The Hillside Municipal Council is the legislative body of the Township of Hillside
The council enacts by ordinance, resolution, or motion the local laws which govern the Township of Hillside. The Municipal Council is responsible for approval of the municipal budget, approval of certain Mayoral appointments, and official policies of the Township of Hillside.
Please click on the Councilmember’s name to access contact information.
Councilman Craig Epps is a public servant as a citizen and professional. The At-Large Councilman serves Hillside with a focus on mentoring youth.
Councilman Epps has been on the Council since 2018, immediately showing his leadership and desire to be a mentor for youth. He currently serves as the Chair of the Personnel Committee and is Council Liaison to the Recreation Advisory Council and Alternate Board Member to the Joint Meeting of Essex and Union Counties.
A police officer for more than two decades for the city of East Orange, Councilman Epps is the President of the East Orange Fraternal Order of Police. He graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Political Science. He is also a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.
In a profile with Tap into Hillside, Councilman Epps explained his philosophy, stating he believes, "It's important for the next generation to work towards their goals by working hard to achieve what they want. In order for the future generation to be prepared and successful, the responsibility is on the adults to help teach and lead and mentor the children, along with mentoring and educating the parents to effectively communicate with our kids."
Councilman Epps is married to Hawaiian Thompson-Epps, and they have two children. He is a homeowner on Stanley Terrace and he is a Trustee of St. Matthew A.M.E. Church.
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LISA BONANNO
Vice President, Council Member-At-Large
lbonanno@hillsidenj.us (973)-681-7155 Lisa has been with the County of Union for thirtyfour years. She studied at Kean University as well as Rutgers University, Newark Campus. Additionally startingher long career at the Board of Social Services and now is currently employed with the Union County Workforce Development Board for over fifteen years, where she currently hold the title of Deputy Director. She loves working with smart, passionate people to create programs that make training and good job opportunities available to residents in need. In her role, Lisa connects local and field implementation with innovative strategies to help create new solutions for the greater workforce community. Through her years at the UWDB, she has learned to take on every opportunity to learn from people around her: co-workers, colleagues, grantees, and stakeholders. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, doing anything creative from cooking to art, all the while making time for mentoring the next generation of public servants. She is a New Jersey State Certified Job Coach, as well as a State Job Developer and Navigator for the Disabled Job Seeker. She is a member of the Hillside Chamber of Commerce, as well as a proud member of Hillside Chapter of UNICO and is the treasurer of The Union County Status of Women. Lisa is a proud Hillside Resident for over forty-five years. Lisa’s enthusiasm for reaching out to make a difference is reflected in her commitment to serve, and her passion to educate local residents. She follows a long lineage of civil servants starting with her father Angelo J. Bonanno, a former Hillside Health Administrator and a Registered Environmental Health Specialist. As well as her mother Lee Bonanno a Library Assistant for Hillside Public Library as well as a former Hillside School Board member and culminating with her attaining the rank of Board President in the 1980’s
Andrea Hyatt is currently serving in her second term as Councilwoman of the First Ward in Hillside NJ. She has established herself as servant leader who stands firmly in her commitment to create good government; to be the voice of the people of Hillside; and the conscience of the governing body.
Andrea is a graduate of Rutgers University and the managing member of Hyatt Financial L.L.C. She has a vast amount of business experience across various industries and has held leadership roles in accounting, finance and operational sustainability. She has used and or continues to use her expertise to make quality decisions in her roles as Council President, Chair of the Finance Committee and proudly as the Councilwoman for the first ward.
In collaboration with Faheem J. Ra'Oof, she recently started Andrea Hyatt's Sharing the Love Civic Association, Inc. which is a non-profit organization that provides social services, practical education and training to Hillside residents as part of their ongoing community building initiative. She is a financial officer and executive board member of the Central Jersey Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She is a trustee & finance committee member of Burch Charter School of Excellence in Irvington, NJ and she serves on the board of her beloved church, Agape Family Worship Center in Rahway, NJ.
Andrea is a life learner, who chose to increase her knowledge of government by earning her (CPM) certification in public management from Rutgers University in 2017, she also obtained the mini master's in public administration certificate from Rutgers University in 2016.
