Pittsgrove Committee appoints Fiore Copare mayor, approves 31-item consent agenda at reorganization meeting

Fiore J. Copare, MD was appointed mayor of Pittsgrove Township on Jan. 2, 2026, and sworn in by U.S. Congressman Jefferson Van Drew at the township’s annual reorganization meeting. The committee unanimously approved the appointment by roll-call vote. William A. Schmidt was later appointed and sworn in as deputy mayor, also by unanimous vote.

Municipal Clerk Charlet Cheeseman opened the meeting, led the Pledge of Allegiance and confirmed the session had been advertised under Public Law 75, Chapter 231. Two newly elected committee members, Eric Harz and Henry S. Papiano, were sworn in to three-year terms by Congressman Van Drew at the start of the meeting.

The committee approved the mayor’s 2026 standing committee assignments (Administration & Personnel: Schmidt/Yeagle; Finance: Yeagle/Papiano; Health & Public Services: Harz/Yeagle; Public Safety: Schmidt/Papiano; Planning, Preservation & Growth Management: Harz/Schmidt; Public Works & Facility Management: Yeagle/Schmidt) by unanimous motion.

By consent agenda the committee then adopted Resolutions No. 1-2026 through No. 31-2026. The consent package included the township’s temporary budget, annual schedule of meetings, designation of official newspaper and electronic notice procedures, appointments to boards and advisory committees, and authorization for a range of professional services and interlocal agreements. The committee voted to both move and adopt the consent agenda unanimously.

In his welcome address, Mayor Copare thanked municipal staff, volunteers, subcommittee chairs and shared-service partners. He highlighted several projects he said were completed or underway in 2025, including upgrades at Unity Park (ADA access, a basketball court and fencing), expansion at Green Branch Park with new trails and picnic tables, a wildland-fire prevention sign and new electric service at Deer Pen Park, and revenue from a solar project at the landfill that he said totaled $140,000. He also credited shared services that place EMS at the municipal building.

The mayor said the township is pursuing a shared-service arrangement with Elmer Borough Police to address truck traffic and speeding, has applied for a Small Cities grant to renovate the Senior Center, and is planning a new cell tower at Green Branch Park to supplement existing capacity on Centerton Road. He reported that Salem County has approved a site for animal shelter services.

The meeting included no public comments. The committee set its next regular meeting for Jan. 28, 2026, and adjourned by unanimous motion.

Votes at a glance - Appointment of Fiore J. Copare, MD as mayor — Motion: appoint Copare as mayor; Mover: William A. Schmidt (nomination); Formal motion to appoint by Committeeman Eric Harz; Second: William A. Schmidt; Vote: Aye — Harz, Papiano, Schmidt, Yeagle, Copare; Outcome: approved. - Appointment of William A. Schmidt as deputy mayor — Motion: appoint Schmidt as deputy mayor; Mover: Henry S. Papiano; Second: Eric Harz; Vote: Aye — Harz, Papiano, Schmidt, Yeagle, Copare; Outcome: approved. - Adoption of Resolutions No. 1-2026 through No. 31-2026 by consent agenda — Motion to vote and adopt by consent (mover: Eric Harz; second: William A. Schmidt); Vote: Aye — Harz, Papiano, Schmidt, Yeagle, Copare; Outcome: approved.

Clarifying note: the mayor’s remarks included two numeric items in the meeting transcript that could not be independently verified in the record: the address that the Agriculture Committee has “preserved over 5,000 thousand acres of farmland” and a statement that “5,000 miles of township roads have been resurfaced.” Those figures appear as stated in the transcript but were not clarified during the meeting; they have been flagged for follow-up in the township’s official records.