The Bordentown Township Committee reorganized on Jan. 6 with a new mayor, Eugene M. Fuzy, after longtime Mayor Stephen Benowitz stepped down from his post on Dec. 31, 2023 citing health concerns.
“To serve the people of Bordentown Township has been my distinct honor and pleasure,” Benowitz said. “It is with deep regret that my health has required an abrupt ending to this service. I am confident that the team we have created will continue to serve our constituents with the same level of commitment that makes me so very proud to be a resident of this great town.
“I greatly appreciate our residents, fellow township committee members, and township staff for their support during my leadership over the past decade.”
Benowitz was first elected and served on Township Committee from 1979 to 1981, then returned in 2013. He was chosen by his fellow Committee members to serve as mayor in 2014, and again for the past seven consecutive years from 2017 to 2023. Benowitz’s most recent tenure as mayor has seen unprecedented growth and prosperity in Bordentown Township.
According to New Jersey statute, the Bordentown Township Democratic Committee has 15 days to present to the Township Committee three names for potential replacements for Benowitz’s Committee seat. The governing body then has 30 days to appoint one of the nominees. The chosen representative will complete the current term through 2024. The seat is then up for election for a complete three-year term from 2025 to 2027.
Fuzy was nominated and elected as mayor. He was sworn in by Assemblyman Herb Conway Jr.
Aneka Miller, who was sworn in to her second term by state Sen. Troy Singleton, was nominated and elected as deputy mayor.
The reorganization also saw the swearing in of Committeeman Bill Grayson by Assemblyman Herb Conway Jr. Grayson begins his first elected term. He was appointed in January 2023 to fill the vacancy that was created when then Committeeman James Kostoplis was elected Burlington County Sheriff.
Miller and Grayson ran in an uncontested race for the two, three-year term, open seats during the November election.