The New Jersey State League of Municipalities Executive Board yesterday unanimously announced the selection of Mike Cerra as the new executive director of the statewide local government association effective July 1, 2020.  The appointment effective date coincides with the planned retirement of the current executive director Michael J. Darcy, CAE following his 30 years and six month of service to the League.  Darcy notified the Executive Board in December of this retirement.

Cerra is currently the Assistant Executive Director and Director of Government Affairs.  He is in his 24^th year with the League. The appointment will make Cerra the chief staff executive of the statewide organization of 565 municipal governments as they work through such issues as the state government pension and benefit reforms, affordable housing, state diversion of local energy revenues and the challenges that lay ahead as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the position, Cerra will also assume the duties of Executive Director for the NJLM Educational Foundation, and the 222 West State Corporation which owns the League headquarters building.

League President and Hardwick Committeeman James Perry, Sr. commented “On behalf of the Board, we thank Michael Darcy for this three decades of service.  His leadership has seen the services offered to the League membership expand and the League’s annual conference continue to be the largest municipal conference in the country. The League Executive Board also has great confidence in Mike Cerra and his ability to guide our organization through these challenging times. His long tenure and depth of knowledge about the League and local government point to the League’s strength and mean our organizational focus will not waiver from the needs of New Jersey local officials.  He has been a key component of our successful team and will assure we continue that success without interruption.”

By way of background, Mike Cerra earned a B.A. from Fordham University and a M.P.A. from Rutgers, the State University. He joined the League in 1996 as the Chief of the League’s Bureau of Municipal Information. Cerra became a legislative agent for the League, focused on land use, environment and economic development issues in 2001 and later became the Director of Government Affairs. Since 2015 Cerra has held the position of Assistant Executive Director. He has also served as President of the NJ Chapter of the American Society of Public Administration and as a trustee of the Lawrenceville Main Street.

The New Jersey State League of Municipalities is a voluntary association created in 1915 to help communities do a better job of self-government through pooling information resources and brain power.

A list of the members of the Executive Board and biography for Cerra are available at the League web site www.njlm.org.

Very truly yours,

Hon. James J. Perry, Sr.                                                        Hon. Janice Kovach

President, NJLM and                                                              1^st Vice-President, NJLM and

Committeeman, Hardwick Twp.                                            Mayor, Clinton Town

Hon. William J. Chegwidden                                                  Hon. Sue Howard

2^nd Vice-President, NJLM and                                               3^rd Vice-President, NJLM and

Mayor, Wharton Borough                                                       Mayor, Monmouth Beach Borough