Former Freeholder & Denville Mayor Gene Feyl Honored for Service to Morris County

Gene Feyl, the former Morris County Freeholder and past Denville Mayor, was presented with honors at his home during a recent surprise visit by several Morris County leaders.

The long time public servant, who served as Freeholder (now known as County Commissioner) from 2007 to 2012, retired this year from public service as he stepped down from his posts on the Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority, the Morris County Open Space Preservation Committee and the Morris County Housing Authority.

Morris County Commissioner Director Tayfun Selen and Commissioners Debra Smith and Stephen Shaw were joined by Morris County Administrator John Bonanni and Assistant Administrator Deena Leary in presenting Feyl with a plaque from the Morris County Board of County Commissioners last week.

The plaque, which included a “Key to Morris County,” thanks Gene F. Feyl and notes he was presented with the honor “In Recognition of his Longstanding Commitment to Public Service.” It also noted he was a veteran of Vietnam and held other titles “during his lifetime of enriching the community.”

Morris County Sheriff James Gannon also joined the visit to present Feyl with a "Lifetime of Service Award," thanking him for his public service. A Joint Resolution of Honor from New Jersey State Assembly and Senate was later delivered by Sen. Anthony Bucco.

Feyl’s public service has been extensive.

He is a former Denville mayor, having held the post from 2000 until the end of 2007, and prior to that he served on the Denville Township Council from 1994 to 1999 and was council president in 1995 and 1996.

Following his election in 2007 as Morris County Freeholder, his fellow freeholders elected Feyl to the board’s deputy director’s post in 2008, and he was chosen as freeholder director in 2009 and 2010. Simultaneously, Feyl became a member of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) Board of Trustees in 2007, and in January 2012 he was elected chairman of the organization. The NJTPA oversees regional transportation planning and more than $1 billion annually in surface transportation funding for 13 counties in northern and central New Jersey.

Feyl stepped down from the Morris County Freeholder board in May 2012 to become Executive Director of the New Jersey Highlands Council, a post he held until 2014.

Feyl also is a former first vice president of the New Jersey League of Municipalities, a former president of the Morris County League of Municipalities and a former member of the boards of the New Jersey Conference of Mayors and the Morris County Economic Development Corporation.

In Denville, he also had served as a member and vice president of the Denville Board of Education, and in 2009, he was elected to the Morris Hills Regional School District Hall of Fame.

Feyl and his wife, Peg, continue to reside in Denville.