Emily Root Appointed To Westfield Town Council, Fills Vacant Seat

WESTFIELD, NJ — Mountain Avenue resident Emily Root was appointed to Westfield's Town Council on Tuesday to replace the vacant seat left by Councilman Jim Boyes.

Boyes, the Ward 1 Councilman, announced he was stepping down from the council on Facebook April 6, citing a conflict of interest with two Westfield redevelopment projects.

Read more: Westfield Councilman Steps Down, Cites Conflict Of Interest

Boyes officially resigned from his position on April 12.

Councilwoman Root first moved to Westfield in 2000 and is a small business owner who has operated a private speech therapy practice in Berkeley Heights for nearly two decades, according to the town's announcement.

“I am truly honored to be appointed to this position by the Mayor and Town Council,” Root said. “I hope to give back to a town that has given me so much.”

Root is also the daughter of a law enforcement officer. He father, William, was a patrolman in Berkeley, California in the late 1960s before becoming a lieutenant in the Cerrito Police Department. He then got a job in the U.S. State Department in diplomatic security working at U.S. embassies overseas.

“Being the daughter of a law enforcement officer gives me a profound respect for our men and women in blue, and a firsthand understanding of the importance and value of public service,” Root said. “Living abroad gave me a new perspective and an appreciation for what it means to be an American.”

After graduating from University of California at Santa Cruz, Root earned her master’s degree in speech language pathology from New York University. She and her first husband then purchased a home on Edgewood Avenue.

But life took a turn when he husband died of cancer in 2009.

“Being a young widow made me who I am today – resilient, independent and compassionate,” Root said. “It made me understand that life doesn’t always go as planned.”

In 2015, Root married Bruno Tedeschi — a public relations executive. She also has two step-children, Zoe, a sophomore at the University of Rhode Island, and Dylan, a senior at Westfield High School.

Root has built a successful speech therapy practice and is one of only a small group of stuttering specialists in the nation. She also works as an adjunct professor at Kean University and San Francisco State University.

As a small business owner herself, Root says she understands the struggles of local business owners.

“I lost 50 percent of my client base in the first few months of the pandemic and worried how I would stay open after 17 years in private practice,” Root said. “But I adapted, persevered and came out stronger.”

Root said she is looking forward to working with Westfield business owners, as well as meeting residents of Ward 1 in the coming days, weeks and months.

“I know we have a lot on our plate in the next few months,” Root said. “I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting to work on behalf of our Ward 1 residents and continue the progress that we’ve made in the last few years.”

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