Councilman Joe Krakoviak has repeatedly questioned proposed contracts and spending, frequently voting against what he considered wasteful or unnecessary. He fought to introduce legislation that sets requirements for publishing council meeting agendas and proposed legislation on the website. He’s also served on the committee for redevelopment and helped form a Downtown West Orange Alliance committee to boost the business-friendly nature of local government. He maintains WestOrangeGrassroots.org to provide more transparency to town financial and governance issues. A nine-year town resident, Krakoviak is married to Clare Silvestri, who is part of the Krakoviak Team. They have three children.
A former award-winning financial journalist who worked at USA Today and other newspapers, Joe extensively covered municipal finance and real estate development for more than a decade. As a marketing and public relations executive, he worked six years for a company that insured municipal bonds, managed municipal funds and provided tax services to the public sector. After seven years with a leading management consulting company, he is now an independent marketing and public relations consultant.
Joe gives back to the community in numerous ways:
- He was a Den and Pack Leader and former Cubmaster of West Orange Cub Scout Pack 54, and he has also volunteered at both the district and council levels.
- He has coached Mountain Top League basketball, soccer and coach-pitch baseball teams.
- He was a boys basketball coach at Blessed Pope John XXIII Academy in West Orange.
- He is a member of the Saint Joseph’s Church Charity Shopping and Soup Kitchen ministries.
- He is a member of the Pre-Cana (Marriage Preparation) Team jointly sponsored by Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Joseph’s Churches.
- He is a past co-president of the Parent-Teacher group at Saint Joseph’s School and former Marketing & Publicity Chair of the Blessed Pope John XXIII Academy Home School Association.
- As a member of the Dapper Dans of Harmony Barbershop Chorus, he has entertained numerous residents of West Orange senior homes. He is the past marketing & public relations chair for the group, as well as its past webmaster.
- Joe is also a member of the West Orange High School PTA and the West Orange Chapter of PASSE, an advocacy group for students with special needs.
- He is the founder and primary content provider for the non-partisan WestOrangeGrassroots.org, founded in 2009 to provide transparency to town financial issues. He devotes extensive time and resources to providing residents with information about major decisions made and considered by our town government.
- A former NCAA Division III college tennis player, he has taught tennis to youth on and off over the last 30 years.
- At his previous residence in White Plains, N.Y., he was active with Scouts, Habitat for Humanity and the Westchester ARC, and he was a tutor/mentor for middle- and high-school students.