Essex County Democrats Take Office: DiVincenzo, Fontoura, Kenney – Livingston, NJ Patch
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — It’s a new year, but there are some familiar faces returning to the helm of the Essex County government.
Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr., Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura and Essex County Surrogate Alturrick Kenney – all local Democratic leaders – were sworn into office during an afternoon inauguration ceremony at the Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology on Jan. 2.
DiVincenzo was sworn into his fifth term as executive and Fontoura was sworn into his 10th term as sheriff. The newcomer, Kenney, was sworn into his first term as surrogate.
Present on Wednesday to show support for DiVincenzo, Fontoura and Kenney were U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Robert Menendez, Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, Essex County Freeholder President Brendan Gill and Essex County Democratic Committee Chairman LeRoy Jones.
Imam Mustafa El-Amin from Masjid Ibrahim in Newark presented the invocation; Father Ed Leahy, Headmaster of St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark and President of the Essex County Schools of Technology Board of Education, presented the benediction. Students from the Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology sang the National Anthem and “This is Me.”
DIVINCENZO: LONGEST-SERVING EXECUTIVE IN ESSEX HISTORY
According to a county news release, DiVincenzo was elected as Essex County Executive in 2002 and has been re-elected to his fifth term. He is the fifth and longest-serving county executive in Essex history.
Previously, he was appointed to the Board of Freeholders in 1990, elected in 1991 and reelected four times. In his 13 years on the freeholder board, he served as president for eight years and vice president for three years.
“I am humbled by the confidence and trust that the public has placed in me to serve as their Essex County Executive,” DiVincenzo said Wednesday.
“I have the same passion and energy to serve our 800,000 residents and 22 municipalities today that I had when I was first elected 16 years ago,” DiVincenzo continued. “We have accomplished so much to strengthen our finances, modernize our parks and infrastructure, and enhance services and programs to assist our residents. We have transformed Essex County and have to continue to work hard to maintain the high standards of government service that our residents deserve.”
FONTOURA: LONGEST-TENURED SHERIFF IN ESSEX
According to county officials, Fontoura was appointed sheriff in 1990, elected in 1991 and has been reelected 10 times. He has served as sheriff for 31 years and is the longest-tenured in Essex County history.
Officials said that Fontoura is responsible for operating “the largest and most active sheriff’s department in New Jersey,” as well as providing security for the state’s largest superior court vicinage. Prior to becoming sheriff, he rose through the ranks of the Newark Police Department, joining the force in 1967 and attaining the rank of captain and chief assistant to the police director.
“Safety and security are among the primary concerns of our residents no matter where they reside,” Fontoura said.
“We will continue to work cohesively with our law enforcement counterparts throughout Essex to make sure our communities remain as pristine and safe as possible,” Fontoura added. “I am proud to lead the men and women of the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, which is one of the premiere law enforcement agencies in the country.”
KENNEY: ‘AN OPPORTUNITY TO ASSIST VULNERABLE RESIDENTS’
According to county officials, Kenney was elected surrogate to replace Theodore Stephens II, who left office after being appointed as the Essex County prosecutor.
Prior to elected office, Kenney served as manager for port activities and business development, and was the liaison between the City of Newark and the Port Authority of NY/NJ. While there, he was responsible helping to create the Council of Port Performance Workforce Development and for finding jobs for Newark residents with at the port. Earlier in his career, he served as deputy mayor of the City of Newark and as a member of the Newark Public Schools Advisory Board.
“I have dedicated my life to public service and becoming the surrogate is an opportunity to assist residents when they are at the most vulnerable time of their life,” Kenney said.
“I look forward to continuing the tradition of making the Surrogate’s Office accessible and efficient,” Kenney stated. “I am truly humbled with the opportunity to serve as your next Essex County Surrogate and do not take your vote lightly.”
Kenney said that as a young man growing up in Newark, it was a surreal feeling to witness nearly 175,000 residents throughout the county choose his name on election day, whether they knew him personally, relied on his word for support or “used blind faith and believed the Democratic Party.”
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Photo: From left, Essex County Surrogate Alturrick Kenney, Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura and Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, Jr. were sworn into office during an afternoon inauguration ceremony in the Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology on January 2, 2019. (Glen Frieson)
