“When I’m coming home from work, driving into town, I lower my window, the air changes and I know I’m home.” Living in West Milford means a lot to Lou Signorino, a 37-year-old husband, father, business owner and council president of the West Milford Town Council.
As a child, Signorino lived far away from West Milford - 4,550 miles away to be exact. From the time he was seven years old, until age 11, Signorino and his family lived in Sicily. When his aging grandfather’s health began deteriorating, Signorino’s father and his siblings packed up their families and moved to Italy to be with him.
“That’s something I’m very proud of, how close my family is,” he said.
Going to school in Italy was a good experience for him, a boy who always enjoyed learning. He took classes in Italian to reinforce his language background.
“It was a different kind of school system, a different way of life,” Signorino said.
Back in the states, his family moved around New Jersey a bit. He graduated from Wayne Hills High School, went to West Virginia University, then continued his education at Bergen Community College and Morris Community College. He excelled in mathematics and studied architecture in Virginia but ultimately left school to go into construction work.
“My dad had a construction business, my mom owned a boutique and I always imagined myself as self-employed,” he said. Now the owner of Signorino Construction in Wayne, he’s involved in residential and commercial construction and has learned that one painful lesson all business owners face: everybody else gets paid first. Business has been steady lately after some slow downs, but Signorino said the name of the game is conserving.
“You don’t know what tomorrow will bring,” he said.
At the moment, he’s anxiously waiting on what tomorrow – or sometime within the next few weeks – will bring. A boy or a girl? Melissa, his wife of six years, is due to deliver their third child soon, joining four-year-old Salvatore and two-year-old Joseph.
Melissa is a West Milford “lifer” and Signorino knew that when they married West Milford would be their home. The township’s rural nature is what makes him most comfortable.
“West Milford’s most outstanding features are its natural beauty and the volunteerism that exists in this town. It’s just a wonderful, well-rounded community. They are just good, down to earth people,” he said.
A councilman since January, 2011, Signorino will be seeking a second term on the Principled Republican ticket. He’s been the council president for two years and he’s found his foray into local politics to be enlightening and an overall good experience.
His motive for seeking public office stemmed from concern over economic uncertainty, rising prices and runaway taxes. An inner voice propelled him forward, to do his part to ensure a better future.
“My greatest motivation is to be able to tell my children one day that I did everything in my power to pass on to them as secure, prosperous and opportune a world as that which I inherited. I feel that being a councilman here in town is one way I can work to make that happen,” he said.
Signorino understands that change doesn’t happen over night and he senses a positive energy building. He takes pride in the work he’s done in striving to keep the municipal portion of taxes low.
“Whenever I talk to fellow residents they have been very thankful and very encouraging that I continue to do what I believe is right for the taxpayers and residents of our town,” he said. “I’m looking to see through our lobbying efforts with the Newark Watershed, addressing the impact the Highlands Act has on West Milford and continuing communications with the board of education on issues we can resolve together as a team.”
When Signorino is not on the job or tending to council business he likes best to spend his time with his wife and children; taking long drives, ice skating, visiting family. He also likes to cook when time permits, but routinely it’s Melissa who handles the daily feeding of the family.
“My wife is an excellent cook. She’s awesome when it comes to Italian food and she’s welcomed learning my mom’s recipes,” he said. What more could a guy ask for? A lovely wife who cooks just like mom.
Signorino sent in a recipe for home made ricotta that serves four to eight people. The photo shows him making a batch of cheese for a large gathering – so don’t be alarmed by the photo, you won’t need a cauldron to try his recipe.