The New Jersey Senate confirmed Al Santos as a Hudson County Superior Court judge this afternoon, prompting his resignation as Kearny mayor.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“I have been nominated by the Governor to be a judge of the Superior Court and was confirmed by the State Senate on June 26, 2023,” he wrote in a letter to Kearny Town Clerk Patricia Carpenter.
“Effective 3 p.m. on June 26, 2023, I hereby resign the office of Mayor of the Town of Kearny and all municipal boards on which I sit on the capacity of Mayor. It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the people of Kearny.”
Santos first had an interview with the Senate Judiciary Committee before a full Senate vote where he was one of seven superior court judges confirmed.
Council President Carol Jean Doyle will now become the acting mayor and will consider running in this November’s special election, along with 2nd Ward Councilman Peter Santana, sources familiar with the situation told HCV.
The Kearny Democratic Committee will ultimately select three candidates for mayor, one who will be a holdover until the special election, and then another special election will be held in November 2024 since Santos’ term runs through the end of 2025.
Santos had been the Kearny mayor since 2000 and had previously served as a 2nd Ward councilman. He was also the clerk for the Hudson County Board of Commissioners until today.
