Dennis McNerney

Dennis McNerney is an American Democratic Party politician who served as the County Executive of Bergen County, New Jersey from 2003 to 2011.

McNerney was raised in Teaneck, New Jersey, attending a Catholic grammar school in neighboring Bogota. He attended Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, New Jersey, and went to college at Bergen Community College and the University of Delaware before receiving an M.P.A. degree from Columbia University. McNerney and his family live in Ho-Ho-Kus.

He took office in January 2003 after being twice elected to the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders, in 1998 and 2001, defeating Republican Henry McNamara. In succeeding Pat Schuber, McNerney became the first Democrat to hold the post of Bergen County Executive. McNerney was reelected to a second term of office as County Executive in 2006, defeating former Freeholder Todd Caliguire. He lost reelection in the 2010 election to Kathleen Donovan in a race in which the Republicans captured all three open seats on the Board of Chosen Freeholders to regain control on the board.

In his February 2008 State of the County address, McNerney called for municipalities with populations less than 10,000 in Bergen County to merge, saying "The surest way to significantly lower homeowners' property taxes is to merge small towns and reduce administrative overhead." Half of Bergen County's 70 municipalities have fewer than 10,000 residents each.

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