JACKSON – A new face was introduced recently at town hall during a recent council meeting. Sitting beside Mayor Jennifer Kuhn at the dais was Romualdo “Rom” Fiorilli who is serving as the very first intern in the mayor’s office.
This is an unpaid, temporary position designed to provide both educational and practical experience in local government and community service. In this role, he will have the opportunity to meet and work with various township organizations, collaborate with their members, and help develop and plan projects aimed at continuing to improve the community.
More recently he was busy helping out on Jackson Day and spoke with The Jackson Times about his new role in Town Hall and how he came to assume it.
“My official title is Student Civic Liaison to the mayor. I went to a program called American Legion Jersey Boys State and at that program, there was a student leadership seminar based around political science,” Fiorilli said.
“When I went there a lot of my peers that were with me were involved with their township Board of Education and their town council so I reached out to the mayor who I was familiar with a little bit through ROTC and she kind of knew who I was,” he said.
“I told her I’d really be interested in getting a position in the administration because I want to go into politics one day after I get out of the military. I reached out to her and met up with her and she loved the idea and now I’m running five projects for the town,” the Jackson Township High School senior said.
Fiorilli said one of the projects he was doing was an honor plaza over at the Justice Complex. “We’ll be doing Hometown Heroes Banners and flag poles that we’ll be building. We’ll be rebuilding the township signs.”
“We’ll be redoing the wood and re-stain the outside and get all new placards for the township organizations. There’ll be flag poles put up for the VFW, American Legion, AmVets to truly honor our veterans in town and we are doing projects with the Home for Heroes, the organization that builds homes for veterans and Gold Star families. We are going to start working with them to move some of their buildings into town,” Fiorilli explained.
He noted that despite his interest in joining the military and supporting veterans his family history doesn’t have a big association with the service. “There is only one – my grandfather serves. Other than him I will be the first in my immediate family.”
Prior to his civic appointment, he achieved the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout. His Eagle Scout service project involved a project specifically designed to serve Jackson’s Junior ROTC cadets.
His 2,000 hours of community service involved working with the VFW and township American Legion Post, the Jackson Commission for the Disabled and Handicapped, the Jackson Food Pantry, Clean Communities events, flag placement ceremonies, and many other efforts alongside his troop.
Fiorilli said he officially began his new position during the August 11 council meeting where he was appointed. This month he started his senior year at the township high school. “I’ll be holding the position throughout this year. My parents love it.”
During the Township Council meeting where the intern position was created, Kuhn read a resolution of appointment for him from the municipal chapter laws of New Jersey. “I met him multiple times in his 2,000 hours working at the (Jackson) Senior Center. I’ve seen him here at ROTC and he sent me an e-mail asking if he can come in and be an intern in the mayor’s office.”
The mayor said during that meeting, “I spoke to a couple of people and once we interviewed him and we had the same vision I said ‘absolutely.’” Regarding the projects he’s working on, she said he’ll be updating the public at future council meetings.
