Richard Pucci, former Monroe mayor, dies at 78

Richard Pucci, a Middlesex County Democratic stalwart who spent 28 years as mayor of Monroe Township, died today.  He was 78.

He began his public service career in 1972 as Perth Amboy’s recreation director, and later as business administrator, while George Otlowski was mayor.   Before that, he worked for a family-owned contracting business.    He worked on campaigns for Rep. Edward Patten (D-Perth Amboy) and U.S. Senator Bill Bradley.

Patten did not seek re-election to a tenth term in Congress in 1980, and Pucci, then 33, became a candidate for his seat – then New Jersey’s 15th district.  Bernard Dwyer (D-Edison), the majority leader of the New Jersey State Senate and a former Edison mayor, won the primary as the organization-backed candidate, 33%-26%, against Assemblyman David Schwartz (D-Highland Park).  George Spadoro, who won 42% against Patten in the 1978 primary and later served as an assemblyman and Edison mayor, ran 471 votes behind Schwartz and finished third with 25%.  Pucci won 16%.

From 1980 to 1984, Pucci was the business administrator for the city of Orange while Joel Shain was mayor.  He later worked as an energy conservation consultant and became Monroe Democratic municipal chairman in 1985 and Spotswood business administrator in 1986.

Pucci first ran for mayor in 1983, challenging two-term Republican incumbent Peter Garibaldi.  He lost by a 2-1 margin.  But Pucci prevailed in a 1987 rematch, unseating Garibaldi by about 3,700 votes, a 73%-27% landslide.

After winning a second term in 1991 with 58% of the vote in a heavily Republican year, Pucci scored relatively easily re-election bids in 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011.   He won his last race with 65%.

He spent 25 years as the executive director of the Middlesex County Improvement Authority.