User:Bcdcexecdirector/James J. Tedesco III

James J. Tedesco, III (born 1952) is an American Democratic Party politician, who is serving his first term as Freeholder of Bergen County, New Jersey. He was elected to the Board of Chosen Freeholders on November 5th, 2013 and assumed office in January 2014. He previously served as the Mayor of Paramus for two terms. Tedesco is the presumptive Democratic candidate for County Executive and is running against incumbent Kathleen Donovan.

Early life and early career
James Tedesco III was born and raised in Paramus by his father, James Tedesco Jr., who worked for the Borough as the Department of Public Works Supervisor, and his mother Myrtle, who was a bookkeeper. Jim graduated Paramus High School in 1971 and joined the Paramus Volunteer Fire Department shortly after.

Civic/Community Leadership Roles
Jim was elected to the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders in 2013 after serving as the Mayor of the Borough of Paramus from 2003 through 2010. A tireless advocate for Bergen County residents, Jim testified on their behalf at the Port Authority Board Meeting in November 2013, before even beginning his term. Prior to being elected Mayor of Paramus, Jim served as a councilman from 2000 through 2002. Before seeking public office in Paramus, Jim served as the Recreation Commissioner and as a volunteer youth coach for various boys and girls sports and has continued to do so for several decades. Jim has been a Paramus Volunteer Firefighter for 37 years and twice was selected to serve as Chief of the Department. Even after being elected Mayor, Jim continued to respond to fire calls. He currently holds the position of Deputy OEM Director and helped coordinate the emergency services response to the Garden State Plaza shooting. Additionally, Jim served on the the Board of Directors for the Red Cross of Northern New Jersey for two years.

Professional Experience
For 36 years, Jim worked for Public Service Electric & Gas, finishing his career as a Regional Manager. Prior to joining the management ranks, Jim was a union representative and member of Pipefitters Local 274 and UA Local 855 AFL-CIO. Jim has also served as an instructor at the Bergen County Technical schools, EMS/HAZ MAT section teaching HAZ MAT courses.

Personal Life
In 1973, Jim married Renee Marano, a high school classmate. Together they had three children Koren, James IV and Holly. Koren lives in North Carolina with her husband, Greg. Koren and Greg have three sons. Holly resides in Paramus and is married to Chris, a Ho-Ho-Kus police officer. They have three daughters. James IV, inspired by his father’s service in the Paramus Fire Department, is a firefighter in downtown Manhattan. Sadly, Renee passed away in 2009, leaving Jim a widower at 55 years old. Renee had developed lung disease and had a Bi-Lateral lung transplant but its success was short lived.