From Bronx to Borough Hall

CURRENT TENAFLY MAYOR Mark Zinna was born in the Bronx and spent his early adult life in Manhattan. He and his wife were married in 2001 and, not long after, began considering where to build their life together. The couple weighed their options carefully, trying to decide whether to stay in the city or move to suburbia.

Before settling down permanently in Tenafly, they lived in various places around New Jersey and beyond, including Dumont for two years and Wisconsin for one year. After some deliberation, Zinna jokingly refers to their decision as a compromise.

“We compromised and did it my wife’s way, and we moved out to Tenafly,” he says. The Zinna family has called Tenafly home for the past 20 years. The town’s educational system, closeness to New York City and beautiful scenery were key factors in their decision to move here.

Zinna shares a love for food with his wife. “From Edgewater to Fort Lee, Englewood to Tenafly and all the way to Cresskill and Closter, there are a lot of restaurants along there, and my wife and I are real big foodies; we love dining out,” Zinna says. He notes that food plays a big part in making Tenafly a vibrant and welcoming town. “We’re surrounded by great food,” he says, “and Tenafly now has a whole bunch of great restaurants.”

GREAT RESPONSIBILITY

Zinna’s desire to make a positive impact on his community led him to enter public service. He believes that if citizens can get involved with their community, it’s their responsibility to do so.

He first became a member of the Tenafly Planning Board in 2009 and then was the first elected member to the Tenafly Borough Council in 2011, where he served until 2019. He became the 25th mayor of Tenafly in January 2020, succeeding Peter Rustin, who had served for 16 years.

Zinna’s approach to leadership is driven by his belief that “the people who show up are the ones who make the decisions and make things happen,” he says. “I like seeing progress.”

His platform focuses on improving the quality of life for Tenafly residents, addressing infrastructure issues like fixing potholes, enhancing local parks and supporting the growth of new restaurants and businesses downtown.

One of the biggest changes Zinna has seen since taking office is the evolving nature of the community. “People that are moving to Tenafly [are] coming from Manhattan, Brooklyn, South Korea, and they’re coming from Israel,” he says. “The new demographics are bringing with it people who are urbanites, and they’re looking for the town to be vibrant.”

In response, Zinna has made changes to zoning rules, encouraging a more active community that supports restaurants and businesses in the downtown area because they are no longer what they used to be. “Many communities on the retail side have changed from places you go to buy things to places you go to have experiences,” says Zinna.

A PLACE TO CALL HOME

Looking to the future, Zinna continues to focus on initiatives that directly affect residents’ lifestyles and their perception of the community, from children to the elderly. “We have parks, fields, expanded recreation programs [and] a nature center that seniors, parents and kids can all enjoy,” he says.

As a father, Zinna is especially invested in making Tenafly a great place to raise children. One of the things he loves most about his job is helping people.

“People call their local mayor for everything,” Zinna says, from helping residents get appointments for passports to even finding an apartment in a different state, he adds, recalling one particularly unusual request. “I said, ‘Why are you calling me about real estate in Los Angeles?’” he says. “And they said they thought I’d be able to help them. I said, ‘Let me call you back.’”

Being a man of his word, Zinna reached out an hour later, managing to help find them a place to stay in Los Angeles for three months. “And that’s what a local town mayor does,” he says. “We just help people.”

As Tenafly continues to develop, Zinna’s love for the town, its residents and growing potential will create a more connected and welcoming community for all. Wearing multiple hats as a resident, mayor and parent, he sees the town from as many perspectives as the people who live in it, allowing him to understand the challenges and opportunities for the town, and ensuring it remains a place where everyone can feel at home.

BY RON LYONS JR.