West Orange Swears In Its First Female Mayor, 2 Councilwomen

WEST ORANGE, NJ — West Orange officially has its first female mayor.

After clinching victory in the 2022 general election, Susan McCartney was recently sworn into her new post, setting a milestone for the township. Read More: Candidates Claim Victory In West Orange (See Election Results)

McCartney – who recently served as the town council president – spoke with Patch about her goals and visions for the township prior to the election. Read More: West Orange Mayor Candidate Profile: Susan McCartney

Meanwhile, Asmeret Ghebremicael and Susan Scarpa were sworn in as town council members, and Tammy Williams took McCartney’s place as council president.

West Orange was one of the towns that bucked a “disappointing” trend in New Jersey last year, according to an analysis from the unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. The takeaway from their annual “report card?” Women’s representation remains “fundamentally stalled” in many New Jersey counties – including Essex County. Read More: 'Disappointing' Year For Female Politicians In Essex County, Study Says

Town officials gave a round of applause to outgoing former mayor Robert Parisi at a recent town council meeting, with Parisi passing the torch to McCartney. Watch the video below.

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