Council President Marytrine De Castro is a Registered Nurse licensed in New Jersey and New York with decades of dedication to public service and community engagement. A lifelong resident of Kearny, she and her family have lived in the Town for over 53 years, including 29years in the First Ward. She has served as Councilwoman in the First Ward for over 11 years.

In recognition of her service and dedication, Council President Marytrine De Castro has received numerous honors. She was recognized during the Hudson County Women’s History Month Celebration and Award Ceremony themed “Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope” on March 30, 2022, at the Brennan Courthouse in Jersey City, for her frontline work throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic.

In 2026, Councilwoman Marytrine De Castro was named Council President in recognition of her leadership and commitment to the Town. She also received honorary citations from Congresswoman Nellie Pou (D-9) and Assemblyman William Sampson, IV (LD-31) for her years of public service and community advocacy. On February 10, 2026, Mayor Doyle and the Town Council honored Council President Marytrine De Castro who provided critical support to displaced residents, families, and first responders during the December 2025 tragic fire in Kearny’s First Ward. In March of 2026, Councilwoman Marytrine De Castro was honored by the Hudson County Diverse Coalition in honor of Women’s History Month and in celebration of women making a difference in the community.

In her official capacity, Council President Marytrine De Castro serves as Liaison to the Health Department, Board of Health, Advisory Committee on Environment and Sustainability (ACES), Kearny Library Board, and the Recreation Department and Commission. She also serves on the Ordinance, Police, and Recreation Committees. She has contributed to numerous community initiatives, including the Breast Cancer Awareness and Education Mobile Unit Program, annual Earth Day Passaic River Clean-up, International Women’s History Month Celebration, Breast Cancer Walk for the Cure, Minettes Angels Foundation, and the Lupus Awareness Community Initiative.

Council President Marytrine De Castro has served as Committeewoman for 11 years in the Regular Democratic Organization of Kearny and was elected Executive Board Secretary, reflecting her dedication to civic participation, democracy, and good governance.

Council President De Castro actively volunteers and serves in multiple capacities, including as a member of the New Jersey State Child Placement Review Board, the Hudson County Family Part Juvenile Conference Committee, and as an Ambassador for Shatterproof. She has served for six years as Team Captain for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). She is an active member of the Portuguese Cultural Association, Kearny Belleville Elks Lodge 1050 and the Harrison Lions. She is also a member of the National Association of School Nurses, the Northeast Association of Occupational Health Nurses, and the American Nurses Association.

Council President Marytrine De Castro’s longstanding dedication to the community, civic engagement, and volunteer service reflects her commitment to improving the quality of life for all residents of Kearny. She is the proud parent of two sons, Jordan and Chad, and the daughter of Albano and Maria Fernanda De Castro, with two sisters, Lyla, and Silvina.

Councilman George A. Zapata is a proud product of the Kearny School District. After graduating 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 of Ed, 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.

Jose Rodrigues, a proud resident of Kearny, NJ, was born in Newark to Portuguese immigrant parents. He spent his early years in Newark before moving to Portugal at age 13. At 18, Jose returned to Newark on his own and began working as an autobody technician.

In 1998, Jose married Ann and settled in Kearny. They are proud parents of three sons who were raised in Kearny and continue to reside here.

With over 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, Jose currently serves as a Senior Claim Service Analyst and works in the Special Investigations Unit. A licensed adjuster in 11 states, he brings extensive knowledge and expertise to his role.

Jose, along with his family, has volunteered alongside his wife Ann at Kearny Project Graduation for the past 10 years. Jose is fluent in both Spanish and Portuguese, allowing him to connect with and support Kearny’s diverse community.

Born in Newark, Councilmember Solano was raised in Harrison, graduating from Harrison High School in 2001. He and his family moved to Kearny in June of 2004. He is the proud son of Army Veteran Ruben A. Solano, mother Maria Castillo, and proud father of Abel.

Councilmember Solano has worked in the area of fiber optics and wireless networks. At Optimum, he worked his way up from entry level to design engineer, where he helped with the design of blueprints of the Optimum footprint FTTH (Fiber to the Home) project. He currently works with PSE&G in their natural gas division, replacing gas mains, lines and meters in public rights of way or for private property owners. His work for the utility includes hands on construction as well as emergency calls to repair breaks in the line or leaks, caused by weather related events or other causes.

Councilmember Solano was appointed as a commissioner to the Kearny Municipal Utility Authority in 2017. He continues to serve on the Board. He is an elected member of the Democratic County Committee of the Regular Democratic Organization of Kearny for his Second Ward district and has worked previously on area democratic campaigns.

Besides being proud of his Peruvian heritage, Councilmember Solano is an avid professional football fan, starting from the time he first played the game in the “pee wee” leagues. Councilmember Solano is also an avid dart player, participating in many of the local leagues in the West Hudson area.

Third Ward Councilwoman Eileen Eckel was elected in 2004 and took her seat in January 2005.

