Mayor Sisco, for 40 years, has
strived to preserve Borough's history
By CAROL FLETCHER
Staff Writer - Suburban Trends
(Borough edited 2008)


Since its incorporation in 1928, Kinnelon has developed its beautiful lands "carefully and cautiously"; its community values stay clear and the Borough culture and image have been maintained.

These values include continuing longterm relationships with people who represent the Borough by supporting its strict residential image.

The Borough also aggressively protects its natural setting and environment, and stands behind those who acknowledge this.

One such long tern relationship the community has had is with the Mayor, Glenn Sisco, who has served the Borough for a near-record 40 years.

At 80 years young, Mayor Sisco explains this extraordinary relationship by describing the seemingly simple elements that inspire him to continue serving, as those of "health, a little fun and if the voters accept me."

And the voters responded, by voting him in another four years.

Mayor Sisco came to the wooded North Jersey area through his job at Jersey Central Power and Light, and was introduced to Kinnelon by volunteering on the Pompton Lakes First Aid Squad and playing baseball in Kinnelon with the Oakland American Legion.

The house he bought in Kinnelon through the Navy GI Bill is the same house he lives in today.

Mayor Sisco's political career began as a councilman, which he maintained for four years before becoming Mayor.

The new Kinnelon Library is one of the highlights of Mayor Sisco's career, as the library has grown from a single room in the old Dr. Miller building to the new and highly praised two-story structure next door to the municipal building.

"(The expansion) was a major accomplishment for me and the community," explains the Mayor.

Other significant accomplishments have been to grow the Borough's public services to match the Borough's growth.

Mayor Sisco accounts that during his term, the police department has expanded from two officers to 16, and the Department of Public Works has seen a similar expansion of the two initial staff to the approximately 19 staff members employed today. The unusual length of term for Mayor Sisco gives him a unique historical perspective of Kinnelon's growth.

Over the expanse of 40 years, Mayor Sisco notes that he and and the planning board have been very careful and cautious in maintaining the image of Kinnelon as a residential, semi-rural community, and have tried to stay in alignment with most of the residents' feelings about development. Mayor Sisco says, "I learned a long time ago what people wanted to maintain and have tried very hard to keep in their wishes."

One significant action that has demonstrated the Borough's commitment to preserving its natural environment, or in the past, for future purposes has been the purchases of connecting mountain ranges, such as Rock Pear and Buck Mountain, in the spirit of the Green Acres program.

The combination of these areas now creates a continuous undeveloped track of land from Pyramid Mountain all the way to Rockaway Township, through which various hiking trails have been created.

Mayor Sisco describes these purchases as part of the community's culture, "laying aside certain areas to keep them green, undeveloped and for use by future generations."

However, this effort to preserve the natural history of the Borough is most obvious in the long-defended and famous Butternut Tree.

The Butternut Tree proudly stands on the Borough seal as a symbol of not only the community's farming roots, but also to symbolize the extent the Borough will take to preserve the culture, which is illustrated behind the Butternut Tree as trees, mountains, lakes and sun.

The Borough motto is written on the banner that stretches across the seal, protecting the environmental illustrations behind it, defining Kinnelon with the statement:

"Where the future is enriched by the past."