MAYOR
Matthew P. Anesh
908-226-7601
anesh@southplainfieldnj.com

Elected Mayor in 2010, Matt is 49 years old and has lived in South Plainfield all his life. Mayor Anesh is married with twin sons.  He was elected Councilman in 2005 and 2009 where he served as the Council liaison to the Department of Public Works and later Public Safety. He served as Council President in 2010.  He attended Sacred Heart School, South Plainfield High School and graduated in 1995 from the College of New Jersey with a Bachelors of Science in Economics. He is a Vice President with a Fortune 100 Financial Services Company in NYC.

 Matt is a communicant of Sacred Heart Church, a South Plainfield Junior Baseball coach, CERT member and a member of the Planning Board. Mayor Anesh served on the Public Celebrations Committee from 2005 through 2010. Mayor Anesh was inducted into the South Plainfield Hall of Fame in 2011.  He is a graduate of the South Plainfield High School class of 1990.

COUNCIL PRESIDENT
Robert Bengivenga, Jr.   
908-966-1491 
bengivenga@southplainfieldnj.com 

Council President Bengivenga is currently serving his 6th term as councilman. Rob was first elected Councilman in 2005, at the age of 23.  He was then elected in 2009 to a second term and reelected in 2012, 2015, 2018, and 2021. Rob had the honor of serving as Council President in 2008, 2016, 2018 & 2023. Rob is 40 years old and is a lifelong resident of South Plainfield. 
 Rob has been married to his wife Priscilla since 2017 and together they have three children, Matthew, Nora and John Paul (JP). He attended Sacred Heart School, The Wardlaw-Hartridge School and graduated in 2004 from The University of Scranton with a Bachelors of Science in Marketing. He is presently employed as the Municipal Adminstrator for the Township of Hazlet and has a Qualified Purchasing Agent certificate from the State of New Jersey . 

Rob is a member of the Sons of the American Legion Chaumont Post 243, UNICO National and the South Plainfield Elks. 

Councilman Bengivenga chairs the Public Safety committee and also sits as a member of the Economic Development, Shared Services & Administration and Finance Committees. 

COUNCILWOMAN
Christine Faustini
908-510-7003
cfaustini@southplainfieldnj.com

Council President Christine Faustini is currently serving her second term on the South Plainfield Borough Council. Christine is a graduate of South Plainfield High School, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the Fashion Institute of Technology of New York, as well as certifications in Mathematics and Secondary Education from Kean University.
Christine served on the South Plainfield Library Board for 6 years and as Vice President during its expansion. She was also a member of the Cultural Arts Commission and held positions on PTO Board’s at Grant Elementary and John E. Riley School when her children attended.  She is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Lodge #2298, the American Legion Women’s Auxiliary and a parishioner of Sacred Heart Church.  She was formerly a retail buyer and is currently employed as a home instructor of mathematics.
Christine and her husband Louis are both lifelong residents of South Plainfield. They have been married for 30 years and have four children.

Council President Faustini is currently serving as Chairperson of Recreation and Office on Aging Committee.  She loves working with the children and senior citizens of South Plainfield .  She also serves on the Administration, Finance and Public Information, Health Welfare and Environment, and Shared Services Committees.  

COUNCILWOMAN
Melanie Mott
732-406-3727
mmott@southplainfieldnj.com

Melanie is serving her first term as Councilwoman. Melanie grew up in North Edison and Highland Park, and graduated Highland Park High School in 1997. She and her husband moved to South Plainfield in 2005 and have 3 children ages 10, 16, and 22.

Melanie has been a successful full-time Realtor for 15 years and has an extensive background in customer service. She also spends time volunteering for PTO’s, sports programs, fundraising and charity events to assist those in need and is also a member of Elks Lodge #2298 in South Plainfield.

Councilwoman Mott currently chairs the Department of Public Works and serves as a member of Recreation, Shared Services, and the Health Welfare and Environment committees.

COUNCILMAN
Peter D.Smith
908-656-4011
psmith@southplainfieldnj.com

Pete is serving his first term as Councilman.  He grew up in Piscataway and graduated Piscataway High School in 1977.  Pete served in the Army National Guard from 1977-1986.   He attended Kean University, receiving his certification in Computer Integrated Design & Manufacturing.  Pete moved to South Plainfield in 1999.  He is married to Sandi and they are very proud of their six (6) children and seven (7) grandchildren.
Councilman Smith is currently the Chairperson to the Health, Welfare and Environment Committee.  He also serves as a member of the Economic Development and Public Work Committees.
Pete is employed in the woodworking industry.  He was President of the Sacred Heart Athletic Association, coached Soccer for the South Plainfield Soccer Club and AAU Basketball.  He was a High School Soccer and Basketball Official for 20 years retiring from Officiating in 2021.  Pete is a member of American Legion Post 12 and is an active member of the South Plainfield Elks #2298, where he previously served as Exalted Ruler.  Pete was elected President of the NJ State Elks Association for the fraternal year 2014-2015. Pete was selected to serve Grand Lodge of the B.P.O.E. as a Committeeman for Area 2 Public Relations from 2017-2020. He also served on the South Plainfield Planning Board for over 10 years.
 

COUNCILMAN
Joseph C. Wolak
908-486-7302
jwolak@southplainfieldnj.com

Councilman Wolak is serving his third term as Councilman. Joe was first elected in 2015 and was reelected to his second term in 2018 and third in 2021. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Kean University in 1983 in Accounting and Computer Science and has completed Graduate work for his MBA from Marywood University in Scranton PA. Joe has worked in Healthcare Finance for over 30 years and is currently the VP of Budget and Performance Analytics at a hospital in NYC.
He was a Planning Board member for four years, a former South Plainfield Junior Baseball Coach and South Plainfield Recreation Soccer Coach. Joe is a communicant of Sacred Heart Church. A member of South Plainfield Elks #2298 and Sons of  the American Legion Chaumont Post 243.
Joe is originally from Linden NJ and has lived on Norway Lane for the last 20 plus years with his wife Stephanie, three children Jennifer, Katelyn, and Samuel. He is a proud Grandfather to Ava Marie and Savannah Charlotte. Joe had the honor of being Council President in 2019 and is currently Chairs the Administration, Finance and Public Information Committee and also sits as a committee member for Public works and Environmental.

COUNCILMAN
Derryck C. White
908-917-6134
dwhite@southplainfieldnj.com .

Council President Derryck C. White was first elected to the South Plainfield Council in 2011 and is now serving his fourth three-year term. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from Eastern University and is currently a Strategic Planning Consultant.

 Derryck and his family moved to South Plainfield from Edison in 2002.  He is the parent of three children Jessica, Alexx and Noah. He is the former liaison to the South Plainfield Board of Education for the Riley School PTSO and a past chair of the school’s annual father-daughter dance. A former recreation soccer and basketball coach and a coach for the South Plainfield Soccer Association and South Plainfield Junior Baseball Club. In addition, he is an active member of South Plainfield’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).  He is also a member of the South Plainfield's Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Lodge # 2298, Chaumont Post 243 Sons of the American Legion and the South Plainfield Hometown Heroes Banner Committee dedicated to honoring South Plainfield Veterans.  

 He chairs the Economic Development Committee; serves on the Administration and Finance Committee, as well as the Public Safety Committee. In 2010, prior to being elected to the council, he was a member of the Zoning Board of Adjustments. Currently he serves as a member of the Planning Board.