Vowing to help build “a better future for everyone,” Donna Guariglia took her virtual oath of office Wednesday as Morris Township’s new Committeewoman.
“To you, the residents of Morris Township, I want to say thank you, and it’s time to get to work,” she said, after the governing body unanimously appointed her to replace Tara Olivo-Moore, a Democrat who resigned last month to move to Massachusetts.
Guariglia, one of three candidates recommended by the local Democratic organization, will serve this year and run in a special November election for the remaining two years of Olivo-Moore’s term.
The newcomer’s first meeting began with a moment of silence for Robert and Gemma Ricciardi, who perished in a blaze at their Normandy Heights Road estate this month.
Committeeman Peter Mancuso, a former neighbor of the Ricciardis, praised them as stalwarts of the community and suggested the Township ponder ways to honor the late couple. Mayor Mark Gyorfy, a volunteer fireman who responded to the conflagration, lauded fire, police and EMTs for heroic work on Aug. 5, 2022.
The mayor also praised Dr. Martin Cohen, a local pediatrician retiring after 50 years. In their youth, Gyorfy and his siblings landed in Cohen’s office “all too often,” Gyorfy acknowledged, in what may have been the Committee’s last Zoom-only meeting.
If pandemic numbers continue trending downward, the governing body will return to the municipal building for in-person sessions starting on Sept. 21, 2022, the mayor said.
Guariglia’s first Committee votes included a pair of pay-to-play ordinances. One, adopted by a 5-0 margin, caps local campaign contributions by contractors. The other, introduced unanimously, imposes the same curbs on re-developers seeking Township contracts.
Such measures help citizens have faith and trust in elected officials, said Guariglia, who plans to relinquish her co-presidency of the League of Women Voters of the Morristown Area to avoid conflicts.
Deputy Mayor Cathy Wilson said public trust could be enhanced further by codifying the Township’s smart hiring practices.
Mancuso described pay-to-play as one of the most important measures of his 21-year tenure.
The Committeeman’s lone Republican faces a challenge this fall from former Committeeman Jeff Grayzel.
A Township resident for 38 years, Guariglia has four children and six grandchildren. Long involved helping the New Jersey Colonials hockey team, Guariglia also has played the sport. She is treasurer of USA Hockey.
She had kind words for Jennifer Carcich and Siva Jonnada, Democratic runners-up in the appointment sweepstakes.
In the general election, Guariglia will face Sherry Nardolillo, a Trump Republican chosen by the local GOP organization.
Guariglia made no reference to her opponent on Wednesday. But Committeeman Bud Ravitz alluded to the nation’s deep political divide, warning of “myopic” individuals “amplifying misinformation, and hateful rhetoric.”
“I suggest that we don’t get caught up in manufactured outrage,” Ravitz said.