Councilwoman Eckel earned her Bachelor’s Degree at Montclair State University and holds a Master’s of Science Degree after completing the Master’s Program in Educational Technology at Ramapo College. Councilwoman Eckel has also completed 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, Tara and her husband Chaz recently expanded the Eckel family by the addition of Wes Thomas, a beautiful new grandson. Both Brian and Tara attended Kearny Public Schools where Councilwoman Eckel played an active role in the PTA. She held various positions on the PTA Board and was the President of Schuyler School PTA for 3 years. Councilwoman Eckel was elected to the Kearny Board of Education in 2001 and served for 4 years on various committees including contract negotiations.

Councilwoman Eckel has served as chair of the Fire Committee and has been the Fire Commissioner for 15 years. During her tenure she has been closely involved with the revitalization of the KFD and is proud to see the Department reach its current staffing level. In addition, she has worked closely with the fire chiefs (there have been 3) in order to provide support and communication through the Mayor and council members for the purchase of vital equipment and essential training and professional development opportunities for the Fire Service and members.

She is the Council Liaison to the Kearny Public Library where she provides communication between the Board of Trustees and the Town of Kearny. The KPL provides an indispensable service to the community and the work of the Library Directors and Board of Trustees provides continuous improvements and upgrades to the buildings and programs. The Library Garden, the new conference and meeting rooms, the new teen room, the Mayor’s Garden are all projects that she has been proud to play a part in implementing. The most recent project is an addition to the Branch Library.

Councilwoman Eckel is a member of the Recreation Committee. There have been multiple projects in the last several years which include: The Gunnel Oval Project, Harvey Field, New lights for the Fusol Facility, renovations to the Hockey Rink, scheduling and implementing family activities including Movie Nights and Concerts in the Park.

Hudson County Woman of the Year 2016

Third Ward Councilman Fred Esteves has been a proud resident of Kearny for over 45 years, dedicating much of his life to public service and improving the community he calls home. A lifelong Democrat and member of the Hudson County Democratic Committee for over 25 years, he brings a wealth of leadership experience and commitment to his role as Third Ward Councilman.

After graduating from the New Jersey Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Fred began a successful career in engineering, culminating in his retirement in 2019 from BAE Systems.

As a U.S. Army veteran who served during the Vietnam War, he earned a certification in leadership through the U.S. Army equipping him with the skills and discipline necessary to lead effectively both in the military and civilian spheres.

Fred has a distinguished record of service to the Town of Kearny. He served on the Kearny Planning Board for 25 years, helping guide the town’s development with thoughtful and strategic oversight. For over 25 years, he also played a vital role on the Kearny Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ), fostering economic growth and supporting local businesses. Additionally, his service on the West Hudson Hospital Board of Governors reflects his dedication to improving the resources for the community.

Beyond his professional and public service achievements, Fred is a devoted family man. He and his wife, Doralice are proud parents to David and Daniel, and grandparents to Liliana and Isabella.

As Third Ward Councilman, Fred remains committed to serving Kearny with trusted leadership and a vision for a brighter future for all residents.

Fourth Ward Councilman Gerald Ficeto is a lifelong resident of Kearny and a product of the Kearny Public Schools. After graduating from Kearny High School, Mr. Ficeto attended Montclair State College where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education and a Teacher’s Certification for the State of New Jersey. He attended New Jersey City University where he earned a Master of Arts degree in Music Education with a concentration in conducting. 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. Mr. Ficeto is a founding member, President Emeritus and had volunteered his time regularly at West Hudson Arts & Theater Co., a non-profit arts organization in Kearny. Mr. Ficeto 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. Councilman Ficeto has served on the Recreation Commission and proudly serves as the Chair of the Police and DPW Committees. Among his many professional associations, he is a Life-Member of the New Jersey Congress of Parents and Teachers; a Life-Member of the VFW Auxiliary, a member of the Sons of the American Legion, the Elks, the New Jersey Education Association and ASCAP. Mr. Ficeto has been married forty-six years, is the father of two daughters and a proud grandfather.

Stathis A Theodoropoulos is a dedicated and passionate lifelong resident of Kearny’s 4th Ward, and a proud alumnus of the Kearny School System, with a Bachelor of Science in Environment Business Economics from Rutgers University. As a small business owner himself, running a successful lighting distribution company, he has an innate understanding of what it takes to make a business thrive.

Stathis has a rich background in advocacy, having worked extensively on Greek-American policy issues, which has given him a keen appreciation for the importance of policy, coalition building, and relationship building. He has also served on various boards, including the Cyprus US Chamber of Commerce, where he has worked tirelessly to promote international initiatives to promote trade between the United States and the Republic of Cyprus, along with initiatives that support local small businesses and young professionals.

In his first year serving on the Council, Stathis serves on many key committees. He chairs both the Environmental Committee and the Lighting Committee. He also serves on the Fire Committee and the Legislative Committee, where he brings his expertise and passion for policy-making to the table. As a commissioner on the Kearny Enterprise Zone Development Corporation, Stathis is dedicated to fostering economic growth and development in his community, and he is a valuable liaison to the Industrial Commission.