Councilwoman De Castro served as a member of the Kearny Environmental and Beautification Committee and the Board of Health. She was a volunteer for many years at West Hudson Hospital in Kearny and a volunteer coach in Kearny Recreation. Marytrine worked as a Hudson County Board of Elections District Board Worker and volunteered with the Kearny Democratic Party.

Councilwoman De Castro currently serves as a volunteer member of the Hudson County Family Part Juvenile Conference Committee and is an active member in several local service organizations including the Queen of Peace Home School Association and the Harrison Lions International. She has supported and volunteered in the Passaic River Clean-up, March of Dimes WalkAmerica, Breast Cancer Walk for the Cure and the Lupus Walk.

Councilwoman 1st Ward Marytrine De Castro has lived in the Town of Kearny 43 years and has been a resident of the First Ward for the past 21 years. Marytrine is the proud parent of two sons, Jordan and Chad and daughter of Albano and Maria Fernanda De Castro. She has two sisters, Lyla and Silvina.

Councilman George A. Zapata is a product of the Kearny School District. After graduation from KHS, George attended Rutgers University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a focus in Economics, Latin American Studies and Latino/ Hispanic Caribbean Studies. He currently works as a paralegal at a personal injury firm and aspires to pursue a higher education in the legal field.

An avid believer of community involvement and public service, George ran and was elected to the Kearny Board of Education back in 2016 at the age of 19. Throughout his time on the Board he served as Vice President and chaired various committees including personnel, facilities, policy, and curriculum. He also served on the finance committee, negotiations committee and represented Kearny at the Hudson County SBA and NJSBA Delegate Assembly. Towards the end of his tenure he fulfilled the requirements to earn the Master Board Member Certification.

On the Council, George serves as the chair of the ordinance committee and sits on the finance, legislative, senior citizens, lighting and insurance committees. George also serves as a commissioner on the Kearny Municipal Utilities Authority, is a committee member on the Kearny Democratic Party and serves on the Hudson County Young Democrats. In addition, he is a commissioner on the KUEZ board and is a liaison to the Board of Education.

Councilman Konopka moved to Kearny in 1996. He married his Brazilian born wife Nelia in 1998 and moved to the 2^nd Ward. They purchased their home in 2001 in the 2^nd Ward where they live with their two sons Jacob and Joshua. He also has another son, Richard “Junior” from a prior marriage.

He graduated from Essex Catholic High School in 1980.He graduated from RETS Electronic School in 1982 with a certificate in Applied Electronic Technology. He also attended Hudson County Schools of Technology and Union County Vocational-Technical School.

Councilman Konopka has been employed at Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission since 1981. He holds the position of Maintenance Superintendent II of Instrumentation and Electrical. He served on the Zoning Board of Adjustments for the Town of Kearny for 13 years and held the position of chairman the last 2 years he served.

He volunteers his time coaching varies sports for the Kearny Recreation Department. He enjoys spending time with his family.

He serves on the following Town Committees: Recreation, Police, DPW, Water, Transportation.

Councilman Konopka not only represents the residents of the 2^nd Ward but also represents all the residents in the Town of Kearny.

Councilman Santana married his wife Renata in 2013. He currently works for the Harrison Board of Education as a Director of Instructional Data Management Services, as well as for the Hudson County Schools of Technology as the Director of the Adult High School night school program at the Harrison Center. He was appointed in February 2017 to fill a vacancy on Kearny’s Town Council representing the 2nd Ward.

Councilman Santana has served as a member of the Blue Ribbon Committee which resulted in the U.S. Secretary of Education recognizing Harrison High School as one of the 286 National Blue Ribbon Schools for the year 2013. Mr. Santana also volunteers for many civic and school activities; most notable is his participation in Harrison Education Foundation’s annual Golf Outing Fundraiser that provides scholarships to graduating seniors.

A homeowner on Davis Avenue in Kearny’s 2nd Ward, Mr. Santana is committed to doing everything possible to keep Kearny’s status as a great place to live and work.

