When James Connolly was the deputy mayor of North Bergen, he was a man who cared about his constituents, but he also cared about nature.
One of Connolly’s passions was a rock garden and a park that he helped to build, located adjacent to his home in the Westview Towers on Granton Avenue.
“Jim was the person who told everyone that he was going to build a park there,” North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco said. “He would constantly go out there and do the work himself. He’s the one who wanted the park, so we let him have the land to build it. He laid out the plans and watched every step of it.”
Unfortunately, Connolly didn’t get a chance to see the park in its completion. He died in 1997, ending a long career of public service to the community.
Last week, North Bergen township officials dedicated the park that Connolly helped to build in his honor, unveiling a plaque that proclaims the park as the James Connolly Memorial Park.
“It’s a fitting tribute to a man who had a vision,” Sacco said of his longtime friend, who also befriended several professional athletes, including former heavyweight boxing champion Joe Frazier. “It’s a nice park where the seniors can walk up and enjoy the day. The park is well used by the seniors who live in the neighborhood.”
Connolly served as an aide in the North Bergen Senior Citizen program before his death in 1997. He was also known for his work with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and dabbled as a boxing promoter, putting on local boxing shows.
“He promised everyone that there would be a park put there, and now there is,” Sacco said. “It’s unfortunate that he wasn’t able to finish what he started, but in dedicating the park to him, everyone will always remember him and what he did.”