'America’s oldest mayor,' Vito Perillo of Tinton Falls, dies at 100
He is believed to have been the oldest mayor in the country.
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Tinton Falls Mayor Vito Perillo, said to be America’s oldest active mayor, has died at 100, town officials announced Sunday.
In 2017, Perillo became mayor at age 93 after he ran a grassroots campaign to beat the borough's incumbent mayor. The World War II veteran won reelection in 2021.
After he served in the Navy, Perillo worked as a Department of Defense engineer and an accountant.
RELATED: 97 years young and winning reelection for Tinton Falls mayor. We speak to Vito Perillo.
In a post on the town's Facebook page, Borough Administrator Charles Terefenko, described Perillo as a beloved member of the community who was "respected and admired by all who had the privilege of knowing him."
"Mayor Perillo led with wisdom, kindness and a deep sense of duty. His leadership left a lasting impression and his legacy of service will be remembered for generations to come."
In archival interviews with News 12, Perillo was proud of lowering the town’s tax rates and said he aimed to increase transparency. He didn’t run as a member of a major political party, and campaigned door-to-door. He also oversaw the opening of Wardell Park.
Tinton Falls Council President Risa Clay said Perillo proved that his age was not the only thing he’d be remembered for.
“It became more than that,” Clay said. “It was his desire to do things differently. It was his integrity and his blatant honesty - even when people didn’t want to hear it - about what he thought was the right thing to do.”
Gov. Phil Murphy, State Sen. Vin Gopal and Assemblywoman Vicky Flynn were among those to share condolences online.
