Former West Milford Mayor Carl Richko has been named chair of the N.J. Highlands Council
Gov. Phil Murphy is making a big move at the N.J. Highlands Council.
Murphy has named Carl Richko, a retired public school teacher and former West Milford mayor, to chair the state council overseeing the controversial 2004 Highlands Act limiting development in ecologically-sensitive parts of seven northern counties.
Former Gov. Chris Christie was critical of the Highlands Act, which has drawn objections from many Republicans who say it diminishes property values of land owners in the region.
Richko joined the Highlands Council in January 2010, just before Christie took office, and has consistently sided with those arguing that the law's primary purpose -- protecting drinking water used by more than half the state's residents -- should not be undermined.
He succeeds Jim Rilee, a Christie appointee who had chaired the council since 2011. Rilee, a Republican, quit as chair and resigned from the council in March, ahead of an anticipated makeover by Murphy.
Jim Rilee greets then-Gov. Chris Christie at a town hall meeting in Roxbury in 2010 New Jersey Sierra Club Director Jeff Tittel, who took issue with Christie for loosening septic density restrictions in the Highlands, lauded Murphy for elevating Richko.
"We've been battling development and rollbacks in the Highlands for almost ten years and are looking forward to a major change," Tittel said, describing Richko as "a champion of the region for decades" committed to combating the effects of overdevelopment and climate change.
Richko was a Republican until about two decades ago, when he switched to unaffiliated.
Contacted on Monday, Richko said, "My goal as chairman is the same goal I had my first day I was appointed to the job, which is to protect the resources of the Highlands."
In April 2012, Richko voted against removing the council's executive director, Eileen Swan, who had served as an environmental adviser to former Gov. Jon Corzine. A resolution ousting Swan was bolstered by the Christie faction on the council and gained approval, 8-7.
Richko voted against Swan's successor, former Morris County freeholder Gene Feyl, but in 2014 voted to approve a second ex-Morris County freeholder, Margaret Nordstrom, who remains the executive director. Both Feyl and Nordstrom are Republicans.
Of the 88 municipalities in the Highlands Region, West Milford -- where Richko is a 56-year resident -- has the largest acreage.
Richko, 68, got his start in environmental advocacy nearly four decades ago, joining the successful effort to block a proposed residential development by the Oak Ridge Reservoir in West Milford.
About a decade before the Highlands Act became law, Richko helped found the Pequannock River Coalition, which sought to protect the water quality of a 20-mile tributary of the Pompton River.
He was a member of the West Milford school board from 1981 to 1990, when he was elected to the West Milford Council. Richko was on the council until 1995, serving as mayor for three years.
He was a public school teacher for 36 years, the last 34 in Sparta, before retiring in 2008.
Murphy has yet to announce any nominations to the Highlands Council. The law authorizes up to 15 members -- there are three vacancies -- and currently all on the council are serving beyond their expired terms, including the six remaining Christie appointees.
Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.