. Corzine]] in May 2009, and renominated by Governor [[Chris Christie]] in June 2015.<ref>[https://www.pcponj.org/administration/prosecutor_br_camelia_m._valdes.php Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes], Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed October 18, 2019.</ref><ref>[http://www.state.nj.us/governor/news/news/552015/approved/20150614b.html "Governor Chris Christie Files Nominations"], [[Governor of New Jersey]] [[Chris Christie]], press release dated June 15, 2015. Accessed October 29, 2017. "PASSAIC COUNTY PROSECUTOR - Nominate for reappointment Camelia M. Valdes (Bloomingdale, Passaic))"</ref> Passaic County constitutes Vicinage 11 of the [[New Jersey Superior Court]] and is seated at the Passaic County Court House in Paterson; the Assignment Judge for Vicinage 11 is Ernest M. Caposela.<ref>[https://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/courts/vicinages/passaic.html Passaic Vicinage], New Jersey Courts. Accessed October 24, 2017.</ref> Law enforcement at the county level is provided by the Passaic County Sheriff's Office and the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, which occasionally assist local police forces with investigations and patrol efforts.