Bergen County Executive Candidate Profile: James Tedesco

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Candidates are set for the Bergen County Executive race on the Nov. 8 ballot.

In anticipation, Patch sent questionnaires to each of the candidates vying for the County Executive seat, asking them to share facts about themselves and why voters should choose them to represent the county.

James Tedesco is the incumbent Democratic candidate running for County Executive in the general election against Republican challenger Todd Caliguire.

Here are Tedesco's responses:

Name:

James J. Tedesco, III

Age:

69

Town of residence:

Paramus

Position sought:

County Executive

Party affiliation:

Democrat

Family:

Widowed, father of three with six grandchildren

Education:

High school diploma

Occupation:

County Executive

Why are you running for this office?

When I first ran for election as County Executive, I made a commitment to end the divisive politics in county government, secure a brighter future for New Jersey’s largest public safety-net hospital, care for our veterans, have the backs of our students and educators, and make government more effective and efficient to benefit Bergen County taxpayers.

Since taking office in 2015, we have made great headway on our goals. We restored education funding cut by the previous administration and increased funding for Bergen Community College and the Bergen County Technical & Special Services School District seven years in a row. Bergen New Bridge Medical Center’s rebound is in full swing. The hospital served as a leader in the fight against COVID and has received several recent national accolades. We expanded programs for veterans and ended veteran homelessness, ensuring that all who serve our nation have the dignity of having a roof over their heads. We’ve delivered fiscally responsible budgets, including zero tax increase this year, and have helped our towns save millions of dollars through shared service agreements with all 70 municipalities in Bergen County as well as with our neighboring County of Passaic. I am proud of what we have accomplished so far, but there is still more work to do. I’ll never stop working to ensure Bergen County remains the best place to live, work, and raise a family in New Jersey.

What do you feel is the most important issue facing constituents, and what do you intend to do to repair or resolve it?

As county executive, I’ve focused on ways we can build a brighter future for our families and communities and to make sure everyone in Bergen County can enjoy strong opportunities, great schools, safe neighborhoods and a great quality of life. It starts with strong fiscal management. That’s why we’ve delivered fiscally responsible budgets, including zero tax increase this year, reduced county debt by $93 million and saved taxpayers $10 million through shared services agreements with all 70 towns in the county and neighboring Passaic County. Through these efforts, we’ve been able to invest in our priorities, including education, public safety, parks, expanding high quality services for our seniors and veterans, and improving the quality of life of all Bergen County residents.

What differentiates you from other candidates?

As a volunteer firefighter for 46 years, and throughout my career in public service, I’ve always focused on how to make a difference for others. That means working hard and also working together as a team. That’s why as county executive, I’ve worked across the aisle to pass multiple bipartisan and fiscally responsible budgets, while standing up for the values we share and investing in the priorities that make Bergen County a better place to live, work, and raise our families. We can’t go back to the divisive politics and disastrous policies of the previous Republican administration. My opponent fought for a constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriage. He was a close advisor to Governor Chris Christie, whose policies and actions were devastating to Bergen County, and was rewarded with a $175,000 patronage job that independent watchdogs stated he was unqualified to hold. As county executive, I’ll always focus on what matters to Bergen County residents and keep working tirelessly to build a brighter future for our families.

What other issues or ideas do you feel deserve attention?

I’m proud that working with our Board of Commissioners, Bergen County has made exciting progress on many of our priorities. We’re investing in our children’s future, including building a brand new career and technical school funded almost entirely with a strate grant. We’ve increased funding for public safety, ensuring first responders have the tools and training they need to keep our schools and communities safe. We’re upgrading and modernizing our infrastructure, including securing an $850,000 grant to jumpstart a fix to the Route 17 bottleneck. We’ve made it a priority to protect open space, brought exciting new programs to our county parks and are making extensive renovations including revitalizing Riverside County Park. Bergen County was the first county in the state to eliminate veteran homelessness and we’ve expanded healthcare, job training and job opportunities for the men and women who have sacrificed for our country. I’m proud of our efforts moving Bergen County forward and know that working together we can keep our county moving in the right direction.

What accomplishments in your past demonstrate that you are the best candidate for this job?

Since taking office, my team and I have worked tirelessly to improve the lives of Bergen County residents. I am very proud to run on our strong record. In just our first two years, we passed bipartisan budgets, eliminated homelessness for Bergen County veterans, and restored millions in education funding, veterans services, and senior services, cut by the previous Republican administration. Since then, we have continued to increase funding for education, increased resources for public safety to keep our schools and communities safe, secured a bright future for the County’s public hospital Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, upgraded critical county infrastructure, and made major enhancements to our beautiful county parks. While I am proud of what we have accomplished together, there is still more work ahead. I’ll never stop working for Bergen County’s families.

Do you want to tell voters anything else about you or your positions?

As a lifelong Bergen County resident, it’s an honor to serve my home county. I’m a father and grandfather and proud to be working to make Bergen County the best place to live in New Jersey for all our families. Working together, there isn’t anything we can’t accomplish.