Eugene Fuzy, who served as deputy mayor in Bordentown Township last year, was sworn in as mayor on Jan. 6, making Fuzy the first person other than Steve Benowitz to serve in that role since 2017.
Committee member Aneka Miller was sworn in as deputy mayor at the committee’s annual reorganization meeting. Miller and committee member Bill Grayson also began three-year terms on the committee last month. Sen. Troy Singleton and Assemblyman Herb Conaway were on hand to administer the oaths of office.
Fuzy and Miller stepped up as Benowitz stepped away from the township committee, citing health concerns. Kelly Lozito, a former member of the township’s planning board and environmental commission, was sworn in to take Benowitz’ place at the Jan. 22 committee meeting.
Lozito was one of three candidates provided by the Bordentown Township Democratic Committee to succeed Benowitz. The others were Sonya Lopez and Roger Schneider.
Lozito is expected to fill the seat through the end of 2024. The seat will be up for a full three-year term in November’s elections.
Fuzy has spent seven years on the committee, five years of which he served as deputy mayor to Benowitz, who was mayor the entire time.
Fuzy told the Current that he had been serving on the environmental commission when Benowitz recruited him to run for a seat on the committee.
“Steve is going to be missed, that is for sure,” Fuzy said. “Steve always had the township and its residents in the front of his mind all the time.”
Fuzy also paid tribute to Benowitz in his Jan. 6 remarks. “Steve Benowitz left some big shoes to fill and will be missed. I wish him a speedy recovery. He was very big on two sentiments about us as local officials and the public. He would say we are the bridges to government, and we need to give transparency. I believe in both.”
Benowitz, 78, is a retired school administrator who has lived in Bordentown since 1969. Benowitz served as a member of the township committee from 1979 to 1981 and from 2013 to Dec. 31, 2023. He served as mayor of Bordentown Township in 2014 and from 2017 to the day he resigned.
“The main thing losing Steve on the committee is the historical knowledge,” Fuzy told the Current. “Steve’s been in the town since the 60’s. He knows a lot of different factors through that time period, the different people you need to talk to, the historical impacts of all that has happened in the township during that time.”
Fuzy said that as mayor, he will look to help the other members of the committee be recognized for their hard work and dedication.
“I really want to build out the rest of the committee members, make them feel empowered and encouraged,” he said. “My main hurdle is making sure everyone feels appreciated and supported.”
Fuzy expressed gratitude for the township’s recent efforts to deploy a new app and a redesigned website. He said that the township’s communication strategy was poor when he took office, and that it has been a focus of his since first joining the committee to improve communication with the public.
“The township just acquired an app and redid our website completely. Hopefully soon it will be perfectly flawless,” Fuzy said. “I’m really happy about that. That wasn’t driven by me, either, which even made me even happier. It means that people have bought into the importance of [communication.]”
Along similar lines, Fuzy revealed that he intends to hold monthly, informal information sessions with the public throughout the year. These meetings are scheduled to take place in February, March, April, May, June, September, October and November at the senior center, 3 Municipal Drive, Bordentown Township. The first session is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m.
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In a phone call with the Current, township administrator Michael Theokas also paid tribute to Steve Benowitz and his legacy. Benowitz was mayor when Theokas was hired as administrator, and until this year, had been the mayor for Theokas’ entire tenure in Bordentown.
“Mayor Benowitz was the only mayor I worked for in the township, but I had the privilege of working for several mayors in my public career, and he was certainly one of the best if not the best that I’ve had the opportunity to work for,” Theokas said.
Theokas said Benowitz was “always available, always helpful and always extremely supportive. He was a really excellent mayor to work with — it was really collaborative, and that was the way he wanted it.”
Theokas hailed Benowitz as a dedicated public servant, not just as an elected official, but also from his time as a school administrator.
“All the things he would consistently say in public meetings, he truly meant,” Theokas said. “He really wanted to build a bridge between government and the public. He really enjoyed being out among the constituents and helping them solve problems. There is no question that the health and vitality in the township was his number one priority at all times.”
Theokas said Benowitz struck a good balance as mayor between seeing the big picture of today and understanding what the township’s needs were going to be in the future.
“Obviously, he was the mayor that was presiding over the committee that hired me, and has been mayor every year since, so I’m particularly thankful for all that he’s done for me personally and professionally,” Theokas said. “I count him as a friend, certainly as a mentor, and as somebody that, when it comes to serving the public, someone that I aspire to be. A great man, a great public servant, and I’m sure that when he gets healthy, he’s still going to be around, and we look forward to that.”
The Current also attempted to contact Steve Benowitz for this story. Through Theokas, Benowitz declined to comment, saying he would prefer for the spotlight be on the current committee members.
Theokas added that he believes the township is in good hands under the direction of Eugene Fuzy and the rest of the committee. “The committee that’s in place is really good. They work really cohesively, they all have the same commitment to the township and the understanding that there’s some complicated things that are going to face us, but there are basic community needs that we have to focus on,” he said. “I look forward to working with the new committee and the new mayor,” he said.
