Mayor's Office

New Year’s Message – 2026

Mayor Kennedy O’Brien

 

Happy New Year to all.

It is my distinct honor and pleasure to welcome you to the annual Reorganization Meeting of the Borough of Sayreville. 

Thank you for being here, and joining us in this annual New Year’s tradition, as we plan for another year of progress. 

I would like to acknowledge my colleagues on the dais, and to offer a special greeting to our newly-elected councilmembers: Herve Blemur and Alberto Rios. 

Gentlemen: I look forward to working with you as we plan for the future. Congratulations, again, as you embark on this important journey of public service.

I would also like to congratulate my long-time friend and colleague, John Zebrowski, who is being appointed today as the Council President. John – a retired police chief for the borough – continues to eagerly serve the people of Sayreville. 

John: Your ascension to council president is well-deserved, and I look forward, as always, to working with you on behalf of the people.

When I was last sworn into office in January 2024, I made a pledge to greatly improve the parks in our community, as part of our overall commitment to renewed customer service. 

There’s much progress to report today. We have new renovated restrooms and once the weather allows further construction we will have new walkways at Kennedy Park. We have also vastly improved the parking lots at Veterans Park, as well as the lighting.

We very much look forward to opening a new athletic field at the Ust Recreational Complex in a few short months and hopefully adding another. 

We are also eagerly anticipating the complete renewal of Bailey Park beginning this spring. I would like to thank our 19^th district legislators – Sen. Joe Vitale, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez – for helping secure this funding.

Working with our state partners on both sides of the aisle, my Administration will continue to explore outside funding opportunities  to enhance the parks and expand recreational opportunities.

My hope is you and your families are already taking advantage of new programs we initiated this year through the Sayreville Recreation Department, as well as visited our ever-expanding farmers market that opened in 2024 in the park behind this building.

As for other areas of progress, we continue working closely with the redevelopment team at Riverton, which have made tremendous strides in construction over the past year. Anyone driving over the Driscoll Bridge can’t miss all the activity quickly taking shape as we look forward to the opening of Bass Pro.

In tomorrow’s Sayreville News – our eblast newsletter from Borough Hall – there will be a video of the latest progress. I hope you check it out. 

The continued planned construction off Riverton Boulevard will quickly translate into more revenue to Sayreville, helping to offset the local tax burden from a redevelopment project this community has waited decades to bear fruit.

We expect many more groundbreaking events in the coming years.  My office receives phone calls daily from many other major investors across the country looking for opportunities in Sayreville. Everyone who I’ve spoken with about this progress is amazed and proud at how far we have come.

We carefully balance each and every proposal we hear. We are only interested in projects that create jobs and stabilize taxes for the long-term, making our Borough more affordable for you.  

In short, in reviewing these projects we want to make sure any proposed use is a “good fit” for our community.

We aggressively seek outside funding – beyond what is raised by taxpayers – to achieve many of the improvement projects you are seeing around town. 

It is amazing to see what can be accomplished  when we work closely with dedicated partners that share our vision for the future of an affordable, yet vibrant and safe, Sayreville.

To that end, I would like to once again express my deepest appreciation to the commissioners of a reinvigorated Sayreville Economic Redevelopment Agency, which is ensuring that the right type of investment comes to our community. 

SERA and I share a vision when it comes to redevelopment: minimize impact and maximize returns for the people of Sayreville. SERA has identified several high-priority areas, one of which is the Hercules property.

I would also like to provide an update about renovations to the historic firehouse next to this building. You may recall that borough voters approved a special referendum to fund these improvements. 

So far, both an environmental remediation and a structural engineering assessment has been completed, with architectural designs being finalized in the coming weeks. Those plans will be presented to the Borough Council for review and approval, as we steadily move toward returning the building to public use.

How fortuitous, as the aging trailers that house our construction and health departments have exceeded their useful life, and we must create appropriate space for their support of our community.

We also continue to invest heavily in public safety, ensuring our emergency responders are equipped with the best tools and techniques available to keep us all protected. 

To that end, the Sayreville Police Department will be deploying an upgraded closed-circuit system that will enhance their ability to detect and prevent crime throughout the Borough.  I’d like to note this tremendous enhancement is being funded through the hefty fines paid by lawbreakers, not taxpayers.

Allow me a moment to thank the many volunteers who are being appointed to municipal boards and commissions this year, as well as many other important positions around Sayreville. I’ve said it for years – and I will say it again today – volunteers are the backbone of this great community.

In closing, I would like to once again thank the people of Sayreville for entrusting me in this important leadership role, as your mayor. I remain – and will always remain– deeply honored for your support and trust.

God bless our armed forces protecting democracy overseas. God bless America and Gold bless the people of Sayreville.

My warmest wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2026.