West Caldwell Council Has 1 Month To Fill Aiello's Vacated Seat

The West Caldwell Council has one month to appoint someone to finish the remaining term of now-former Councilman Dominick Aiello.

The council and Mayor Joseph Tempesta Jr. must select, appoint and swear in a replacement by Dec. 26 to complete the remaining year of Aiello’s term, according to state law. Aiello resigned on Tuesday night after more than a decade on the council.

More than 80 family members, friends, and current and former legislators came out Tuesday to celebrate Aiello's resignation. The West Caldwell Council and even the State House in Trenton bestowed Aiello with official proclamations recognizing the impact he has made in West Caldwell. 

The West Caldwell Republican County Committee is charged with selecting three Republican nominees for the sixth council seat, said Tempesta. A Republican will be chosen to fill the seat because Aiello was a Republican. 

No prospective residents have been selected yet to fill the seat, said Tempesta. When the three candidates are chosen, they will have to be vetted.   

“This governing body will screen and interview them,” said Tempesta. 

The council may appoint and swear in a replacement before the 30-day deadline, and the mayor said he would prefer to have a nominee sworn in sooner than later.

“As soon as we make a decision, I would be inclined to swear them in immediately,” said Tempesta. “We would want to do it immediately because we got work to do here.”