Newly elected Garfield board members sworn in; Alan Focarino elected president, Arlene Pateri named vice president

Arlene Pateri, Larissa Hassan and William J. Otto were sworn in Thursday during the Garfield Public School District's May 5 reorganization meeting, and the board elected new leadership and approved routine business.

The meeting opened with the clerk confirming that the May 5 reorganization meeting had been posted and noticed under the Open Public Meetings Act, and the Bergen County Clerk's certified April 15, 2025 election results were read aloud: Arlene Pateri (696), Larissa Hassan (625) and William J. Otto (610) were listed among the successful candidates. Mayor Everett E. Garnto Jr. administered the oath to Arlene Pateri; other newly elected members repeated the statutory oath affirming qualifications and that they were not disqualified under the cited New Jersey statutes.

After the swearing-in, the board attorney opened nominations for board leadership. Alan Focarino was nominated and, following roll-call voting in nomination order, the board recorded him as its new president. Nominations for vice president included Mr. Taylor and Arlene Pateri; after roll-call ballots and one member’s recorded change of vote, the board record shows congratulations to the newly elected vice president, Arlene Pateri.

The board then moved, seconded and approved the consent agenda (item 11.1) by roll-call vote. A subsequent motion to approve the calendar of board meetings for the year also passed on roll-call vote.

During the public-comment period, Assemblyman Alec Deloziz, of the 35th Legislative District, introduced himself, congratulated the newly elected members and said his office is available to support funding and facility upgrades in Garfield, adding, "my door is always open" to the district. Resident Tanner Raymond urged the board to prioritize building repairs and staff support rather than creating new positions and told trustees, "There's no paper towels in the schools for the last 2 weeks. That's unacceptable." Other residents offered congratulations and personal endorsements for the incoming members.

Board members used the opportunity for brief remarks, congratulating the newly seated trustees and calling for cooperation. The board then moved to adjourn; members voted 'aye' and the meeting was closed.

What the board did and did not decide: the meeting finalized leadership elections, approved routine business items (consent agenda and calendar) and took public comment. No new policies, contracts, budgets or ordinance-level actions were adopted at this meeting.