MAIL IN BALLOTS ARRIVE IN LATE SEPTEMBER | EARLY VOTING FROM OCTOBER 24 - NOVEMBER 1 | ELECTION DAY ON NOVEMBER 3 FROM 6AM TO 8PM
Meet Russell Talamini
21 years
12 years
Oakland Councilman
Oakland Resident
Russell Talamini has been a member of Oakland Borough Council since 2013 and is currently serving as the Council President. He currently serves as the liaison to the Planning Board, local school boards, and Green Team. Russ also serves on the Finance Committee and the Administration Committee.
Prior to serving on the Borough Council, he was president of the Oakland K-8 Board of Education where he was a member of the team that searched for and hired the current superintendent. Before moving to Oakland, he also served as a council member in the Borough of Harrington Park, N.J.
Among his most significant recent achievements on the Oakland Council, Russ cites his role in the replacement of the Patriots Way bridge, the installation of advanced treatment facilities to protect Oakland’s water supply from PFAS (“forever chemicals”), and the defeat of a poorly considered recycling dump proposal in 2024.
Russ chairs the Borough Council’s Finance Committee and serves as the Council liaison to the Oakland Public Events Committee. When not attending Borough meetings, Russ is known as a long-time youth basketball and baseball coach and is also a local business owner. Russ and his wife Lucy have three children.
Experience Matters
In his years on the Borough Council, Councilman Talamini has played a part in many of the Borough's successes. Over the last three years, Russell has worked with the governing body to stop the dump, ensuring the Borough has clean drinking water with the successful implementation of the PFAS system, worked with the rest of the Council to fight the state mandated affordable housing requirements, made the tough decision to switch garbage collectors but in doing so, save the Borough $1.4 million over the length of the contract, and helped to ensure the Patriots Way bridge was completed at no cost to Oakland taxpayers.
Over the years on the Council, Russell has fought to keep taxes stable. Russell was a member of the search committee to hire the current CFO and has helped negotiate contracts with Borough employees. He is a strong supporter of Oakland Recreation having been a coach for many years and since joining the Council, Russell has helped maintain a great working relationship between the Governing Body and both Boards of Education.
If re-elected, Russell will continue to listen to the residents and keep them informed and use his years of experience and successes to keep Oakland moving in the right direction.
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Email:
russandryan2026 at gmail.com
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