Pubdate: Wed, 16 Aug 2006
Source: Woodbridge Sentinel (Freehold, NJ)
Contact:  http://ws.gmnews.com/
Address: PO 5001, Freehold, NJ 07728
Copyright: 2006 Greater Media Newspapers
Author: Kathy Chang
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?137 (Needle Exchange)

VITALE HAS NO PLANS TO BE A DUAL OFFICEHOLDER

Interim Mayor Hopes To Make An Impact During Three-Month Stint

Sen. Joseph F. Vitale (D-19) made sure he kept his promise to his 
late friend, Woodbridge Mayor Frank G. Pelzman.

"He asked me to consider the interim position after he was diagnosed 
with cancer," said Vitale, who knew Pelzman for 16 years, "and I did."

Pelzman, 71, died of acute melanoma at his Avenel home on June 29, 
less than a month after he announced his illness.

"He was hopeful and he looked great," said Vitale as he sat behind 
his desk in the mayor's office in town hall last week. "He kept on 
working up to the last few days. I am happy to fulfill this 
obligation. It's an honor to complete Frank's projects."

And that's what Vitale is doing. The entrance to the mayor's office 
still has Pelzman's name on the door.

Vitale hopes to make an impact on Woodbridge during the next 100 
days, then hand things over to the next mayor who wins in November. 
He is not interested in running for mayor in November.

"I believe there is one person for one job, and I love my job as 
senator," Vitale said.

Serving as a mayor and state senator at the same time is "an 
extraordinary circumstance," he said.

"That's why I made the executive order to suspend the mayor's 
salary," Vitale said. "To me, it's the right thing to do and makes 
sense for the next three months I serve."

Metuchen Councilman Timothy Dacey, who worked with Vitale on James E. 
McGreevey's 1991 Woodbridge mayoral campaign, commended Vitale for 
taking on the mayor's position.

"It was a good move on his part," said Dacey. "It was a smooth 
transition and he will create a nice base for the next mayor."

Vitale said he is blessed with a strong work ethic that he received 
from his parents, Joseph and Viola Vitale.

"Serving more than one office is a great responsibility. I have the 
Senate obligations and these obligations as well. It just means that 
I work more hours and sleep less. I owe it to Frank and the town."

Vitale was born Joseph Frank Vitale on Nov. 10, 1954.

"I was raised in Woodbridge," he said. "It was a simpler, quieter 
time back then. Now it is busier because it's more populated, but 
once you turn down the street, it's still that quiet neighborhood."

Vitale grew up in Colonia on Colonia Place with his parents and older 
sister, Diane.

"I was in an area where all the parents were the same age and all the 
children were the same age," he said. "It was a wooded area. As kids, 
we would climb trees, trade baseball cards, run around and get in 
trouble together."

Vitale attended the public schools in Woodbridge. He graduated from 
John F. Kennedy High School in 1972.

"Then I started at Rutgers University, concentrating in political 
science," he said.

While Vitale was still in college, his father became ill.

"I started to work for my father and go to school at night," he said. 
"The company's responsibilities were overwhelming, so I entered the 
business world at [age] 19."

Vitale's father had established his own business, Vitale Sign Co., in 
Rahway in 1950, after his service in World War II.

His son took over the business in 1985.

Vitale remembers helping his father when he was a little boy and 
working summers as a teenager.

"I would hang around the place when I was a little kid," he said. "My 
father made me do everything from taking out the garbage to climbing 
on top of the roof. He wanted us to appreciate how hard the business was."

But Vitale was also interested in politics.

"I wrote in my high school yearbook that I wanted to either work in 
my father's business or become a senator," he said. "I was 
17-years-old. Who would have thought? Since high school, I was 
involved in local campaigns for candidates who I believed in."

Vitale became the Democratic Committee chairman for Woodbridge in 
1992 and served until 1997.

Vitale was sworn in to the senate office on Jan. 14, 1998, and health 
care has been a priority for him from the start.

"I'm not sure what sparked my interest for the health sector; it just 
came easily to me," he said. "Health care is a major issue in New 
Jersey and it was a major item in my 1998 campaign."

Vitale said his close friends would say that he works too much and 
obsesses over issues. He hasn't taken a vacation in three years.

"I rarely let an issue pass before I fix or improve it," he said. 
"I'm not sure if that's good or bad. I put in a lot of hours: I have 
an obligation to the town, district, and state."

Amy Mansue, president of Children's Specialized Hospitals, first met 
Vitale when he was elected senator in 1998, when she was working in a 
nonprofit organization in the health care sector.

"Joe is like a dog with its bone," she said. "He is passionate about 
the people who cannot speak for themselves, whether they are poor, 
addicted to drugs or have severe disabilities. He champions for these 
people. He goes out of his way for these people who are harmed, and 
he just won't let go until the job is done."

Vitale is one of a kind, she said.

"When he tours through the hospitals, he talks to the kids who can't 
talk back," said Mansue. "He doesn't work on an issue just to get the 
notoriety for it or the sound bite, he responds and truly cares for them."

Vitale continues to work on various public health initiatives with 
the goal of providing comprehensive and affordable health care for everyone.

He is chairman of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior 
Citizens Committee. He is a member of the Senate's Economic Growth 
Committee and the Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation 
Committee. He serves on the board of directors for Middlesex County 
Habitat for Humanity and the board of trustees of the Visiting Nurse 
Association of Central Jersey.

Vitale is a sponsor of legislation that would combat the spread of 
AIDS in New Jersey through pilot syringe exchange programs. He is 
also a sponsor of a package of bills that are designed to help 
alleviate New Jersey's nursing shortage and improve the quality of 
care in health care institutions.

Julie Roginsky, a political consultant, also met Vitale when he 
became senator in 1998.

"You rarely see a person who is so dedicated in improving people's 
lives," said Roginsky. "I'm blessed to know someone who works 
relentlessly and tirelessly on health care."

Roginsky and Vitale became close friends when they worked on John 
Edwards' 2004 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

"He [Vitale] was the point person for Edwards in New Jersey," said 
Roginsky. "He's a great friend - and funny, too. He is very 
approachable, and no one that I know hesitates to ask him anything."

Former Governor and Mayor James McGreevey's father Jack has worked on 
veteran issues in Vitale's office since he [Vitale] became senator in 
1998 and says Vitale is one of the best legislators down in Trenton.

"He is well-liked by both sides of the aisle," said McGreevey. "He's 
a great listener. He takes on issues that many may not especially 
with health care. He's also a great veteran advocate."

Vitale represents District 19, which includes Carteret, Perth Amboy, 
Sayreville, Woodbridge and South Amboy.

Carteret Mayor Daniel Reiman, who became mayor in 2003, first met 
Vitale in 1995.

"He's been instrumental to the borough of Carteret," said Reiman. "He 
cares for the residents and values the working families and their 
children. His cup of tea in Trenton is working for those people who 
do not have a voice."

Harry Pozycki, who has known Vitale for 40 years, says Vitale hails 
from the bygone era of politics.

"His position in public office is based on his motivation of service 
to others as opposed to career advances," said Pozycki, who is the 
chairman of the Citizen's Campaign based in Metuchen. "He leads by example."

Vitale is serving his third term in the Senate.

"I am happy with the record I have accomplished the past eight 
years," he said. "This is the best job ever, and I will continue if 
the voters will have me."

Any possibility of a higher office, congressional, cabinet, president?

"Maybe. I'm not sure," said Vitale as he sipped an iced green tea. 
"Those positions would be an honor. We'll see if it's in the cards, 
but I'll be more than content with where I am now."
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman