Mayors of Teaneck, New Jersey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mayor of Teaneck, New Jersey |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Inaugural holder | William W. Bennett |
| Formation | 1895 |
Teaneck, New Jersey became an official town on February 19, 1895. When Teaneck first started, it didn't have a mayor like we know today. Instead, a group called the "township committee" managed everything.
This committee had three members who made decisions for the town. They chose one person to be their leader, called the chairman. William W. Bennett was the very first chairman of Teaneck. He was like a mayor and manager all rolled into one!
Over time, Teaneck's government changed. In 1910, the township committee grew to five members. Then, in 1930, Teaneck switched to a new system called the Council-Manager form of Government. This is when the town officially got its first Mayor.
The last chairman was Lacey Walker. After him, Karl D. Van Wagner was elected as Teaneck's first official Mayor in November 1930. By 1946, Teaneck even had a Deputy Mayor, Henry Diessler. Many important leaders have served Teaneck since then!
Meet Teaneck's Mayors
This section lists the people who have served as Mayor of Teaneck, New Jersey. Each mayor played an important role in shaping the town.
| Mayor | In office | Left office | What they did |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark J. Schwartz | January 2, 2025 | Mark Schwartz is the current Mayor of Teaneck. He started his first term in 2025. Before becoming Mayor, he served on the Township council since 2012. | |
| Michael Pagan | January 3, 2023 | January 2, 2025 | Michael Pagan served as Mayor for two years. He was on the town council for two years before becoming Mayor. |
| Jim Dunleavy | July 1, 2020 | January 3, 2023 | Jim Dunleavy served one term as Mayor. During his time, Teaneck changed when it held council elections from May to November. He decided not to run for re-election in 2022. |
| Mohammed Hameeduddin | July 1, 2016 | July 1, 2020 | This was his second time serving as Mayor. The Teaneck Township Council elected him on July 1, 2016. He was sworn in by the Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey. He had previously been Teaneck's Mayor from 2010 to 2014. |
| Elie Katz | April 24, 2016 | July 1, 2016 | This was his second time serving as Mayor. He stepped in as acting mayor after Lizette Parker passed away. He was the Deputy Mayor at the time. |
| Lizette Parker | July 1, 2014 | April 24, 2016 | Lizette Parker was a very important leader. She was the first African-American woman to be a mayor in any town in Bergen County, New Jersey. She passed away while still in office. |
| Mohammed Hameeduddin | July 1, 2010 | July 1, 2014 | This was his first time as Mayor. He was the first Muslim mayor in Bergen County, New Jersey. |
| Kevie Feit | 2008 | July 1, 2010 | |
| Elie Katz | 2006 | 2008 | This was his first time as Mayor. He was born in Teaneck in 1974. He became the youngest person to serve as Mayor of Teaneck. He was also the first Orthodox Jew to hold the office. He later served as acting mayor in 2016. |
| Jacqueline Kates | 2002 | 2006 | |
| Paul Steven Ostrow | 1996 | 2002 | |
| Peter Bower | 1994 | 1995 | |
| John Abraham | 1992 | 1993 | John Abraham was an Indian American who came to the United States in 1972. He had worked as an engineer in Tanzania. |
| Eleanor Kieliszek | July 1990 | 1992 | This was her second time serving as Mayor. She was re-elected in July 1990. |
| Francis "Frank" Hall | 1988 | July 1990 | This was Hall's second time serving as Mayor. |
| Bernard E. Brooks | July 1, 1982 | 1988 | Bernard Brooks was elected Mayor in July 1982. He became the first black mayor in Teaneck's history. He served until 1990. He was Teaneck's only African-American mayor until Lizette Parker was elected in 2014. |
| Francis "Frank" Hall | June 1978 | 1982 | This was his first time serving as Mayor. |
| Eleanor Kieliszek | 1974 | June 1978 | This was her first time as Mayor. She was the first female Mayor of Teaneck, New Jersey. She was also the first woman elected to the township council. She served on the Teaneck Township Council for 30 years. |
| Frank White Burr | 1970 | 1974 | Frank White Burr was the Mayor of Teaneck from 1970 to 1974. He supported the Glenpointe development. He was born in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey in 1906. He worked for Chase Manhattan Bank. He was also involved with the Teaneck Board of Education. He was chairman of the Community Relations board when Teaneck became the first town where a white majority voted for school integration. |
| Thomas Costa | May 24, 1966 | 1969 | Thomas J. Costa was a politician who served as Mayor of Teaneck. He also served in the New Jersey General Assembly. |
| Matthew Feldman | 1962 | January 1966 | Matthew Feldman resigned as Mayor when he was elected to the New Jersey Senate. |
| August Hanniball, Jr. | June 1958 | 1962 | |
| Thomas J. E. Brown | 1956 | June 1958 | |
| Henry Deissler | May 23, 1950 | 1955 | |
| Clarence William Brett | May 28, 1946 | 1950 | |
| Milton Gideon Votee | 1934 | 1946 | He was born in 1880. He served as mayor for 12 years. He helped organize the switch to the township manager form of government. In 1958, a park in Teaneck was renamed Milton Votee Park in his honor. |
| Karl D. Van Wagner | 1930 | 1933 | He was elected as the first Mayor under the new council-manager government on November 11, 1930. |
| Lacey Walker | 1930 | 1930 | He was the last chairman under the old township committee government. He served until November 11, 1930, when Teaneck changed its government style. |
| Christian Gloeckler | 1927 | 1929 | |
| William Harold Bodine, Sr. | 1925 | 1926 | This was his third time serving as chairman. |
| Frederic Andreas | 1924 | 1924 | |
| Frederick J. Griffith | 1921 | 1924 | |
| Maurice Veuve | 1918 | 1920 | |
| William Harold Bodine, Sr. | 1917 | 1917 | This was his second time serving as chairman. |
| Frederick McGuire | 1916 | 1916 | |
| William Harold Bodine, Sr. | 1915 | 1915 | This was his first time serving as chairman. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1874. |
| Robert A. Shaw | 1912 | 1914 | |
| James E. Pearce | 1910 | 1911 | |
| William Weaver Bennett | February 19, 1895 | 1909 | William Weaver Bennett was the very first Chairman of Teaneck, New Jersey. He was born in England in 1841. He moved to Teaneck and managed properties for William Walter Phelps. He served as chairman for 13 years. He passed away in Teaneck in 1912. |
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Mayors of Teaneck, New Jersey Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.