Elizabeth – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders have appointed James Pellettiere, a resident of the City of Rahway and the former Deputy Director of Public Information for Union County, as Clerk of the Board.
Pellettiere will begin his duties as Clerk of the Board effective Wednesday, February1st. The Freeholder Board approved Pellettiere’s appointment on Thursday night.
“I am truly grateful to the Freeholder Board for their vote of confidence,” Pellettiere said. “I hold a great deal of respect for the Office of the Clerk of the Board and I look forward to providing a high level of service to the public and the Freeholder Board.”
As Clerk of the Board, Pellettiere will be responsible for preparing and coordinating the activities of the Freeholder meetings, acting as the depository of vital County documents, acting as the custodian of the official County seal; and providing administrative services for the Board. He will succeed Nicole DiRado, who becomes the Deputy Clerk of Union County on February 1st.
Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella said he was confident the appointment of Pellettiere would represent a seamless transition given his 12 years of experience within the Union County Government; six of which were performed as the Director of Constituent Services within the office of the Clerk of the Board.
“We are looking forward to working with Jim and have the highest confidence in his ability to perform the duties required as Clerk of the Board,” Mirabella said. “During his time as Director of Constituent Services he developed an excellent knowledge of the day-to-day operations of this office, and has gained the respect of his peers and County Administrators.”
County Manager Al Faella agreed, adding Pellettiere should be able to “hit the ground running” in his new position.
“I had the pleasure of working early on with Jim during my days as Director of Community Development,” Faella said. “He has proven himself to have a tireless work ethic and dedication to public service.”
Pellettiere’s tenure with the County began with the Division of Community Development, where he assisted in the monitoring and administration of nearly $2.6 million of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from 1999 through 2002. In this capacity, Pellettiere assisted in the monitoring of over Facility projects funded through CDBG; including projects such as the Rahway JFK Center Renovation project and the Boys and Girls Club of Union County Facility Renovation project.
Following that, Pellettiere worked within the newly established Union County Open Space, Recreation and Historical Preservation Trust Fund, where he was eventually promoted as Deputy Trust Fund Administrator. He worked with each of the 21 municipalities in administering over $3 million of Trust Fund grant programs such as “Green the Streets,” “Preserve Union County,” “Greening Union County” and the “Kids Recreation Trust Fund.”
Pellettiere worked for approximately six years for the Freeholder Board as Director of Constituent Services where he supervised the day-to-day activities of the Freeholder legislative staff, drafted resolutions and correspondences on behalf of the board, assisted in the implementation of meetings, and coordinated responses to constituent concerns.
Later as the Deputy Director of the Office of Public Information, where he helped organize press events, write releases and speeches, and supervised the production of all County print material; identifying numerous procedural measures resulting in a cost savings of over $25,000 in 2011. Pellettiere also served as a primary County Spokesperson during Hurricane Irene in August 2011; coordinating the dissemination of information to the general public, Union County municipal governments and media outlets.
Pellettiere obtained his Bachelor of Arts from Montclair State University. He graduated with a major in Political Science while minoring in Pre-Law and Public Administration. In May of 2011, he completed his certificate for the Masters of Public Administration from Kean University.
He serves on the Union County Transportation Advisory Board, is a member of the City of Rahway’s Board of Appeals and has served as President of his Condominium Association since 2007.
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