Meet Team Dalina!

Mayor Stephen Dalina has served in this position since January 2021. Previously he served the community as Councilman At-Large since 2011.

He moved to the third ward with his wife Susan and two children (Stephen Jr and Jayson) in 1998.

Dalina is currently the Director for Rutgers University’s Institution Planning and Development – Business Services. He also serves as a part-time lecturer at the School of Communication at Rutgers. An expert in the field of Records and Information Management and Governance, Steve is an author and frequent guest speaker for numerous business organizations.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Rider University and has a Master of Library and Information Science degree from Rutgers University.

Dalina formerly served as chairman of both the Monroe Township Zoning Board of Adjustment and the Recreation Advisory Board. He is a past member of the Monroe Township Baseball Association Executive Board, serving as League president in 2007 and 2008, the former president of the Rutgers Club from 2005 to 2010, and previously served as secretary, treasurer
and president of the Northern New Jersey Chapter of the Association of Records Managers and Administrators. As a Council liaison, Dalina sat on the Monroe Township Library Board, the Citizens Review Board as chairman, the Affordable Housing Commission as chairman and the
Recreation Advisory Board.

Councilwoman Miriam Cohen has served as Council At-Large since 2017 and is the current Council President.

Cohen is a Registered Nurse, earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Adelphi University and a master’s degree in community health nursing from Rutgers University.

Councilwoman Cohen serves as an Adjunct Clinical Professor at The College of New Jersey. Her past professional roles include senior consultant for MIIX Healthcare Group, director of referrals at the Essex Valley Visiting Nurses Association, public health nursing supervisor at the Middlesex County Public Health Department and most recently, director of disaster planning for the New Jersey Primary Care Association.

An avid tap dancer and grandmother to five, Cohen previously headed a community League of Women Voters, is a former member of the Monroe Township Affordable Housing Board and serves as president of the Whittingham Homeowner’s Association in Greenbriar at
Whittingham.  As a Council liaison, Cohen currently sits on the Middlesex County
Transportation Board and the Monroe Township Cultural Arts Commission and Youth Advisory Commission.

Councilman Terence “Terry” Van Dzura was appointed to the open seat in 2021 and was later elected to serve the unexpired term of Councilman At-Large. Terry is a twenty-seven-year resident of Monroe Township. During this time, he was actively involved in coaching youth sports, including softball and basketball. His son and daughter graduated from Monroe Township High School and have graduated from college. Van Dzura has been a Monroe Township Committee Member for several years.

Van Dzura has been a licensed New Jersey attorney since 1981. He is a former judicial law clerk and served as assistant Middlesex County prosecutor for three years.

Van Dzura has served as an arbitrator for the Middlesex County Superior Court and has also served as the municipal prosecutor for the Township of Edison and Carteret Borough. He is general counsel to a number of local homeowners associations.

Throughout his law career, Van Dzura has handled all aspects of personal injury claims and workers’ compensation matters. In addition to being a successful business and real estate attorney, he has vast experience with criminal jury trials and municipal court cases.

Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Terry became a member of Trial Lawyers Care, which assisted 9/11 families on a pro bono basis.

Van Dzura is a former Chairman of the Monroe Township Planning Board.

Van Dzura attended Woodbridge High School and is a 1978 graduate of Rutgers University. He earned his law degree from the New England Law in Boston and currently practices at his office in East Brunswick.

Councilman Markel was appointed by the Township Council on May 1, 2023, to fill the unexpired term left vacant by the passing of Councilwoman Elizabeth “Betty” Schneider. The councilman will serve until the November general election.

Mike and his wife, Barbara, moved to Rossmoor after retiring as the owner and operator of a retail business for 35 years.
A longtime community leader, Mike brings experience as a past planning and zoning board chair, past vice president of the local Chamber of Commerce, a former scout leader and was bestowed an honorary state lifetime PTA membership. Mike has enjoyed coaching both youth baseball and
softball and is an active member of Moms Demand Action.

As Council liaison, Markel sits on the Commission on Aging, Human Relations Commission, Open Space Farmland Commission, and Americans with Disabilities Act Committee.