Guttenberg Mayor Gerald Drasheff, the town’s mayor since 2009 and an elected official since 2002, will not be seeking re-election in November. 
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“After long and thoughtful consideration, I have concluded that my personal responsibilities to my family will require me to spend less time as the Mayor of Guttenberg in the upcoming years,” Drasheff said in a statement.
“Therefore, to be fair to the residents of Guttenberg, I have decided not to seek re-election for the upcoming term.”
Drasheff, a lifelong Hudson County resident, served as a Guttenberg councilman between 2002 to 2009 before being elected as mayor in 2009.
Among his proudest accomplishments, the mayor cited the town and Guttenberg Board of Education working together to build a community center/Anna L. Klein School expansion, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2017.
The $20 million dollar project is the largest public project in the history of Guttenberg and aims to increase the capacity for students in a crowded school system, as well as providing a community center for civic activities.
Additionally, Drasheff pointed to the Waterfront Park was built with and jointly owned by the Township of North Bergen. This was the first joint Park ever built in the State of New Jersey.
Drasheff also cited financial stability, never approving a municipal budget with a tax increase beyond 1.5 percent, leading to a consistently improved municipal bond rating.
“I am proud of the advances that, with the hard work of the Town Council, were done under my administration for the benefit of all of the Guttenberg residents,” he also said.
“I will, of course, stay involved and offer any assistance to the newly elected administration, if requested. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity I was given by the citizens of Guttenberg to serve as their Mayor.”
Guttenberg is one of the few Hudson County municipalities that have both a primary and general election for municipal offices. The primary election is on June 6.
