MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County’s own Brian Bergen has been named to Insider NJ’s Power List of Top 100 Millennials.

Bergen was named #5 out of 100 prominent mover and shakers from all political parties.

According to the list, Bergen is a rising star and a young Republican to watch.

Brian Bergen (R-Denville), a conservative freshman assemblyman from Morris County, said that he would run for Assembly Minority Leader in a bid to make the GOP more aggressive as the party out of power in the lower house.

A veteran who is one of the younger members in the Assembly, Bergen has been a vocal critic of the Murphy Administration, and has thrown his hat in the ring to lead the Assembly Republican caucus. Bergen is making the case that the state Assembly Republican leadership should take a more aggressive approach in pushing back against the Democratic majority, saying ‘if we choose to be winners, we will win’.

MORRIS COUNTY — Residents seeking an opportunity to help during the 2021 general election can apply to become poll workers this year.

By staffing a polling location, you can earn $14.29 per hour on in-person early voting days and $200.00 on Election Day. Poll workers can earn an additional $30.00 when you attend required training.

Requirements to become a Poll Worker are:

• Must be a U.S. citizen and resident of New Jersey
• Must be at least 16 years of age
• Must not be running as a candidate in this election

Poll workers will work from October 23 through October 31 which is the in-person voting period and Tuesday November 2. Hours and dates may vary

Apply by clicking here.

MORRIS COUNTY — Columbus Day is a federal and state holiday marked on October 11 this year and an annual celebration of Italian American heritage.

Senator Joe Pennacchio and Senator Anthony M. Bucco are dedicated to ensuring the long-standing legacy is continued and sponsor a resolution supporting the preservation of Columbus Day as a federal and state holiday. (Click here to read resolution SR-50)

“We’re talking about a holiday that Italian-Americans value very much, and it is important to preserve it for future generations,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “There are extremists who seek to revise history, to tear up the past and rewrite it to fit a new narrative. The fact is that the second Christopher Columbus stepped onto our shores, it was an existential moment in human history. It marked the end of the old world and the beginning of the new.

“Our resolution would defend Columbus Day from future attempts to bleach it out of the nation’s fabric,” said Pennacchio. “This bill was first introduced in 2017. My colleagues march in Columbus Day parades, they pursue the Italian American vote, but they have been unwilling to defend this holiday.  I don’t see any reason why this resolution has not received enthusiastic support from the Legislature.”

Recently, dozens of Columbus statues have been removed in cities across the nation, including Chicago, Columbus, Ohio, and Chester, Pa. Only a judge’s decision prevented the planned razing of a Christopher Columbus likeness that has stood for 144 years in a park in Philadelphia.

“As a proud Italian-American, I know how cherished Columbus Day is by those of us who have family roots back to Italy,” said Bucco (R-25). “The Columbus holiday and the granite busts are as much or more tributes to the contribution of Italian immigrants to American society as to Christopher Columbus the man. When Italians emigrated here, they faced a gauntlet of challenges. They were forced to endure prejudice and hatred, and to work twice as hard to prove themselves in the workplace and the community.”

Earlier this year, Bucco spearheaded a successful effort to prevent a local school district from replacing Columbus Day on the school calendar with Indigenous People’s Day. The Randolph Township board of education voted to approve the change in May, joining a half-dozen states and many municipalities.

The Senator, who represents Randolph, spoke at the board meeting in June as the school board voted to remove all holiday names from the calendar in response to an onslaught of complaints from the public. After a boisterous meeting that lasted almost four hours, the panel adopted a motion to restore the calendar to the way it was, reinstating Columbus Day.

“Their attempt to address diversity backfired, and instead created division,” said Bucco. “By trying to make everything vanilla, you lose that sense of diversity. Nobody benefits by destroying a legacy. Progress is made only when we all advance together.

“I am humbled to continue the work of my father, the late Senator Bucco, who sponsored the bill designating every October as Italian-American Heritage Month and fought to fund Italian American heritage cultural and educations programs for the state’s schoolchildren,” Bucco continued.

