Record 10/9: Teaneck's Deputy Mayor Resigns to Become its Prosecutor

As reported in today's Record, at the October 6th Council Meeting, Deputy Mayor Deborah Veach submitted her resignation from her Council seat and was approved unanimously to serve as municipal prosecutor for the Township. Veach's seat will be filled on an interim basis by the Council and a new Deputy Mayor will be selected. The seat will come up for vote in the May 2006 Municipal Elections, together with the four other seats that expire at that time. See today's Record or click on http://tinyurl.com/7dbal for the item at the Record's http://www.Bergen.com web site (registration required).

Teaneck's deputy mayor resigns to become its prosecutor Sunday, October 9, 2005 By BRIAN ABERBACK STAFF WRITER

TEANECK - Deputy Mayor Deborah Veach has resigned her council seat to become the township prosecutor.

The Township Council unanimously appointed Veach to the municipal prosecutor post last week, shortly after receiving her resignation letter.

The council has not established a timeline for appointing her replacement, nor has it named a new deputy mayor.

Veach said she would miss serving on the council but that she could not pass up the opportunity to combine the knowledge she gained as a councilwoman with her courtroom experience. Veach worked as a prosecutor under Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau in the 1980s before going into private practice.

"I liked being a voice for the residents, and I'll miss the camaraderie on the council," said Veach, who won a seat on the council in 2000 and was reelected last year.

"I don't think I would have relinquished the honor if I didn't think I could make a greater contribution in my new role."

She will be paid $45,000 per year plus benefits in her new position.

The job became available when Howard Solomon, the prosecutor for the past 25 years, was appointed an administrative law judge.

Mayor Jacqueline Kates praised Veach as a devoted councilwoman who would benefit residents in her new role.

"The council meant more than anything except [her family] to her," Kates said.

"By offering herself to this position, she is making a big sacrifice.

"We are really going to benefit from having someone who we know is so highly qualified" as municipal prosecutor, Kates said.

The vacancy adds a fifth seat that will be up for grabs in next May's non-partisan election: four four-year terms plus Veach's unexpired two-year term.

There are seven council members, including the mayor and deputy mayor, whom the council chooses from among its ranks every two years.

Councilman Paul Ostrow said Veach's seat should be given to the person who finished as the runner-up in the last council election, which would be former Councilwoman Marie Warnke. Warnke said Saturday that she would like to return to the council.

Kates said it's too early to discuss potential successors.

"The council has not had an opportunity to sit down with the township attorney and discuss the replacement process," Kates said. "I want to make sure that we follow the process and that we do what's proper legally."

Kates said she hopes that the council will name a new deputy mayor at one of its next few meetings.

E-mail: aberback@northjersey.com Copyright © 2005 North Jersey Media Group Inc.

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