Vito Perillo, 97, reelected as mayor of N.J. town

At 97 years old, Vito Perillo is at the peak of his political career.

The World War II veteran just clinched his second term as the mayor of Tinton Falls, N.J., beating out three contenders in the nonpartisan election recently.

“I stopped to think about why people might vote for me,” Perillo wrote in a Facebook post, thanking his constituents for reelecting him. “Maybe it’s because I’m a WWII veteran, or an ‘old guy’ (hopefully not), or maybe it’s because you read my flyer highlighting our accomplishments over the last 4 years. My hope, however, is that it’s because you see that I care about our town and the people who live in it above anything else.”

Although there are no official records to prove it, Perillo is believed to be the oldest mayor in the United States. It’s a designation that brings him pride.

“The thing about my age is that, when people read about it and hear about it, they’re encouraged,” he said in a recent interview with People magazine. “They say, ‘If he can do it . . .’“

His first foray into politics was at the age of 93, when he was unexpectedly elected mayor of the New Jersey borough, which is about 40 miles south of Newark, in 2017. He said himself he didn’t think he had a chance of winning.

He said he was “profoundly grateful” for the opportunity to govern the town, and promised to slash municipal taxes and revise a contract with the police department — both of which he succeeded in accomplishing in his first term.

He also prides himself on keeping town services, both big and small, running smoothly:

“In the four years I’ve been here, we haven’t missed one garbage pickup,” he said.