Mr James Or Jim Sealy, 87
James Sealy, 87; committed to Westwood
James Sealy, a former Westwood mayor and councilman whose public service to the borough spanned more than 35 years, died Monday.
The lifelong borough resident was 87.
An engineer by trade, Mr. Sealy was a Republican councilman for much of the period from 1956 to 1973, and mayor in 1967. He stepped down from the council to become tax assessor, a job he held until 1992.
As the council’s police commissioner, Mr. Sealy exerted tight control over the Police Department. He occasionally spent all night at police headquarters and went out on calls with officers.
In 1971, The Record reported that some officers were frustrated about Mr. Sealy’s oversight of the department. Some said he even questioned suspects. Mr. Sealy denied that, saying, “I have been present when people were brought in, but I have never questioned anyone.”
Asked about Mr. Sealy’s sometimes controversial four-year stint as commissioner, Mr. Sealy’s nephew, John Sealy of Ramsey, pointed out that his uncle had “a great working relationship” and was “great friends” with the police chief at the time, John Cafaro.
John Sealy said his uncle took seriously his role as public servant. One of Mr. Sealy’s brothers was killed in World War II, “and that left a lasting impression on him that serving your country in any capacity is valiant and meaningful,” he said.
Mr. Sealy also was the volunteer executive secretary of the 10-member Pascack Valley Mayors Association for 40 years, keeping its records and helping to arrange its monthly meetings. He was active in the group until suffering a fall in June.
“Jim was the glue who kept the association functioning,” said the group’s president, Woodcliff Lake Mayor Joe LaPaglia.
One of Mr. Sealy’s most valuable roles, LaPaglia said, “was helping the mayors from a historical perspective. … Jim had a wealth of knowledge about the evolution of the entire Pascack Valley.”
James Sealy graduated from Westwood High School in 1939, studied chemical engineering at The Cooper Union and entered the Army in 1942.
He was assigned to the Manhattan Project as a technical supervisor of process operations at K-25, the uranium isotope separation plant at Oak Ridge, Tenn.
After the war, he completed his studies at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, receiving a degree in industrial engineering.
Mr. Sealy, who never married, worked in New York for Ebasco Services as a utilities safety consultant and a health physicist.
Survivors include nephews and nieces.
Visitation will be Thursday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at Becker Funeral Home, Westwood. A funeral Mass will be said Friday at 10 a.m. at St. Andrew’s R.C. Church, Westwood. Interment will be in Maryrest Cemetery, Mahwah.
Published in The Record, (Hackensack, NJ) – Wednesday, September 10, 2008
