Pennington Borough is mourning the loss of Anthony Persichilli, the longest serving mayor in borough history.
Persichilli died on July 24 of complications from a fall at the age of 76.
He was elected to the Pennington Borough Council in 2004 and served as mayor from 2006 until December 2018.
Town officials remember Persichilli as an individual dedicated to the Pennington community.
“From the time Mayor Persichilli was first elected to council in 2004 until he resigned as mayor in December, 2018, Tony was a great friend and colleague to the borough employees, elected officials and volunteers he worked with,” Pennington Mayor Joseph Lawver said. “He approached every problem with the single focus of making the Pennington community a little better. We are all richer for having had the pleasure of working with Tony and calling him our friend.”
Persichilli was born in Trenton and grew up in Ewing. He graduated from Ewing High School’s Class of 1961.He would go on to receive both his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Business Administration degrees from Rider University.
Volunteering throughout his life, Persichilli was awarded in 2013 with the Mercer County Light of Hope Award from Catholic Charities, a foundation through the Diocese of Trenton. He also received the Spirit of St. Francis Award from St. Francis Medical Center in 2014.
“Tony Persichilli was valued as a mayor and friend of Pennington, as well as many others in the state. He listened to all, showed kindness to all, and helped Pennington progress as a unified borough with vision of greatness,” Borough Council President Glen Griffiths said.
Gov. Phil Murphy also praised Persichilli’s leadership and service in a statement after his passing.
“As Pennington’s longest-serving mayor, he was more than a fixture in his community, he was recognized and respected by all for his steady leadership and focus on preserving one of the state’s true small downtown gems. I was honored to have Tony with us when we announced our intention to nominate Judy [Persichilli] as our next Commissioner of the Department of Health, and I know he took as much pride in Judy’s career of service as she did in his,” he said in the statement.
“Tony was not one to sit on the sidelines, even coming out of professional retirement to take on new challenges. He had a tremendous gift for service, and Pennington, Mercer County, and our state have all benefitted from his example,” Gov. Murphy said. “Tammy and I send our deepest heartfelt condolences to Judy and their entire extended family, as well as all who called Tony a friend — which are many.”
Persichilli is survided by his wife Judy Persichilli, who is the first registered nurse set to become commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health. Prior to being nominated she served served as interim chief executive of University Hospital in Newark. Prior to that, as the Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of CHE Trinity Health.
