Joseph L. Fiordaliso, president of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities; proud husband, father and grandfather; friend and mentor to so many; and one of the longest serving members of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s cabinet; has died. He was 78.
Joe was born in the Ironbound neighborhood of Newark, the youngest son of Angelo and Rose Fiordaliso, whose families immigrated to the United States from Italy at the dawn of the 20th century. Joe, who grew up in a crowded three-story cold-water flat on Fleming Avenue, learned his devotion to family from his doting mother, Rose, and his work ethic from Angelo, who worked factory jobs to support his family.
Joe developed his appreciation for public service at Newark’s East Side High School, where he was elected Student Council President. He had a front row seat for President John F. Kennedy’s Columbus Day speech at Newark City Hall in October 1962. Watching the dynamic young President fueled Joe’s interest in public service, and the vivid memory is one he shared throughout his life.
Joe enrolled at Montclair State College in 1963 to pursue a career as a teacher. It was there that he met Marilyn Morey. Their first date in the fall of 1966, seeing The Sound of Music at Montclair’s Bellevue Theater, sealed the deal. Shortly after he gave her a gift – a pearl teardrop necklace – which Marilyn later wore on their wedding day.
Newlyweds Joe and Marilyn moved to Livingston in 1971; they welcomed a son, Joe in 1973 and a daughter, Dana in 1975. Strong family customs, delicious meals of traditional Southern Italian fare and celebrations that included their large extended family marked holidays and the change of seasons.
After a rewarding 18-year career as a teacher at Vailsburg and Bloomfield High Schools, Joe founded a small business in Livingston, worked as an executive with Saint Barnabas Medical Center, and was briefly an executive with Prudential.
Joe rediscovered his passion for public service by engaging in positions where he felt he could make an even greater impact on his community. He launched his political career in 1988, winning a seat on the Livingston Township Council. He was elected mayor of Livingston three times in the 1990s and served 12 years. Joe was always a gentleman and unfailingly polite even in the most heated Township Council meetings. He worked to bring senior housing to Livingston, revitalized the Livingston Arts Council, and established the “Pride in Livingston” campaign. As mayor, Joe hosted members of Congress, United States Senators, and governors. In 1992, he helped welcome Democratic Presidential candidate Bill Clinton on a campaign stop to Livingston. In 1996, when the Olympic Torch made a stop in Livingston while en route toAtlanta for the Summer Olympics, Mayor Fiordaliso presided over the welcoming ceremony.
Beyond the pomp and ceremony, what Joe loved most was serving the community and working to improve the lives of Livingston residents. He served on numerous Township Council committees focused on delivering essential services to residents. He also served as liaison to the Ruth L. Lockwood Memorial Library, and was especially passionate about the library’s education mission. Joe’s service also included volunteer positions with organizations that were important to him. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the United Way; the Board of Directors of the LivingstonYMCA; the Board of Directors of the First Occupational Center of New Jersey; and was a proud member of UNICO, the largest Italian-American service organization in the United States. Joe was honored as UNICO’s Citizen of theYear in 2003. He never lost his passion for education and was a long-time member of the Board of Trustees of Essex County College.
Joe began to play a role in statewide politics in the early 2000s when he ran Senate President Richard J. Codey’s district office. After Codey became governor of New Jersey in 2004, Fiordaliso was named deputy chief of staff. During Codey’s 14-month term in office, Joe established himself as the governor’s go-to on matters large and small. He developed a reputation for always having an open door and a willing ear, and for giving thoughtful consideration to any issue brought before him. Joe passionately advocated for the Governor’s agenda but was a happy political warrior. He would disagree without being disagreeable. He mentored and supported young staffers in the governors office. He began to take on a grandfatherly role to many, becoming affectionately known as “Papa Joe.”
Joe was nominated by Codey and confirmed by the New Jersey Senate to a position on the New Jersey Board of Public Utilties in 2005. No one could have foreseen at the time that this would launch the most meaningful and impactful period of Fiordaliso’s professional life.
Nominated by Democrat Codey, re-nominated by Republican Governor Chris Christie and unanimously confirmed by the Democrat-controlled State Senate, Joe was liked and admired by Republicans and Democrats alike.
During an 18-year tenure on the Board, Joe was a fierce advocate for affordable and reliable utility service, particularly for ratepayers from historically underserved communities. However it was through his work to promote alternative and renewable energy sources that Joe built an historic and lasting legacy.
The election of Phil Murphy as governor and the appointment of Joe Fiordaliso as president of the Board in 2018 thrust the septuagenarian elder statesman of Murphy’s cabinet into the national spotlight. Joe led the push by New Jersey to switch to cleaner forms of energy production, including an ambitious goal to make the state the hub of an emerging offshore wind industry. With a windmill lapel pin as his signature accessory, Joe invoked his grandchildren in speeches and framed the issue in existential terms, arguing that advancing renewable energy sources like wind, solar and geothermal is not only necessary to help reduce the worst effects of climate change by replacing the burning of fossil fuels, but is in fact a moral imperative. During his lengthy tenure on the Board, Joe was recognized as a national leader on utility and energy issues. He was appointed as a member of the State Planning Commission and served as co-chair on the NJ Council on the Green Economy. He chaired the Broadband Commission. He served on the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ (NARUC) Committee on Critical Infrastructure and Committee on Energy Resources and the Environment. He was a member of the Executive Committee for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Inc. (RGGI) and RGGI’s Strategic Communications Team (SCT); was a member of the Mid-Atlantic Conference of Regulatory Utilities Commissions (MACRUC); was a member of the National Council on Electricity Policy (NCEP); sat on the Board of Directors of the Organization of PJM States (OPSI); and was a member of the Advisory Council to the Board of Directors of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). In May 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission appointed President Fiordaliso to the Joint Federal-State Task Force on Electric Transmission.
As rewarding and gratifying as his professional and political pursuits were, nothing compared to the pride Joe took in the exploits of his children and grandchildren. He freely bragged about the outcome of soccer matches and Little League games, dance recitals and school plays. His grandchildren could do no wrong, even when they were misbehaving and he would laugh at their antics, often to the chagrin of their parents.
Joe will be remembered for his goofy sense of humor, his toothy smile and infectious laugh. He knew how to bring levity to a stressful situation with a well-placed joke. He was an eternal optimist who always believed that solutions to complex problems could be found when people listened and worked together. Joe was an empathetic person who always inquired about others, their significant others, their kids, grandkids, pets and sports teams. He would be the first to offer a comforting word or gesture to someone experiencing a difficult time and always put the interests of others before his own.
He was loved and admired by so many and will be sorely missed. There will truly never be another “Papa Joe.”
He was predeceased by his parents, Angelo and Rose Fiordaliso, and his siblings, Anthony and JoAnn. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn; two children, Joe and his wife, Avery, and Dana and her husband, Mac; and six grandchildren, Camilla, Rose, Emily, Jackson, Joseph, and Anthony.
A memorial service was held on Wednesday, September 13, at the Trenton Wall Memorial, 1 Memorial Drive, Trenton, New Jersey. Public visitation took place on Wednesday, September 13, at the Quinn-Hopping Funeral Home, 145 East Mt. Pleasant Avenue, Livingston, New Jersey. A Celebration of Life Service will be held today, Thursday, September 14, at 10 a.m. at the funeral home.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.quinnhoppingfuneral.com.
