Spring 2023 Issue

32
Story by MELISSA SUMMERS
Photos by KAREN FUCITO
trailblazer in both Roxbury and Morris
A County, Kathy DeFillippo has laid the
path for local politicians and future public
servants—especially the busy moms.
Born in the Bronx and raised on Long Island,
DeFillippo arrived in Roxbury 29 years ago as
a mother of two children, about to have her
third. Following a career in special education
and vocational rehabilitation, she did what any
good mom would do: she became involved
in her kids’ schools and got to know her
community.
Little did she know, she would someday
be mayor and go on to represent her new
hometown in the county and state.
DeFillippo, 67, is the oldest of five siblings.
She married her husband, Bob, in 1976. She
attended Nassau Community College for two
years and then received a degree in psychology
and a teaching certificate from the State
University of New York at New Paltz in 1979.
She began her career working with adults
with disabilities. One of her first positions was
with Occupations, Inc. in Newburgh, New York.
DeFillippo ran a porter maintenance program
where she evaluated, then trained, young
adults with disabilities to work as housekeepers
or janitors. She worked with a convent that
allowed her to bring her students in to practice
household and job skills while cleaning the
kitchen or chapel. She later worked for The
Arc in Dutchess County, where she became
director of a program that taught clients
occupational, vocational and social skills.
“In the mid to late ‘70s, there were mentally
and physically disabled persons who had lived
in institutions, and they were being moved
back out into the community,” DeFillippo
recalled. “Many of these people probably
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Spring 2023
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never should have been in institutions,
but that’s what we did years ago.”
She moved with her family to
Alexandria, Virginia, in 1985 where she
continued working in vocational rehab,
this time with an insurance company
that provided services to injured
workers. “It was satisfying work,” she
said. “I met some wonderful people,
and I helped change people’s lives.”
She and her family relocated to
Succasunna in 1994 when her husband
got a new job. “With three kids and
brand new to New Jersey, Bob and I
decided that I would not go back to
work.”
DeFillippo quickly got to know the
community. “I admired Marilyn Davis,
who became the first female mayor of
Roxbury in 1996, and I thought that was
cool.” She also looked up to Christine
Todd Whitman, who served as the first female
governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001.
But still, DeFillippo was focused on her
children. “I always did something with each of
the kids, helped at CCD, volunteered at school,”
she said. “I tried to do something based on the
time that I could devote, and I wanted to teach
my kids how important it was to be part of a
community.”
After a few years, she represented the
Republican Committee in Roxbury and was
appointed to the zoning board. She got to
know the town council and then-Mayor Jim
Rilee, who was elected in 1998. “At some point,
you realize, ‘Maybe I could do this in a bigger
way and help more people.’”
DeFillippo was elected to the Roxbury Town
Council in 2005 and re-elected in 2009. During
that time, she served as deputy mayor three
times (2011, 2012 and 2013) and as mayor in 2009.
One of the first things DeFillippo advocated
for while serving on the town council was its
involvement with the Roxbury Chamber of
Commerce. “Business and governments should
work together,” she said. “As council members,
we should know our business community as
From top, left to right: Kathy DeFillippo in her home office.
DeFillippo, left, at the 2017 Walk For MS in Roxbury.
(Photo courtesy of the DeFillippo family.)
DeFillippo with husband, Bob, reading to their youngest
granddaughter, Emmeline Rose DeFillippo.
well as we know our constituents. And I think
that paid off.”
When asked what she is proudest of about
her time on the town council, her answer
is clear. “After I got elected that first time, I
realized my favorite thing was knocking on
doors and meeting people.” So shortly after
she was sworn in, she suggested bringing back
regular neighborhood meetings.
“The first one was on a January night, and
it was cold and horrible,” she recalled. “I
walked into the senior center with the council
members, and we stood there shocked. The
room was full.”
The meetings, now held two to three times a
year in different sections of town, continue to
be well received. “They address things going on
in that area of town, they get the conversation
going, and we try to answer questions.
Government can be scary for people, but this
gives people a chance to see it in action in an
informal way,” she said.
In 2013, DeFillippo decided not to seek reelection
as councilwoman and instead ran
for Morris County freeholder, an office now
referred to as county commissioner. “Having