When Michael Melham’s second term as mayor of Belleville begins next month, it will come with a lot of pomp and circumstance as State Sen. and former Gov. Richard Codey, D-27, will swear in Melham at a ceremony at Town Hall on July 1.
In last month’s election, Melham easily cruised to his second four-year term.
His first term in office has been marked by a focus on fostering redevelopment, implementing quality-of-life initiatives and safely guiding the town through an unprecedented pandemic and water crisis.
Melham’s running mates, Deputy Mayor Naomy DePeña and At-Large Councilman Tommy Graziano, also won re-election and will be sworn-in for new terms, as well.
Codey, meanwhile, had long established himself as a leading Democratic voice in Essex County before becoming the 54th governor of New Jersey in 2004, a role he filled after the resignation of James A. McGreevey.
A native of nearby Orange, Codey is the longest-serving state legislator in New Jersey history, having served continuously since Jan. 8, 1974.
“I am honored to have Gov. Codey take part in my swearing-in ceremony,” Melham said. “This is a special day made even more special by the participation of such a respected public servant and long-time member of the New Jersey Senate.”
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.