Mayor
Joanne Cocchiola, Esq.

In May 2000, Joanne Cocchiola was the first woman in the history of the township ever elected to the Nutley Board of Commissioners.

Re-elected to a second term in May 2004, Joanne was honored to become the first woman to serve as Township Mayor. She was re-elected and again appointed Mayor in 2008. She enjoys the distinction of being only the third Mayor in the history of the Township to serve two consecutive terms. As a member of the Board of Commissioners, she is currently the Director of Public Affairs.

As Public Affairs Commissioner, Mayor Cocchiola has created numerous and pioneering health programs for the community including the CARE COMMITTEE, which publishes a Directory of Services benefiting Senior Citizens of the community.

Joanne formed the “Women’s Initiative of Nutley” to promote the teaching of women’s history and to advocate for the interests of township women.

She is a co-founder of the Nutley Thriving Survivors, a support group for women with breast cancer, which has since been formed into a non-profit corporation with the same mission.

She recently organized the formation of CHAMP (Community Health and Mentoring Program) that publishes a resource guide for parents and students and which are in the process of establishing a student-mentoring program.

The Mayor also sponsors continuing programs for Heart Health for men and women. She has been promoting the statewide Mayor’s Wellness Program through various programs and events throughout the school district and community.

Economic Development

Under Mayor Cocchiola’s direction, the Office of the Mayor manages the administration of Community Development Block Grant Funding.

During Mayor Cocchiola’s tenure, 26 Nutley businesses have received funding to improve their building facades, many of which are in the downtown business district.

As Mayor, Joanne presides over the Façade Committee, which has been actively working to improve the look of the business districts and individual building facades throughout the Township.

Joanne initiated a project to place planters along Franklin Avenue in an effort to improve and beautify the business district as well as attract commercial development. She has been joined by the Chamber of Commerce and the Garden Club of the NCCP in providing for the continued maintenance of the planters.

Joanne created and introduced an ordinance prohibiting nail salons within 500 feet of each other and, at her direction; the façade committee is presently reviewing the Township property maintenance ordinance.

Personal

Mayor Cocchiola serves, on a part time basis, as Associate Legal Counsel for the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. Previously, Joanne served as a Deputy Attorney General for the State of New Jersey. She is a graduate of Douglass College and holds a Juris Doctor degree from Seton Hall Law School.

Joanne is a contributing member of numerous local charitable, civic and non-profit organizations including: Nutley UNICO, AAUW, and the League of Women Voters. She is a Trustee to the Clara Maass Foundation, the Essex County Parks Foundation, the Mike Geltrude Foundation, Inc. the Nutley Thriving Survivors, Inc, and serves as Chairperson of the Historic Organ Restoration Committee, Inc. in Atlantic City.

Garden State Woman Magazine has selected Mayor Cocchiola as the 2007 ‘Woman of the Year’ in Government. She is being honored for her accomplishments and service to her community and will be featured in the Spring 2008 issue of Garden State Magazine, as well as on the www.gswoman.com website.

The Mayor has been recognized by Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. as the 2003 Women’s History Month Congressional Honoree; a recipient of the Girl Scout Council of Greater Essex and Hudson Counties Women of Distinction Award. Joanne was named the Essex County Italian American Woman of the Year for 2005.

She was also the 2005 Woman of The Year for the John L. Crecco Foundation. In 2006, Mayor Cocchiola received the Mrs. New Jersey USA Woman of Achievement Award and was awarded the “Women As Agents of Change Award” for 2007 by the AAUW in recognition of her dedication in addressing women’s issues.

Joanne is married to Frank Oliver and has three children, Allyson, Matthew and Ava Francesca. She is the proud daughter of the late Frank A. Cocchiola Sr., himself a former Commissioner, who served the Township of Nutley for 28 years.