| Candidate
Information
Professional
Background: Following
graduation from law school, Mr. Ciarrocca clerked for Hon. Peter Ciolino,
Assignment Judge, Superior Court of New Jersey, Bergen County.
After a period on active duty in the US Army, Mark served for 8
years in the United States Army Reserves where he served as a Commander
of an Infantry Basic Training Company in the 78th Division.
Mark began practicing law in Union, New Jersey.
He is the principal of the law firm of Ciarrocca & Ciarrocca
in Union, NJ.
Education:
Mark
was raised in Westfield and graduated from Westfield High
School. He
graduated with a B.A. in English from the Virginia
Military Institute in 1982.
After his time at VMI, Mr. Ciarrocca attended
Washington & Lee University School of Law in
Lexington, Va. where he was awarded his J.D. in 1985.
Family
Life: Mark
and his wife Janet live on Connecticut Street with their
two sons, Robby, who attends Westfield High School and
Jack, who attends Jefferson School.
Government
Experience:
Since
being elected to the Westfield Town Council in 2003, Mark Ciarrocca has
served as the Acting Mayor and has chaired the Public Safety,
Transportation and Parking Committee. To
increase the focus on traffic and pedestrian safety, Mark developed the
concept of having a Citizens’ Traffic Safety Advisory Committee.
This group worked to communicate with neighborhood residents and
to develop consensus improvements to traffic safety hotspots throughout
the Town. You may have also
noticed the speed boxes around town. This
was another safety concept that Mark introduced to our town.
The result has been improved traffic safety and enhanced quality
of life. Mark also devised a plan to add 100 surface parking spaces to
the downtown business district. Additionally,
Mark served on the Finance Committee and was asked by Mayor Skibitsky to
lead shared services efforts.
Clubs
and Organizations: Mark
has been very active in the community. He
served as Vice Chair of the Board of the Westfield Y and President of
the Board of CONTACT We Care. He
has also served on the Boards of the United Way of Westfield and the
Education Fund of Westfield. Mark
has coached in Westfield youth baseball, wrestling, lacrosse and
football programs. In 2006, Mark
was instrumental in forming an In Town PAL football league for 3rd
and 4th graders.
Major
Campaign Issues:
a. Improving Traffic and Pedestrian Safety to enhance the quality of life of our
residents
b. Finding cost effective, creative ways to improve public service while reducing the size of municipal government
c. Identifying innovative ways to fund municipal services through grants, shared services and sources other than property taxes
d. Listening to and being a tireless advocate for the third ward residents
e. Developing construction laws that balance the rights of resident property owners while preserving the character of our neighborhoods |
