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Freeholder James Gallagher

Freeholder James Gallagher was first elected to the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders in 1997 and won re-election in 2000 and 2003, garnering the greatest number of votes among Freeholder candidates. He served as Director of the Board of Chosen Freeholders in 2003.

Freeholder Jim Gallagher, the son of a Paterson Fire Captain, was born in Paterson, attended Public School No. 25 and Paterson Catholic Regional High School. In 1982, he obtained a degree in Criminal Justice and in 1984 a Master's Degree in Urban Affairs from William Paterson University.

Jim married Kim Kramer in November of 1995. Kim is the daughter of the former Mayor of Paterson, Lawrence "Pat" Kramer. Jim and Kim are the proud parents of a son, James Ryan.

Coming from a family committed to public service - Jim's brothers, Larry, a retired Paterson Police Lieutenant, and Mike, the current Director of Water and Waste Water at the Board of Public Utilities - demonstrates a tradition of working for the public good.

Jim Gallagher brings the values his parents taught him of hard work, integrity and honesty, to every decision he makes. These words are often used to describe him, along with a willingness to stand alone for a decision he believes to be right.

Jim's vast experience in public service includes serving for six years on the Paterson Fire Department's Emergency Medical Services, responding to hundreds of calls during his tenure. Jim worked for the State Department of Community Affairs, with NJ State Police Major Robert Winters (retired), on the first State takeover of a municipal police department in the City of Camden. Jim served as the Major's assistant, and when the department was returned to City control, he assisted Chief Robert Pugh with the transition.
Additional assignments included working in the "Distressed Cities Program", examining financial and operational procedures in a number of cities.

In 1990, Jim returned to the City of Paterson working directly for then Mayor (now Congressman) William J. Pascrell, Jr., as Director of Policy, Planning and Management. Jim interacted with every department in the city and successfully coordinated the improvement of the city's recycling program, saving taxpayers thousands of dollars each year by controlling solid waste costs.
Currently, Jim Gallagher is the Director of Personnel for the Passaic Valley Water Commission where he has re-engineered its work force, bringing the number of employees from the nearly 300 to 180 over a ten-year period.

Since joining the Freeholder Board, Jim Gallagher has spearheaded several key projects, including the construction of a new Preakness Healthcare facility and the new Fire/Emergency Medical Services Academy.
Jim also voted for the construction of new classrooms at Passaic County Technical Institute for our County's children, creating a better learning environment for our future community leaders.

After voting to expand the County high school, Jim also voted to expand the Passaic County Community College, increasing the availability for higher education to Passaic County residents.

Jim supported the creation of the Passaic County Improvement Authority to help stimulate economic growth throughout the County. In 2006, Jim will act the as Chairman of the Public Works Committee.