Carol Jean Doyle is a member of the Kearny Municipal Utilities Authority, a 35 year member of the Kearny Safety Council and a 34 year member of the Kearny Municipal Alliance. She previously served as a Recreation Commissioner for 5 years.

She is one of the founding members of the Kearny Domestic Violence Task Force and Neighborhood Watch Program. Presently she is First Vice President and a Board member of Pathways to Independence. She is a founding member of West Hudson Arts and Theater and a member Friends of Erin, Friends of the Kearny Public Library, Project Graduation and a member of EADD, Education Awareness on Drug Dependency.

Carol Jean has served as past president of The Woman’s Club of Arlington, American Legion Auxiliary Unit #99, Kearny Optimist Club and Hudson County American Cancer Society.

She serves as chair for the Annual Passaic River Clean-Up, Senior Citizen Picnic, Memorial Day Parade and the Town Holiday Giving Tree.

Councilwoman Doyle has been recognized with New Jersey Clean Communities Award, Passaic River Coalition Award, Jersey Journal Woman of Achievement, VFW 3rd District Award for Outstanding Citizen, Salvation Army Outsanding Citizen Award, Citation for Service and Civic Endeavors from Hudson County, Christopher Columbus Outstanding Community Service, New Jersey Federation of Woman’s Club – State Honor Roll, Giblin Association – Devoted Public and Private Service Award, Honorary Irish Woman and Woman of the Year by Girl Scout Troop #2771.

Carol Jean Doyle was married to the late Norman A. Doyle, Jr.; they have two children Meghan and Norman III. She is the proud grandparent of Ryan and Kelsey.

Councilwoman Eckel is a middle school English teacher in Fairlawn. She is earned her Bachelor’s Degree at Montclair State University and has completed the Master’s Program in Educational Technology at Ramapo College. Councilwoman Eckel has 30 credits over her Master’s Degree in Education. She was named Teacher of the Year in 2013-14.

Eileen and her husband Tom are the proud parents of Brian and Tara. Both Brian and Tara attended Kearny Public Schools where Mrs. Eckel played an active role in the PTA. She was the President of Schuyler School PTA for 3 years. Mrs. Eckel was elected to the Kearny Board of Education in 2001 and served for 4 years on various committees including contract negotiations. She is a former member of the Kearny Zoning Board. She is a member of The Friends of Erin.

Councilwoman Eckel was named Hudson County Woman of the Year in 2016.

Born and raised in Kearny, Ms. McCurrie is a graduate of Kearny High School, Seton Hall University (B.A. English) and New Jersey Law School. She is admitted to practice law in New Jersey and New York. After law school, she clerked for the Hon. John A. McLaughlin in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Hudson County and was an attorney for the New York City Human Resources Administration, Estate/Medicaid division. She was also special counsel to the town for the senior housing project on Schuyler Avenue and attorney for the Kearny Enterprise Zone Development Corporation. She has been a member of the McCurrie McCurrie & McCurrie law firm, having practiced with her father Paul and her brother Stephen. She currently works as an Assistant County Counsel with the County of Hudson.

Ms. McCurrie has been an active member of many service, social and professional organizations including: Commissioner on the KUEZ Board, the Kearny Friends of Erin, the West Hudson Bar Association, the West Hudson Kiwanis Club, and the Arlington Player’s Club.

Mr. Ficeto taught in the Kearny School district for 25 ½ years until his retirement. Presently he is the Director of Bands and Small Ensembles at Stevens Institute of Technology where he has been an Artist in Residence since 2004 and serves as the Stevens Archery Coach.

Mr. Ficeto is a founding member of and volunteers his time regularly at West Hudson Arts & Theater Co., a non-profit arts organization in Kearny. When his children were of age, he volunteered coaching basketball and softball with the Kearny Recreation programs and was the volunteer director of the Pioneer Boys of America Drum and Bugle Corp.

Among his many professional associations, he is a Life-Member of the New Jersey Congress of Parents and Teachers; the New Jersey Education Association and ASCAP. Mr. Ficeto has been married forty years and is the father of two daughters.