Brian Rock Launches Campaign For West Orange Mayor, School Board Prez Seeks Municipal Office

This article was updated on Sept. 24

WEST ORANGE, NJ — West Orange’s school board president is setting his sights on another local office in 2026: mayor.

Brian Rock launched his campaign for West Orange mayor over the weekend. Learn more about his campaign and platform here.

Rock – who currently serves as president of the West Orange Board of Education – has experience as a classroom educator, a union negotiator and a data analyst for the New Jersey Education Association.

His campaign platform includes “budgeting within our means” and tackling issues such as downtown redevelopment, affordable housing and the municipality’s growing debt.

Rock is also calling for more cooperation and solution-seeking in the town’s municipal government.

“West Orange has so much potential,” he says on his campaign website. “And that potential is being squandered by a municipal government that’s consumed with infighting.”

“In the last few years, I’ve watched as we’ve dropped the ball on downtown redevelopment and on affordable housing,” Rock continues. “The budget process is a joke, and our debt is on the cusp of spiraling out of control. The administration is persecuting small businesses while the council is focused on ridiculous issues like banning gas leaf blowers. Meanwhile, simple quality of life issues like rodent control and adequate parking go unaddressed.”

“Each side wants to dig in their heels and point the finger at the other,” he says. “They’re too busy casting blame to focus on real solutions. And the rest of West Orange is caught in the crossfire.”

Rock is part of a crowded field of candidates who are running for mayor this year. Others who have thrown their hats into the ring include Tammy Williams, Phil Orphanidis, Joyce Rudin, Joe Krakoviak, Susan Scarpa, and Susan McCartney.

• See Related: West Orange Town Council Ends Legal Feud With Mayor, Approves Settlement

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