See Mahwah's new council president's to-do list

Marsha A. Stoltz, NorthJersey.com
Updated ·2 min read

MAHWAH — For newly elected Township Council President Robert Ferguson III, the ongoing challenge is to continue to provide quality municipal services without raising taxes.

"Costs go up, health care benefits for our employees are going up," said Ferguson, who was nominated for the seat by five-year President David May. "This is the challenge for a lot of towns. We're also looking at how our aging population affects our ability to staff our volunteer agencies such as our Fire Department and EMS."

Robert Ferguson III
Robert Ferguson III

A Delaware native, Ferguson, 45, holds a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Delaware and a master's in finance from Rutgers University. He moved to the township 10 years ago with his wife, Mahwah native Mary Manetas, after their third daughter was born. He is finance director for Samsung Electronics America.

Ferguson was first elected to the council in 2018 and won reelection in the township's nonpartisan contest in 2022.

He takes the seat as the township deals with the final stages of two ongoing issues: a long-awaited cell tower at Fire Company 3 and a major shift in its affordable housing element. It recently negotiated a shift from an 800-unit townhouse development on Sheraton Crossroads property to a 75-unit complex in a residential area.

Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi swears in Robert Ferguson to his first term as councilman at the Jan. 3 reorganization meeting while wife Mary Manetas and daughters look on.
Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi swears in Robert Ferguson to his first term as councilman at the Jan. 3 reorganization meeting while wife Mary Manetas and daughters look on.

"The cell tower is built. We're just waiting for power connections in the next couple of months," Ferguson said. "We have been able to come up with a really good plan for affordable housing. We're not against growth. The problem is the market-rate housing."

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Like much of the state, Mahwah is working on keeping its drinking water contaminants "well below" new limits. One of its wells has been shut down while the township installs filters.

The next large project on the horizon for Mahwah is the construction of a long-awaited new DPW building on Micik Lane.

Newest design for Mahwah's proposed DPW building on Micik Lane.
Newest design for Mahwah's proposed DPW building on Micik Lane.

"We're still in negotiations but hope to get shovels in the ground later this year," Ferguson said.

He praised May as a "fantastic council president" and said his goal is to "keep going" in that direction.

"This council works well together," Ferguson said. "Our strategy is not going to change."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Mahwah NJ: New council president details his to-do list