Meet Wayne's New Business Administrator, 3 Newest Police Officers

WAYNE, NJ — Wayne has some new faces in important places. Mayor Christopher P. Vergano swore in three police officers, and officials appointed Christopher Tietjen as business administrator at Wednesday's Township Council meeting.

Erik Cueva, Adem Ceca and Robert Meischsner became the newest members of the Wayne Police Department. Cueva worked for the East Orange Police Department, while Ceca served in the Army National Guard. Meischsner expects to graduate from Morris County police academy in May.

"This is one of the highlights of what I get to do — welcoming our new police officers in the Township of Wayne," Vergano said. "We made a decision years ago that we would swear them in at the council meetings. COVID kind of altered that a little bit, but we still did it anyway."

After each got sworn in, the council voted unanimously to approve Vergano's appointment of Tietjen to administrator. Former Administrator Neal Bellet was filling in on an interim basis for the prior administrator, D. Talib Aquil.

Tietjen, who held the same position in Hillsdale, will finish his term at the end of 2025 — the same time Vergano's fourth term will end.

Vergano thanked Bellet for coming out of retirement to serve in the interim, while also praising Tietjen.

"We went through a long and extensive interview process," Vergano said, "and I’m very glad that he accepted the position and is going to be with us for the next four years."

Watch Wednesday's full Township Council meeting below:

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