Pennacchio cited the history behind the holiday day, noting that the first Columbus Day was declared by President Benjamin Harrison in 1892, the year after a mob of thousands lynched 11 Italian immigrants in New Orleans and on the 400th anniversary of the explorer’s voyage in search of a direct route from Europe to Asia.

“We all need to realize there are prejudices in our society – prejudices against everybody,” said Pennacchio. “We have to be cautious not to polarize our nation by targeting one group to elevate another.

“Instead of trying to erase and re-write history, we should focus on challenging ourselves to create a better history for ourselves and our future generations,” Pennacchio emphasized.

MORRIS COUNTY — Sheriff James M. Gannon announces the promotions of two Sergeants for the Morris County Sheriff’s Office.  Corporal Frank Benevento and Detective Edward Zienowicz were promoted to the rank of Sergeant.  Both officers will be assigned to the Court Services Division.  The officers were promoted in a ceremony held on September 24, 2021, in the Historic Courtroom of the Morris County Courthouse with family and colleagues present.

Sheriff James M. Gannon began the ceremony by saying, “These promotions are the result of hard work, dedication, loyalty, and most of all, leadership that both of these individuals have demonstrated.  Leadership is a combination of honorable character and selfless service to the public and our agency.”

Sergeant Frank Benevento Jr. graduated from West Orange High School.  He comes from a law enforcement family with his father, Frank Benevento, retiring as a Captain from the Orange Police Department, and his uncle, Anthony Benevento retired as the Chief of Orange Police Department and later retiring as Police Director of Wallington Police Department.  Additionally, his brother-in-law, John Rolli, is a Lieutenant with the West Orange PD, and his cousin, Anthony Benevento, is a Morris County Correctional Police Officer.

Sergeant Benevento began his career serving the public with the United States Postal Service and later became a Correctional Police Officer working at the Morris County Correctional

Sergeant Benevento began his Bureau of Law Enforcement career in the Protective Services Division, assigned to the Access Control Section. Then in February 2006 he was assigned to the Process Section of the Court Services Division and was provided the title of corporal in April 2014. Throughout his career with the Bureau of Law Enforcement, he has been closely involved with PBA Local 151 and proudly served as NJSPBA State Delegate for PBA Local 151 from September 2015-November 2018.

In addition to his work life, Frank is a loving father of four children: Frank, Jessica, Nick, and Vincent; and enjoys watching his son’s sporting events and playing softball.

Sergeant John Rospond is a decorated law enforcement officer and veteran. He began his career in law enforcement with the Morris County Sheriff’s Office in 1997 working in the Protective Services Division. In 2005, Sergeant Rospond was transferred to the Emergency Services Section as a K9 Handler. In 2007, Sergeant Rospond returned back to the Protective Services Division and was assigned as a Corporal in 2014. His current duties include supervising Access Control of the Morris County Administration and Records Building, as well as being a Division Training Officer, an active shooter instructor, and a Master of Arts in Justice Studies in 2016.

After being hired by the Morris County Sheriff’s Office in 2005 he successfully completed the Basic Police Recruit Class #66, at the Morris County Public Safety Training Academy. After the academy, he was assigned to the Protective Services Division for approximately nine years, where he worked in a uniform capacity primarily conducted security within the Courthouse and protected the Superior Court Judges and staff, as well as assisting other police agencies within Morris County with various law enforcement operations. Additionally, he was a member of the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team (SERT), New Jersey State Police Marine Unit, and Morris County Sheriff’s Officer Honor Guard.

After his assignment in the Protective Services Division, Sergeant Zienowicz was placed on loan with the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, Special Enforcement Unit, and later assigned to the New Jersey State Police Opioid Taskforce Trafficking North Unit. In 2020, Sergeant Zienowicz was recalled from his taskforce assignment and reassigned to the Warrants Section. Recently in 2021, he was again placed on loan with the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, Special Enforcement Unit.

In his free time, Sergeant Zienowicz enjoys spending time with his wife and their four children, along with hunting and fishing.

Sheriff James M. Gannon commented, “Sergeant Zienowicz is a good man and a good leader. He has been involved in some dangerous situations. He has also represented us well and he will bring the Officers up and show them the way.”