Pompton Lakes Planning Board elects leadership, reappoints Colliers and board counsel

Pompton Lakes Planning Board members elected Mike Simone chair and approved a slate of officer and professional appointments during a reorganization meeting and brief regular session on Jan. 16, 2025, at 25 Lenox Avenue.

The board elected Mike Simone chair by voice vote, and named Brian Otto vice chair and Carmelina Fusaro board secretary. The board also approved retaining Marzini Falcon as board attorney and reappointed Colliers Engineering for board engineering services and Colliers Engineering and Design as the board planner. Members approved The Herald News/Record as the alternate legal newspaper and adopted the scheduled meeting dates for 2025, with the board noting the Nov. 18 meeting may need to move because it conflicts with the League of Municipalities conference.

The actions set the Planning Board’s leadership and professional team for the year, enabling staff and consultants to continue permitting and review work on redevelopment and private projects in town. "The board is only as good as the members on the board as a whole, and we're thankful," Mike Simone said after the appointments.

Motions were resolved by voice votes during the meeting; no recorded roll-call tallies were given for those motions. The board deferred naming an open-space committee representative and agreed to revisit that appointment at a following meeting when more members would be present.

The reorganization also included administering the oath of office to newly sworn members before conducting the roll call for the regular meeting.

Ending: The board adjourned the reorganization portion and immediately opened the regular meeting at 7:46 p.m.