Hector C. Laura sworn in for third term as Passaic mayor; council names Scherer president, passes routine ordinances

Mayor Hector C. Laura was sworn in Tuesday during the City of Passaic’s reorganization meeting, and members of the City Council selected a council president and approved multiple routine resolutions and ordinances.

The municipal clerk read the official certification of the May 13, 2025 election results before Assemblyman Shear administered the oath to Hector C. Laura, who pledged to support the U.S. and New Jersey constitutions and to faithfully perform the duties of the office. The council then administered oaths to three re-elected and newly elected at-large council members.

Mayor Laura used his remarks to recount projects and priorities from his prior terms and to outline a third-term agenda that emphasized affordability, sustainability, public safety, and infrastructure — including potential funding for a downtown parking deck, expanded electric-vehicle chargers, a state-funded new high school described in the meeting as a roughly $328,000,000 School Development Authority project, a downtown riverfront walk, and a special-needs–inclusive junior police and fire academy. “We decided not to go very big. We wanted to make it a much more intimate ceremony,” Mayor Laura said of the swearing-in event.

Council members nominated and voted to appoint Councilman Scherer as council president for a one-year term beginning July 1, 2025. The council also approved routine appointments — including the council’s planning-board representative and several redevelopment/redevelopment-related appointments — and designated the municipal newspapers required under state law.

On ordinances, the council held public hearings and took final votes on several mostly technical or administrative changes. The council approved an ordinance to relocate a bus stop on Broadway after a resident raised concerns that a recently moved stop left waiting passengers in front of a private driveway; city staff explained the bus stop had been moved by New Jersey Transit and the ordinance relocates it to avoid the residential conflict. The council also approved ordinances addressing residential parking permits, restricted parking for disabled-persons spaces keyed to specific license plates, updates to carnival and bazaar fire-inspection and propane-generator fees, amendments to the city’s clothing-bin rules, and an amendment to the mayor’s salary ordinance. Each of those measures was moved, seconded and passed on roll-call votes in which the seven council members present recorded “yes.”

During the public-comment period, Lynn Austin, introduced in remarks as deputy mayor for Veterans Affairs, spoke about joining the mayor’s team and the city’s veterans services. Evelyn T. Robinson, speaking for the VFW auxiliary and as a longtime local participant in veterans’ activities, thanked the administration for veterans’ programs and asked a question about the Broadway bus stop during the hearing on the traffic ordinance; the council replied that the change addresses a residential conflict caused by a prior stop relocation.

The meeting closed after unanimous votes to adopt the listed resolutions and ordinances and routine communications were accepted. Several council members and the mayor offered brief remarks of thanks to staff, department heads, community leaders and veterans before adjourning.

Votes at a glance (all roll-call votes recorded as yes from the seven council members present unless otherwise noted):

- Resolution: Designate Council President (one-year term beginning 07/01/2025) — Appoint Councilman Scherer as Council President. Outcome: approved (7–0). - Resolution: Designate official newspapers for 07/01/2025–06/30/2026 (per Chapter 231, Public Laws of 1975 and state statute). Outcome: approved (7–0). - Resolution: Council representative to the Planning Board — Appoint Councilwoman Colon Montanez as council liaison. Outcome: approved (7–0). - Resolution: Appoint commissioners to redevelopment/redevelopment agency — Appoint Councilman Monk (and others as stated). Outcome: approved (7–0). - Ordinance 24-84-25: Amend Chapter 295 (Vehicles & Traffic) to relocate a Broadway bus stop. Outcome: adopted on second and final reading (7–0). - Ordinance 24-85-25: Amend Chapter 295, Part 10, Residential Parking Permits (Article 21). Outcome: adopted on second and final reading (7–0). - Ordinance 24-86-25: Amend restricted parking for disabled persons by license plate. Outcome: adopted on second and final reading (7–0). - Ordinance 24-87-25: Amend Chapter 49, mayoral salary. Outcome: adopted on second and final reading (7–0). - Ordinance 24-88-25: Amend Chapter 99, carnivals, bazaars and fairs — revise fire inspection fees and propane generator/device fees. Outcome: adopted on second and final reading (7–0). - Ordinance 24-89-25: Amend Chapter 102, clothing bins. Outcome: adopted on second and final reading (7–0).

All actions listed above were taken in open session with roll-call votes recorded; formal minutes/resolution texts filed with the municipal clerk will provide the official ordinance and resolution language and effective dates.