CLIFFSIDE PARK, N.J. (AP) - Two former New Jersey governors were among the hundreds of mourners who attended the funeral of a man believed to be the state’s longest-serving mayor.
Gerry Calabrese was the mayor of Cliffside Park for 50 years before he died Monday.
The 90-year-old Calabrese was a Democrat who was first elected as the Bergen County community’s chief executive in 1959. He had held the job continuously since 1965.
He first gained recognition as a college basketball player at St. John’s University in New York. He then played in the early years of the National Basketball Association, spending two seasons with the Syracuse Nationals.
His son is Cliffside Park’s borough council president and acting mayor.
The Record reports former governors Jim McGreevey and James Florio were among those attending Friday’s service.
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