Glen Rock Council Picks Councilwoman Jill Orlich as Mayor After Morieko’s Resignation

GLEN ROCK, N.J. — The Glen Rock Borough Council has unanimously chosen Councilwoman Jill Orlich to serve as mayor, replacing Mayor Kristine Morieko, who resigned for health reasons effective Oct. 1, 2026, the borough announced Thursday, Oct. 15.

Orlich will serve the rest of Morieko’s unexpired term, through Dec. 31, 2027, according to the borough. The office of mayor will be on the ballot in 2027 for the 2028–2031 term.

How the seat was filled

The borough said the appointment followed the process in state law, N.J.S.A. 40A:16-11. Because Morieko was elected as a Democrat, the Glen Rock Democratic Committee submitted three names to the council, which “unanimously selected Mayor Orlich as the best person to fill the position,” according to the Oct. 15 announcement.

A Sept. 29 borough notice laid out the timeline: the committee had 15 days from the Oct. 1 vacancy — until Oct. 15 — to submit three names, and the council then had 30 days from the vacancy to pick one of them. The borough has not published the names of the other two nominees in the announcements Bergen TV reviewed.

“Jill served as a Council Member for the last five years, during which time she has been involved in all aspects Glen Rock’s governance,” the borough said, adding that she is “looking forward to representing all Glen Rock residents.” Orlich first ran for council as a Democrat in 2021, according to Patch’s election coverage that year.

Why Morieko left

In a resignation letter posted by the borough on Sept. 25, Morieko wrote that eight weeks after spine surgery that summer, “unexpected complications, a second emergency surgery, and a longer road to recovery” had changed her path. “This is not the way I imagined my service as Mayor ending,” she wrote. She thanked Council President Amy Martin and the council “for carrying that work forward during my medical leave.” Patch reported the resignation on Oct. 10.

The borough said Morieko served as mayor and council member over the past decade.

What fits — and what still doesn’t

• A council seat now open. Orlich moved from the council to the mayor’s office. The borough’s Mayor & Council page, checked Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, lists Orlich as mayor and five council members — Council President Amy Martin, Elizabeth Coll, Maureen Rozanski, Seth Rosenstein and Jon Hendl — for a six-member council. The borough’s announcement does not say how or when Orlich’s former council seat will be filled.
• Meeting details. The Oct. 15 announcement does not say at which meeting the council voted. Bergen TV did not locate posted minutes for the vote.
• The other nominees. The three names the Democratic committee sent to the council were not published in the borough announcements reviewed.

Open questions

• Who will fill Orlich’s council seat, and on what timeline?
• Who were the other two nominees?
• Will Orlich run for a full term in 2027?
• What are her priorities for the 14 months left in the term?

Sources: Borough of Glen Rock, “Councilwoman Jill Orlich Appointed Mayor,” Oct. 15, 2026; Borough notice on filling the unexpired term, Sept. 29, 2026; Mayor Kristine Morieko’s resignation message, Sept. 25, 2026; Glen Rock Mayor & Council page; Patch, Oct. 10, 2026; Patch, Nov. 2, 2021.