Kearny’s huge recent loss has become Montclair’s significant gain.
In a unanimous vote, the Montclair Township Council voted Feb. 25 to hire Stephen Marks as its township manager, with a start date of April 1, 2025. Marks has served in the same capacity for Kearny since 2020, having taken office just as the Coronavirus pandemic broke out. Prior to that, he served in similar capacities, including in Hoboken from 2016 to 2020.
Marks’s salary in Kearny is approximately $200,000 per year. When he starts in Montclair, he will be paid $235,000 per year. The council there is expected to adopt a new salary ordinance to reflect that salary later this month.
Montclair embarked on a massive, nationwide search to find its new manager. Initially, that town got 34 resumes that were dwindled down to nine semi-finalists. But Montclair Mayor Renee Baskerville was certain to note Marks immediately stood out and things remained that way throughout the hiring process.
She cited several of Marks’s accomplishments in his time in Kearny, including a comprehensive update to the town’s master plan, the successful negotiation of seven collective-bargaining agreements with municipal unions, updates to public facilities including along Passaic Avenue and the acquisition of the new Recreation and Community Center on Oakwood Avenue and the jump of two Moody’s bond rating classifications from A-3 to A-1.
Meanwhile, Marks, who has lived in Kearny for most of his life, said the opportunity to work in Montclair was too good to pass, though he wasn’t seeking the job at first — he was found by a headhunter. He spoke at the meeting in Montclair once the vote was finalized and glowingly noted how the town holds a special place in his heart and that of his wife, Rosemary Martins Marks.
“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve as township manager,” Marks said. “I hope this isn’t a deal breaker, but my entire family are Yankees’ fans. My all-time favorite player is Derek Jeter, the captain. He had 3,465 career hits. 1,923 runs, 1,311 RBI, a .310 batting average and no drama. My professional approach is a lot like Derek Jeter’s MLB record. I would rather consistently get hits every day than swing for the bleachers and strike out.
“Small incremental accomplishments consistently made over time add up to big results. My wife and I live less than five miles away from here. We have two adult children and one new beautiful baby grandson. Montclair is one of our favorite destinations. Our second date 37 years ago was at the Wellmont Theater. Our first date was to to a Yankees game. And we’ve been coming back ever since.
“In fact, we recently celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary at one of our favorite local restaurants. Montclair is already a great town and I look forward to working with municipal officials, residents and businesses to make it an even better place to live, work and visit. Thank you very much.”
Though he still had several years remaining on his contract, Kearny Mayor Carol Jean Doyle said she felt it was the right decision to let Marks out of the contact. He was, she noted, fully above board throughout the entire process, keeping her abreast to what was occurring.
At first, she said it didn’t appear Marks would be offered a salary better than what Kearny had to offer. But once Montclair far surpassed what Kearny was paying Marks, Doyle said she know, for him, it was the right call to move on.
Now, the question that remains is who will replace Marks come April 1?
Doyle says she has candidates in mind, but she is not yet ready to offer specific names. She will do so, however, “when the time is right.”
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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.