In one of New Jersey’s toniest towns, a long-serving mayor celebrates its attributes while tackling its challenges

By Laura D.C. Kolnoski • Photos By Robert Nuzzie

When producers of CBS Sunday Morning arranged to film a segment depicting the lesser-known beauty of the Jersey Shore, they went to Rumson. That’s where, in 2010, Mayor John Ekdahl guided host Mo Rocca to sights so splendid, the latter kept asking, “This is the Jersey Shore?”

It’s certainly Mayor Ekdahl’s Jersey Shore. Nestled on a peninsula between the scenic Navesink and Shrewsbury Rivers, the roughly 7.1-square-mile borough of just over 7,000 residents is one of the state’s most exclusive enclaves; home to a lengthy roster of bold-face names from business, entertainment, sports, and politics. Called Navarumsunk by its original Native American inhabitants, Rumson’s many sprawling estates were built as summer homes for wealthy New York bankers and industrialists.

Few appreciate the history and character of the community better than Ekdahl, who has been mayor since 2004, re-elected three times, and plans to remain so until his current term expires in 2019. Beginning with his first foray into public service as a member of the borough’s Zoning Board of Adjustment in 1978, Ekdahl has spent over 38 years in public service in Rumson. Earlier this year, he was inducted into the New Jersey League of Municipalities Elected Officials Hall of Fame, an honor reserved for those who have spent more than 20 years in office. He received a plaque, but as he noted, tongue planted firmly in cheek, “no watch.”

After ascending to Chairman of the Zoning Board of Adjustment in 1991, the Republican joined the Borough Council in 1995 to fill a vacancy. His day job is located one town over on Broad Street in Red Bank, where he has been a Senior Financial Advisor/First Vice-President at Merrill Lynch since 2011, working with retail and institutional clients investing in financial markets. His previous financial experience includes stints at Citigroup Global Markets, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, and Bank of America.

Born in Orange in Essex County, Ekdahl and his family relocated to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida in the early 1950s, returning to settle in Rumson in 1957. He was a member of the first graduating class of the prestigious Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft in 1963.

“We were the lead class all four years, as the school only started with freshmen,” he recalled. “The first two years, we were in a converted horse stable while the new school was being built. The 140-acre property had no neighbors at the time. Going back to campus now, the encroachment of homes becomes quite noticeable.” After attending Villanova University, he graduated from Belknap College in New Hampshire in 1968. An avid sports fan, he actively supports Rumson-Fair Haven teams, particularly basketball. Ekdahl entered public life as a recreation coach for local baseball, soccer, and basketball teams.

“One of my biggest thrills was watching Rumson-Fair Haven High School upset my alma mater CBA in the 2015 Shore Conference final at Monmouth University,” he said with a smile.

Among his accomplishments in office, Ekdahl highlights the expansion of parks through Green Acres grants, increasing recreation programs, and a new Borough Hall, constructed during his second term. Another new addition is Rumson’s atypical St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Now in plans for its fifth year, the parade was created and is funded by a large contingent of local residents who hold well-supported fund-raising events throughout the year to pay for it and its associated costs. The antithesis of rowdy St. Paddy’s festivities elsewhere, Rumson’s parade is billed and executed as a family friendly affair, with events for children and a decidedly small-town feel.

At first, Mayor Ekdahl was a hard sell.

“My original trepidations on hosting a parade were allayed by the outstanding organizational structure that was put in place to plan and run such a large event,” he explained. “The parade has become special because of its family atmosphere, organization, and quality of the units represented.”

Despite Rumson’s bucolic and prestigious outward appearances, it is not without challenges, primarily continuing to provide the high level of service expected by residents within the confines of the local budget. Joining a growing trend among Garden State municipalities, Rumson has embarked on shared service agreements with neighboring towns to reduce taxes. It shares building departments with adjacent Fair Haven and Little Silver, along with courts, and shares Department of Public Works services with Fair Haven and joint equipment purchases with Little Silver. Over $1.2 million has been saved so far as a result, the mayor said.

The borough and its Department of Public Works took a heavy hit from Hurricane Sandy, exacerbated by its proximity to the two rivers and the Atlantic Ocean. The department garages behind Borough Hall, which were totally flooded, experienced the worst public property damage. Some $350,000 worth of equipment there was destroyed. With a generator powering Borough Hall, Mayor Ekdahl spent days setting up shelters, finding alternative living arrangements, gathering food, blankets, and batteries, and sharing the overflow with neighboring Sea Bright.

“Response from residents was overwhelming,” he said, adding that finding temporary generators to run the sanitary sewer system was a major hurdle. “Residents not having power for three weeks is hard to forget.” The presence of the National Guard, which made headlines when it set up camp at the Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge for almost a month, had all its meals provided by locals in a spontaneous and welcome show of support.

“They were served a hot dinner every night,” Ekdahl said. “Local restaurants joined together and grilled breakfast, lunch, and dinner in front of the firehouse for the guardsman and residents in need. The chefs asked for different specifics every morning, which were posted on social media. It was incredible how much was dropped off. We all became close.” So much so that Police Department personnel organize reunions with the Guard annually, which the mayor attends. (The group still chuckles over Ekdahl having to show his credentials to a Michigan State Trooper so he could enter his own borough.)

Rumson officials submitted receipts totalling over $3 million to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for its losses and remediation costs. Since FEMA pays 90 cents on the dollar, taxpayers were on the hook for the rest, but now Public Works buildings have been fitted with flood doors that snap into place, among other modifications. Then and now, Ekdahl credits his fellow borough council members, professionals, and volunteers who assist him daily.

The mayor is involved in another type of redevelopment a few miles away on Sandy Hook, where he is a member of a select committee working on creating a new future for the abandoned and crumbling historic buildings on the National Park’s north end at Fort Hancock. After years of fits and starts, the first lease was recently signed to refurbish one of the Officers Row homes into a bed and breakfast.

“Sandy Hook brings revenue through tourism to the area,” he explained. “It’s a matter of economy, and then there are the wonderful buildings there that are literally falling down. This first lease will hopefully be a catalyst to further commercial and retail development. The goal is twofold—historic preservation and additional commerce. It’s such a unique piece of land that can be utilized year ’round. It is hard to contemplate what would become of Fort Hancock without private enterprise, but we still have many hurdles to jump there.”

The mayor is also active on the Count Basie Theater board and in the Community YMCA. His leisure time pursuits include golf, motor sports, and travel. He and his wife Lolly have two grown sons, Johnny and Danny.

He still gets feedback from near and far on that 2010 CBS Sunday Morning feature. In addition to the Oceanic Bridge, Victory Park, the Sea Bright Tennis Club, and Rumson County Club, Ekdahl brought the production to the 15-acre Mulheren Farm, where host Rocca drove a horse-drawn carriage through fields of cattle and horses.

“It was interesting spending the day with the crew and watching editing on the fly,” he said. “Mo was very easy to work with, and naturally funny. One of the executive producers was so impressed with Rumson that he moved his family here!”

Mayor John E. Ekdahl
Mayor and Council Office / 732.842.3300
rumsonnj.gov