Age: 60

Born and raised: Clifton, NJ

Years in Maplewood: 17

Years on Township Committee: 12 (6 as mayor)

Background:

After graduating from Montclair State University, DeLuca served as a VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) volunteer in Newark. In 1994, he was assigned as a community organizer with the Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC). After his 15 months of VISTA service ended, DeLuca became ICC’s director, a position he held until leaving in 1991.

DeLuca lived in the Ironbound for about twenty years and ran for an at-large seat on the Newark City Council unsuccessfully three times (in '82, '86 and '90). In 1991, he began working as a program officer for the Manhattan-based Jesse Smith Noyes Foundation where he became president in 2000. DeLuca moved to the Hilton section of Maplewood in 1994 with his wife Janey because they liked the feel of the neighborhood but also because, pre-Midtown Direct, it was more convenient to take the express bus on Springfield Avenue to Newark Penn Station for his commute to NYC. In the summer of 1995, DeLuca was involved in the formation of the Hilton Neighborhood Association. In 1997, he ran for and won a seat on the Maplewood Township Committee. He was re-elected in 2000, served as Mayor for three years, was defeated in '03, re-elected in '06, and reinstated as Mayor in '09.

To read the remainder of DeLuca's Patch profile, visit here.