Created in 1969, Union County Educational Services Commission is a public nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the needs of students in Union County. Today, they serve over 7,000 students in more than 30 school districts.
The Union County Department of Weights and Measures is responsible for testing, inspecting, sealing and condemning all commercial weighing/measuring devices. It is also responsible for ensuring that pre-packaged food is labeled and priced correctly. It verifies that all check-out systems are working properly. The department has recently taken over the Radio Repair Department.
Located in the Municipal Building, Westfield Municipal Court handles court functions for the community. The court handles traffic disputes, parking violations, small claims cases and is a preliminary court for major crimes occurring in Westfield. Judge Brenda Coppola Cuba presides over the court, which is in session on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Carol Salvaggio is the court administrator.
The Department of Human Services works with the neediest residents of Westfield. The department administers various state programs related to housing assistance, assistance to needy families and programs to alleviate hunger. The department works closely with private charities in town regarding social services. The Human Services Director is Lillian Corsi. Its offices are located in the Municipal Building.
Located on North Avenue, this county law enforcement building houses offices for the Sheriff's Department, County Police and other county law enforcement staff. The building is named after Union County Sheriff Ralph G. Froehlich.
The Westfield Board of Education is the governing body for the Westfield Public Schools district. The nine-member board is elected to three-year terms with three seats up for election each April. The Board oversees the Superintendent of Schools and sets policy and budgets for the School District.
Julia Walker is the President of the Board of Education and Richard Mattessich is the Vice President of the Board of Education. Other board members are Ann Cary, Jane Clancy, David Finn, Mark Friedman, Rosanne Kurstedt, Ginny Leiz and Mitch Slater.
Dr. Margaret Dolan is the Superintendent of Schools, Anita O'Neal is the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Theodore Kozlik is the Assistant Superintendent for Special Services, Barbara Ball is the Human Resources Specialist and Vincent Yaniro is the Interim Business Administrator/Board Secretary.
The Department of Finance handles budget and finance issues for the town, along with collecting taxes. The tax collector enforces tax laws along with collection of school, town and county property taxes. The town treasurer/chief financial officer handles the day-to-day management of town finances.
The Armory on Rahway Avenue across from Westfield High School is the home to the New Jersey National Guard in Westfield. The armory is used for deployments and arrivals of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, along with various special events. An indoor soccer league uses the space, and town-wide events are often held there. Past First Night celebrations used the armory for the ceremonial New Year's Eve ball dropping. In 2005, President George W. Bush appeared at the armory for a town hall meeting.
The tax assessor handles the assessment and appeals of assessment on real property in town. The assessor also handles property tax deductions based on state laws.
The Westfield Regional Health Department is the public health agency for eight Union County towns. The department coordinates public health programs along with enforcing the state sanitary code and the local health codes of the eight communities. The department handles vital records for the community, including birth and death certificates. The department has a room dedicated to child immunizations and child care as a part of its office suite. In addition to Westfield, the department serves Garwood, Springfield, Mountainside, Fanwood, Roselle Park, Summit and New Providence.
The Health Officer is Megan Avallone. Laura Scanlon is the public health nursing supervisor for Westfield, Kenneth Pincus handles environmental health for Westfield, Marylou Fashano-Soltis is Westfield's Registrar of Vital Statistics, and Lennier Annina is Westfield's Deputy Registrar of Vital Statistics.
Along with seven other municipalities, Springfield relies on Westfield for health department services.
The department coordinates public health programs along with enforcing the state sanitary code and the local health codes of the eight communities. The department handles vital records for the community, including birth and death certificates. The department has a room dedicated to child immunizations and child care as a part of its office suite. Megan Avallone is the health care officer.
The town administrator is the chief executive officer of town government. He oversees the day-to-day operations of the town and reports to the mayor and Town Council. Jim Gildea is the town administrator.
Rutgers Cooperative Extension provides the Westfield community with a number of great programs to enrich their lives as health conscious and environmentally aware community members. Among the programs are Family Consumer, Family and Community Health Sciences, 4H-Kids, and Agriculture. Cooperative Extension has a large room for workshops and seminars to teach the community about various topics such as nutrition education. All programs are after 4pm and members should use the back door.
The Recreation Department oversees the town's parks and recreation programs. This includes various recreational events, youth programs and Memorial Pool. The department does not oversee the work of the private sports leagues in town. The department is run by the Recreation Commission and the town's Director of Recreation.
M. Bruce Kaufmann is the Recreation Director. Jim Martin is the Chairman of the Recreation Commission and commission members are Michael Cash, Peter Echausse, Gary Fox, Jonathan Jones, Bill Kelly, Jeff O'Connor, Bill Palatucci, Tom Ripperger, Stacey Ukrainsky and Loren Weinstein. Councilman Mark Ciarrocca and Board of Education President Ginny Leiz are liaisons to the commission.
The Westfield Memorial Library is the town's public library. A two-story structure on E. Broad Street, the library houses 191,000 volumes and an extensive electronic database of books. During the year, the library sponsors a series of programs geared towards kids, teens and adults. These include story time hours, teen book clubs and a series of author lectures. The library also works with the Recreation Department to sponsor a series of summertime story hours at the Memorial Pool.
Renovated two years ago, the library features sections of comfortable chairs on the second floor for pleasure reading, along with a community room available for a small fee to community groups. The first floor features a small cafe-like area with tables for people to use. There are computers with Internet access throughout the building and the library has free Wi-Fi. The first floor features a children's area and a teen zone. On the second floor is an expansive reference section, along with the local history department. The library also has a DVD collection available for rent.
The Mayor of Westfield is the chief elected official of town government. Elected to a four-year term in years immediately following a presidential election, the mayor is a part-time volunteer. The mayor presides over the Town Council with a vote, prepares the agenda for meetings, has the ability to veto Town Council actions, appoints members of various boards and serves as the official spokesperson for the town. Under state law, the mayor is empowered to officiate at weddings and civil unions throughout New Jersey. Andy Skibitsky is the current mayor of Westfield.