Former West Caldwell Councilman Dominick J. Aiello Honored By Essex County Freeholders

Former West Caldwell Councilman Dominick J. Aiello was honored by the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders during its Italian Heritage Month Celebration held at the Hall of Records on Wednesday, Oct. 1.

The event was co-sponsored by Freeholders Leonard Luciano of West Caldwell (District 4) and Brendan Gill of Montclair (District 5), who also honored Bloomfield Mayor Michael J. Venezia and Montclair Deputy Mayor Robert J. Russo.

“I first came to know Councilman Aiello through his 10 years of public service on the West Caldwell Municipal Council and our shared interest in improving our community and the lives of its residents,” Freeholder Luciano said.
“I have great respect for all he did during his tenure on the Council and consider him to be a good friend.”

Luciano also spoke of Dominick Aiello the philanthropist; a founding member and trustee of Vero Amici for Charity, which means “True Friends” in Italian, a charitable organization founded in 2005 that raises money to assist children, handicapped individuals, senior citizens and under-privileged youths who need medical and financial assistance.

Addressing Councilman Aiello, Luciano said, “Dom, you are an outstanding Italian-American and deserving of our gratitude and respect. Even though you’ve left elected office, you continue to serve your neighbors as a volunteer, a professional, a friend and through your charity, and it truly is my honor to recognize you today.”

“I really am honored by this recognition”, said Aiello, “and I’d like to thank the Freeholder Board, and especially Freeholders Luciano and Gill.” He went on to add, “This event really isn’t about our generation of Italian-Americans, but rather about the generations that preceded us, our parents and grandparents, who did all the work, made all the sacrifices and gave up everything to make life better for their children. I am very proud of my Italian heritage, and I feel it is my responsibility to try to pass that tradition on to my sons, and for all of us to pass it on to the next generation.”

Aiello also talked about the activities of Vero Amici and of how proud he is that the organization has raised more than $250,000 since its founding less than ten years ago saying, “We’re really proud of what we’ve done and that we’ve been able to help so many people in so many ways, because every dollar we’ve raised has gone directly to charitable organizations and individuals in need.”

Former Councilman Aiello is an executive in the energy services industry, the founding partner and President/CEO of Metro Energy Solutions, and has been nationally recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy for his work in energy conservation and renewable energy initiatives in the State of New Jersey.

Born in Newark, he moved with his family to the Caldwells in 1971, graduated from James Caldwell H. S., and earned his B.A. in Economics from Rutgers University in New Brunswick. He has resided in West Caldwell for the last 25 years and has served the community in many capacities ever since.

Aiello served on the zoning and planning boards, served four terms on the Municipal Council from 2003-13, coached recreation sports and American Legion baseball for many years, is a Trustee for The Bridge of Caldwell and West Caldwell, and currently serves as an usher at Caldwell’s St. Aloysius Church where he has been a parishioner for 43 years.

He has been married to his wife, Susan, for 21 years, and they are the proud parents of Matthew, a freshman at Drexel University, and William, a junior at James Caldwell High School.

The celebration also included welcoming remarks from Freeholder President Blonnie Watson and County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo. Father Joseph D’Amico, Pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Church in Verona, offered the opening and closing prayers, and Italian tenor Vincent Ricciardi provided entertainment for the attendees, who also enjoyed a catered reception at the conclusion of the program.

Freeholder Luciano has served District 4 on the Freeholder Board since August of 2011 and represents the towns of Caldwell, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Fairfield, Livingston, Millburn, North Caldwell, Roseland, Verona, West Caldwell and West Orange. Freeholder Gill has served as District 5 Freeholder since 2012 and represents Belleville, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Montclair and Nutley.

Information and photo courtesy of Gary Kroessig, Public Information Officer, Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders