West Caldwell Republicans Announce Mayor, Council Candidates

West Caldwell Republican Chairman Christopher Smith has announced the GOP Team representing West Caldwell for the upcoming 2014 elections.

“I am pleased to announce that Mayor Joseph Tempesta Jr, Councilman Michael A. Docteroff, and Council Candidate Kathy Lynn Canale have filed their petitions to run for West Caldwell Mayor and Council Offices respectively," Smith said at a press conference on Tuesday, April 1.

"Recently, the West Caldwell Republican County Committee and Essex County Republican Committee endorsed the 3 candidates for nomination to represent the Republican team in West Caldwell," Smith said. "West Caldwell Mayor Joe Tempesta is seeking his 5th term, West Caldwell Councilman Michael Docteroff is seeking his first full 3 year term and Council Candidate Kathy Canale is seeking her first full 3 year term. All three candidates are long time residents and have extensive involvement in the community of West Caldwell. On behalf of the West Caldwell Republican Committee we are very pleased with our entire GOP ticket and we feel strongly that all three candidates will represent our community well.”

Mayor Tempesta is currently serving his 4th term as mayor of the Township of West Caldwell. Prior to serving as Mayor, he also served 3 terms as a Councilman in West Caldwell. Tempesta began his public service in 1982 serving as a volunteer member and later as a Chairman of the West Caldwell Environmental Commission. He also served as a volunteer member of the West Caldwell Planning Board and for the last 25 years, has volunteered for various community athletic and recreation activities, civic organizations, and charitable events. He is currently the 2nd Vice-President of the NJ State League of Municipalities which serves as the lobbying organization of behalf of all 565 municipalities in the State of NJ.

Mayor Tempesta also serves or has served on numerous Boards and Community Affiliations including West Essex UNICO, and the Essex County Open Space Advisory Board. He is currently a Commissioner on the Morris Joint Insurance Fund and also served as Commissioner of the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Montclair State College and is currently the Township Business Administrator for the Township of East Hanover. He is married to Anne Botto Tempesta and they have a 24 year old son, Joe, who attends graduate school at Emerson College in Boston.

Councilman Michael Docteroff is currently serving on the Township Council and is seeking his first full 3 year term. Councilman Docteroff has served the community of West Caldwell for many years as a volunteer in recreation athletics as well as the Caldwell Athletic Organization, and he has served as President of the Caldwell Gridiron Club. He has also served as a member of the West Caldwell Zoning Board of Adjustment.

Councilman Docteroff, a graduate of Manhattan College with a bachelor's in computer information systems, is a successful entrepreneur in the field of technology serving as president of M.A.D. Technologies offering consulting expertise primarily in the area of technology for the Hospitality Industry. He is married to Stacy Veneri Docteroff and has two children, Lauren, 21, who currently attends Drexel University in Philadelphia and a son, Jack, who is a senior student at James Caldwell High School who will be attending Manhattan College this fall.

Council Candidate Kathy Lynn Canale has lived in West Caldwell most of her life and currently serves as a volunteer on the West Caldwell Zoning Board of Adjustment. She has also served the community in many other volunteer capacities including volunteer coaching for the C-WC recreation basketball and soccer programs as well as teaching CCD for the Parish Of Notre Dame Roman Catholic Church and has served with the Home School Associations in various schools in Caldwell and West Caldwell.

Kathy Canale graduated from Rutgers University with a bachelor's degree in marketing and has worked for various corporations including Adidas, Ann Taylor, and Ralph Lauren. She also worked for many years for the now retired Kupcho family business, Pine Florist in Verona. She is currently employed as a library assistant with the C-WC Board of Education. She is married to Gary and has three children: Madison, a senior student at James Caldwell High School, Claudia, a freshman at James Caldwell High School, and Julia, an 8th grade student at Grover Cleveland Middle School.

All three candidates spoke about their years of public service to the community while Mayor Tempesta and Councilman Docteroff spoke about their leadership roles in making decisions for the Township. 

“West Caldwell is in a strong financial position because of the policies we established and the execution of those policies particularly over the recent years," Tempesta said. "The West Caldwell Governing Body is committed to a strong fiscally conservative approach in all matters related to our personnel, the services we offer, the shared service agreements we negotiate, and the infrastructure work we need to accomplish around town. It is a constant balancing act but once again our discipline to stay the course has proven to be prudent- we are introducing another no municipal tax increase budget this evening without compromising services and that is what our residents want from their elected officials.”

Councilman Michael Docteroff stated: “It is important that we continue to make decisions that are in the best interests of our residents and businesses by listening to them. Being visible to the public everyday while listening to their concerns and trying to help them on any issues big or small is paramount. Mayor Joe and I along with all of our colleagues on the West Caldwell Governing Body truly care about our community and its citizens. And we know that Kathy Canale agrees with our philosophy and will be a great addition to our team.”

Kathy Canale said: “I am excited for the opportunity to join the West Caldwell Council and I look forward to working with the team. I have always believed we should strive to keep the character of our community the same despite economic pressures. West Caldwell is a great place to live, work, and raise a family and it is a safe community. I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead to keep our community that way.”