At the Teaneck Town Council reorganization meeting on January 2, 2025, the three councilmembers who won reelection following the November 2024 elections—Karen Orgen, Michael Pagan and Mark (Mendy) Schwartz, who is also The Jewish Link’s co-publisher—were sworn in. The council then internally elected its leadership; Schwartz was elected mayor in a unanimous vote 7-0, Orgen was elected deputy mayor I and Councilmember Denise Belcher was elected deputy mayor II as well as a class III member of the planning board. They were all duly sworn in with their family and friends in attendance.

Mayor Schwartz was sworn in by Emma Horowitz, Esq., who serves as president of the Bergen County Jewish Action Committee (BCJAC), which has partnered with community organizations including the Rabbinical Council of Bergen County (RCBC) over the past year to advocate for communal issues. Deputy Mayor I Orgen was sworn in by Rabbi Daniel Fridman, who is vice president of community affairs for the RCBC; Deputy Mayor II Belcher was sworn in by recently reelected Bergen County Sheriff Anthony Cureton. Councilman Michael Pagan was sworn in by Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop.

In his acceptance speech, Schwartz thanked the community for their involvement and advocacy over the past two years, and honored his fellow council members for making a fresh start together with strong alliances for 2025. He indicated it was pivotal to get back to the business of what makes Teaneck great, which is development, affordability and diversity. “Building is not a four-letter word. The council was able to pass eight years of zero tax increases because we built,” Schwartz said. He also added he is a “get stuff done” type of guy and gave out his personal cell phone number, asking residents with any concerns to be in touch.

Schwartz thanked his family and in particular his parents, in-laws and his two sons and daughter-in-law who were present, while noting that his wife, Nomi, and his two daughters were watching and cheering on Zoom. Orgen and Belcher both thanked their families and in particular, their daughters. The daughters for both Orgen and Belcher were present and on hand to witness their mothers’ swearing in.

Schwartz is a 22-year member of Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps (TVAC), as is Orgen, who has served on TVAC since 1987, where she met her husband, Eric. Schwartz served on the Planning Board from 2006 to 2012, when he was elected to his first term on council. He served as deputy mayor from 2018 to 2022. Schwartz is also a founding member of Congregation Shaare Tefillah in Teaneck and has served as its president.

Orgen is a pharmacist, and Belcher is a real estate broker. Both have brought their professional skills to the table on the township’s council, with Orgen particularly useful during the COVID-era, managing safety protocols and vaccine rollouts with then-township manager Dean Kazinci, and Belcher in her capacity working as a member of the planning board and an affordable housing advocate.