Mahwah Hires New Business Administrator

MAHWAH, N.J. — The township's newest administrator will begin working Oct. 17, officials said Sunday afternoon.

Quentin Wiest II, a former Ridgewood mayor and councilman, is the business administrator for Hoboken. He oversees the implementation of a $110 million budget and manages 700 employees. Hoboken has 53,000 residents, double than that of Mahwah's 26,000.

Both Mayor William Laforet and Council President John Roth approved of the hiring. Laforet will appoint Wiest and the council will formally approve the hiring at a public meeting.

Laforet and Roth issued a joint statement on the hiring Sunday. They engaged in a "collaborative process, "to find the right person and I believe my appointment of Quentin Wiest demonstrates the positive outcome of our process."

Prior to Hoboken, Wiest was the business administrator of Closter township and spent 16 years working for Bergen County government. He was the director of public works for eight years and was executive director of the Bergen County Improvement Authority.

Wiest was a Ridgewood councilman from 1980 to 1992, including four a four-year stint as mayor from 1986 to 1990. He presided over the formation of Ridgewood Water. He has a degree in engineering from the University of Michigan.

Roth said he endorsed Laforet's appointment, "without reservation and would recommend that the council provide their required consent in unanimous support of an extraordinarily qualified candidate."

Former Administrator Brian Campion's last day was Aug. 31. He resigned unexpectedly in May. Campion did not give a reason why he had decided to leave. It was the second time he resigned from the position. The first time was in July 2013, but he decided to stay a month later.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Quentin Wiest II — Patch file photo