Fusaro Files Formal Resignation From Manchester Council

MANCHESTER, NJ — Manchester Township Councilman Samuel Fusaro in December said he would be stepping down from the dais, and this week made it official, submitting his letter of resignation from the council.

Fusaro and his wife are moving out of the township, and his resignation takes effect Jan. 15, township officials announced.

"First, I want to thank all of our residents that helped and voted for me through the years and seven elections," said Fusaro, who served 27 years on the council. "I truly enjoyed walking through the villages and developments talking to our residents while getting petitions."

"Second, I what to thank all of our employees I have worked with. You all keep the Town moving forward every day. You’re the best," he said.

"Third, I also want to thank the mayors and members of council that I worked with. We didn’t always agree but definitely made Manchester a better town," Fusaro said.

Fusaro was first elected to the council in 1990, after Manchester approved a change of government to the current mayor-council set-up.

Fusaro was elected, along with former mayor Jane Cordo Cameron and several other officials, who soon found themselves mired in a mess left after the multimillion-dollar theft of town funds by former business administrator Joseph Portash, who died in February 1990, not long before the new government format took effect.

Fusaro was re-elected in 1994, 1998 and 2002. He did not seek re-election in 2006, in order to focus on his duties with the Army at Fort Monmouth, but returned to the council in 2011 when he was selected to fill the unexpired term of former Councilman Ken Vanderziel.

Over the years, Fusaro served on various township boards and commissions, including the Planning Board, Master Plan Committee, Recreation Commission and Pine Lakes Restoration Committee. He also coached in Manchester’s Little League and youth basketball program for many years.

In 2001, he championed passage of Manchester’s Open Space Referendum.

"I am proud of the things I have done over the years for Manchester and its residents. It has been a pleasure and honor to have been a councilman in Manchester," he said.