Council President

Jason Delia

Jason Delia was sworn-in as a member of the Metuchen Borough Council in 2019 and re-elected for a second term in 2021. Since 2022 he has had the honor of being selected by his colleagues on the Council to serve as Borough Council President.

During his time on the Council, President Delia has been an ardent advocate for improving safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and micro mobility users. He, along with the Mayor and Council, successfully led an effort to reduce the speed limits on the State and County roads within the Borough to 25 mph. He has worked directly with Middlesex County on upcoming safety improvements along Main St that will add curb bumpouts at numerous intersections, improve traffic signalization, add crossing signals, and create a leading pedestrian interval phase at the busiest pedestrian intersection downtown. Council President Delia is looking forward to Metuchen soon installing its first bike lane, which he helped to plan and to secure funding.

Council President Delia is a member of the Executive Board of the Metuchen Downtown Alliance which in 2023 was awarded the Great American Main Street Award by Main Street America. This was in part due to the Borough’s support of businesses during the pandemic, an effort spearheaded by President Delia. By the time non-essential businesses were allowed to reopen in June of 2020, Metuchen had already loosened restrictions on sidewalk cafes, opened public space for outdoor dining and shopping, and allocated public space for curbside pickup. Metuchen’s downtown not only survived COVID, but it is thriving with more businesses now than were here pre-pandemic.

His passion extends beyond the Borough’s borders. When a Borough resident was tragically struck and killed on his bike in 2020, Council President Delia worked closely with the advocates at the Vision Zero New Jersey Alliance to urge the State legislature to enact what would become the NJ Safe Passing Law. With sponsorship from his 18th District representatives; Senator Diegnan, Assemblyman Karbinchak and Assemblymen Stanley, the bill was pushed forward through the Statehouse and signed by the Governor in August 2021.

Council President Delia’s contributions have not gone unnoticed throughout the state. In 2023 Delia was honored to be selected by Middlesex County as the first recipient of the George Ververides Outstanding Community Leadership Award. Along with the award, the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly passed a joint resolution to thank him for the “immeasurable contributions he has made to improve traffic, pedestrian, and bicycle safety” and paid tribute to his “meritorious record of service, leadership, and commitment to his fellow citizens”. The resolution referred to him as “a tireless advocate for traffic and pedestrian safety in Middlesex County and beyond” and said that “the people of New Jersey are genuinely indebted to public-spirited individuals, exemplified by Jason Delia, who dedicate their time and energies and utilize their unique talents to strengthen their communities and enrich the quality of life for their neighbors”.

Council President Delia has been asked to share his experience at multiple conferences including at the annual New Jersey League of Municipalities conference as well as the Main Street Now conference two years in a row. He has contributed his expertise as a panelist, on radio programs, on podcasts, and has provided guidance to other municipal officials and advocates throughout the state.

President Delia currently sits on the Metuchen Planning Board, is liaison to the Metuchen Traffic & Transportation Committee, the Metuchen Board of Education, the Finance Committee and formerly the Metuchen TV & Technology Committee and Accessibility Committee. Since moving to Metuchen in 2011 he has spent countless hours volunteering in the community. Delia has held various roles in town soccer and baseball; he designed and maintained the Farmers Market web presence; and he founded CoderDojo Metuchen, an organization aimed at educating youth on the foundations of computer programming.

Professionally, Delia is a Senior Director of Engineering at a technology startup. He received his Master of Business Administration degree from New York Institute of Technology, and his bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University. He and his wife, Courtney, have one son.