The Councilwoman is married to Anthony Hyatt, and they have two daughters and one son. Andrea has proven that she genuinely cares about the needs of all residents and business owners in Hillside. She is a thoughtful and pragmatic leader who possesses the heart of the people. She is a woman of faith, who believes that her life is one of purpose. She delights herself in serving God through her service to people and she understands that to whom much is given much is required.
Councilman Christopher Mobley is a 15-year resident of Hillside. He represents the 2nd Ward and brings a background that represents a skillset of deep experience and knowledge of municipal government.
Professionally, Councilman Mobley serves as the Assistant Director of the Department of Planning and Economic Development for the City of Orange Township. In this role, he helps drive sustainable development of market-rate and affordable housing; supports and encourages business development and expansion, and serves as the City's Urban Enterprise Zone Coordinator. He also is a Class II Planning Board Member.
Councilman Mobley's extensive background and experience in finance, purchasing, and grant procurement is an asset for Hillside. He currently serves on the Finance Committee, is an Alternate Member of the Personnel Committee, and is a Class III Planning Board Member.
Councilman Mobley has a Bachelor's degree from Kean University and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He is a married Munn Avenue homeowner and is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.
Councilman Donald DeAugustine represents Hillside's 3rd Ward. A dedicated public servant, Councilman DeAugustine, has lived in Hillside for over 50 years.
Councilman DeAugustine is a seasoned public official. He has served two terms as Council President and is a District 3 Committeeman. He currently serves as the Council liaison to the Senior Advisory Committee, the Swimming Pool Commission, the Veteran's Committee, and Police and Fire Departments. DeAugustine is also Chairman to the Joint Meeting of Essex and Union Counties. He is a past liaison to the Municipal Alliance for the Prevention of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse.
Professionally, Councilman DeAugustine is a Business Agent for Millwright Local 715. He is a Council Representative for the Eastern Regional Millwright Council and has served more than 40 years in the union.
Councilman DeAugustine is a husband and father. In addition to his municipal responsibilities, DeAugustine is a member of the Knights of Columbus, Hillside UNICO, and a Free Mason.
Councilman Gerald Pateesh Freedman's dedication to Hillside is exemplified by his long-standing service to the community. He has served on the Council for 21 years and is currently serving as Council President and the representative for Hillside's 4th Ward.
During his tenure, Freedman has been appointed to many committees. He is currently a member of the Finance Committee and serves as an alternate member of the Recreation Advisory Council.
Professionally, Councilman Freedman is a Professor and Supervisor of Physical Education at Essex County College where he has worked for 51 years. He is a former boxer, boxing trainer, and referee.
Councilman Freedman's educational background includes East Stroudsburg State College, Newark State College, and New York University (NYU).
Councilman Freedman is a proud father and grandfather and is a Robert Street homeowner in Hillside's Fourth Ward.
Councilman Rios has been a proud homeowner with his wife, Sonia, in Hillside for the past two years. Together in their love, they adopted a rescue dog, Luna. The three have turned the house into a home by quickly becoming members of their community. With fresh eyes into life at Hillside, Robert brings a new outside perspective to this proud township.
Robert graduated from William Paterson University with a major in Business Communications and a minor in Professional Sales at the Russ Berrie Institute. He formerly served as the Vice President of Marketing for Pi Sigma Epsilon, the National Professional Fraternity in Marketing, Sales, and Management for the Epsilon Sigma Chapter.
The boards Robert currently serves in Hillside are Chair for the Finance Committee and Member of the Personnel Committee. He also sits on the Hillside Library Board.
Robert's multi-faceted experience ranging from marketing director, franchise development, medical orthopedic device sales, and application development has allowed him to utilize all his accumulated knowledge to benefit the township of Hillside.
Councilman Rios is currently the Chief Marketing Director for Intentional Marketing, LLC. Previously, he spent eight years at CKO Kickboxing, working in business development while assisting with opening new gym franchises across the United States. His strong marketing and sales background will help bring a new vision to the future of Hillside Businesses.
His passions are his love for family along with mentoring today's youth. Robert prides himself on working hard to provide for his family while making a difference in his community!
