Arvin Amatorio is a

Filipino-American Filipino Americans () are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos in North America were first documented in the 16th century and other small settlements beginning in the 18th century. Mass migration did not begin until after the end of the Sp ...

attorney and politician, currently serving his second term as the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Bergenfield, New Jersey Bergenfield is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 28,321, an increase of 1,557 (+5.8%) from the 2010 census count of 26,764, which in turn reflected ...

. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a two-term

councilman A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or regio ...

and council president. Amatorio is the second Filipino to serve as mayor of Bergenfield.

Early life and education

Amatorio was born and raised in

Baler A baler or hay baler is a piece of farm machinery used to compress a cut and raked crop (such as hay, cotton, flax straw, salt marsh hay, or silage) into compact bales that are easy to handle, transport, and store. Often, bales are config ...

Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

, Philippines, to public school teachers. He earned a degree in economics from

Colegio de San Juan de Letran The Colegio de San Juan de Letran (), also referred to by its acronym CSJL, is a private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution owned and run by the friars of the Order of Preachers in Intramuros, Manila, Philippines. I ...

and later obtained a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from San Sebastian College in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

. Amatorio immigrated to the United States in 2002. He is pursuing a master of

liberal arts Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...

international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Career

While still in the Philippines, Amatorio worked at the

Department of the Interior and Local Government The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG; ) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for promoting peace and order, ensuring public safety and strengthening local government capability aimed towards ...

(DILG) in 1996. He later worked at the defunct Economic Intelligence and Investigation Bureau under the Department of Finance before it was deactivated. After immigrating to the United States in 2002, he was admitted to practice law in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

in 2006. He is also admitted to practice both in the US Southern District and the Eastern District Courts of New York. From 2006, he practiced immigration law in New York, became a litigation lawyer, and later opened his immigration law office in

. His early career involved defending the Filipino nurses in the civil case, known as the �
Sentosa Case
" after they were sued by their recruitment agency and medical facilities in New York State court. Amatorio also represented the

Republic of the Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of 7,641 islands, with a total area of roughly 300,000 square kilometers, which ar ...

through the

Presidential Commission on Good Government The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) is a quasi-judicial government agency of the Philippines whose primary mandate is to recover the ill-gotten wealth accumulated by Ferdinand Marcos, his immediate family, relatives, subordi ...

(PCGG) during the forfeiture cases filed by the Philippines, in this case the US Southern District Court of New York, specifically concerning the claim on a piece of Claude Monet's

Water Lily Water lily or water lilies may refer to: Plants * Members of the family Nymphaeaceae Nymphaeaceae () is a family of flowering plants, commonly called water lilies. They live as rhizomatous aquatic herbs in temperate climate, temperate ...

painting and other properties sold by former First Lady

Imelda Marcos Imelda Romualdez Marcos (; born Imelda Remedios Visitación Trinidad Romuáldez; July 2, 1929) is a Filipino politician who was First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, wielding significant political power after her husband Ferdinand ...

secretary Vilm
⁣⁣Bautista⁣⁣.
�Except for Water Lily, the other claimants, including the Class (Human Rights victims) represented b
Robert Swift
the company that substituted

Rogelio Roxas Rogelio "Roger" Domingo Roxas (died May 25, 1993) was a former Filipino soldier who had worked as a locksmith before allegedly discovering in a cave north of Manila a hidden chamber full of gold bars and a giant golden Buddha statue – which ...

, and the family of Vilma Bautista, reached a court settlement.

Political career

A member of the Democratic Party, Amatorio was first elected to the Bergenfield Borough Council, serving two terms as councilman and council president in 2015 and 2018. He was considered as a replacement for former Assemblyman

Joseph Lagana Joseph A. Lagana (born December 15, 1978) is an American attorney and Democratic Party politician who has represented the 38th Legislative District in the New Jersey Senate since 2018. He served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2014 to ...

New Jersey's 38th legislative district New Jersey's 38th legislative district is one of 40 districts that make up the map for the New Jersey Legislature. It covers the Bergen County municipalities of Bergenfield, Fair Lawn, Glen Rock, Hasbrouck Heights, Little Ferry, Lodi, May ...

, but the position went to

Chris Tully Peter Christopher Tully (born March 31, 1982) is an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician who has represented the New Jersey's 38th legislative district, 38th Legislative District in the New Jersey New Jersey As ...

, Amatorio’s former colleague on the Bergenfield Council. In 2019, he was elected mayor of Bergenfield, the second mayor of Filipino descent, after Rober Rivas. He defeated two-time incumbent Republican Mayor Norman Schmelz in a fiercely contested race, prompting Amatorio to file a

defamation Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...

lawsuit against Schmelz. Amatorio was re-elected mayor of Bergenfield in 2023, running unopposed. Amatorio is also the Bergenfield Municipal Chairman of th
Democratic Committee of Bergen County.
Following his 2019 election, Amatorio sparked controversy by choosing not to re-appoint a long-serving municipal judge, instead appointin
Franklin Montero, Bergenfield's first-ever Latino judge
who also became the only Hispanic Municipal judge in Bergen County that time. Bergenfield previously appointed�
Cathy Madalone, the first female Police Chief
and late
Mustafa Rabboh, the first Muslim Police Chief
ref> in Bergen County, which Amatorio both supported as a council member. In early 2022, despite opposition from critics citing cost, Amatorio pushed for th
construction of the new Borough Hall
which had been debated for more than a decade. Amatorio was late
sworn in at the new building in January 2024
marking his second term and the first official use of the new Borough Hall after overseeing its construction. Amatori
advocated redevelopment
and
evitalization of the business district
a move that brought opposition fearing congestion and could increase population in the school district, a myth Amatorio dispelled. In 2023, Amatorio and the Bergenfield Council commence
construction on a multi-purpose field
costing more than $4 million, utilizing the $2.6 million grant received for the project. This decision raised concerns about potential tax increases after Amatorio and the Borough Council spent over half a million dollar
upgrading 12 parks in Bergenfield
with new equipment.

Personal life

Amatorio met his wife, IIya Evangelista Amatorio, while working at the DILG in the Philippines in 1996. They have two children, Lance and Andrew. He is a member of

Lex Talionis Fraternitas Lex Talionis Fraternitas, Inc. (Sodalitas Ducum Futurorum), commonly known as Lex Talionis, is a fraternal organization of Filipino jurists, legal practitioners, and law students. It was founded on September 29, 1969 at the San Beda College of L ...

,and the Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of the State of New York, Jose Rizal Lodge 1132. He is also a Chapter Commander of the

Knights of Rizal The Knights of Rizal ( Spanish: ''Orden de Caballeros de Rizál''; Filipino: ''Mga Maginoo ni Rizal''; sometimes abbreviated as KOR) is an order of chivalry of the Philippines, created to honor and uphold the ideals of the de facto Philippine ...

, Bergenfield Chapter.

References

External links