Fort Lee Attorney, Palisades Park Political Leader Named Persons Of Year

The Board of Directors of The Fort Lee Regional Chamber of Commerce (FLRCC) announced its 2012-2013 “Persons of the Year” Tuesday, and sharing the honor this year are Fort Lee attorney Craig Weinstein and Mike Pollotta, a retired construction professional and longtime Democratic political leader from Palisades Park.

The two were recognized at the Chamber’s annual luncheon on June 28 at Fort Lee’s and will be honored at the FLRCC’s annual dinner dancer in November.

Specifically, Weinstein is being honored for his “civic activities and service to the Chamber,” while Pollotta is being recognized for “lifelong contributions to various civic and charitable organizations as well as his extensive work in local and state politics,” according to Chamber officials.

“We all benefit from the dedication and energy Mr. Weinstein and Mr. Pollotta consistently give to their towns and to residents throughout the area,” said FLRCC board president Kenneth Bruno. “Their efforts set an impressive example and have improved the quality of life for the residents and businesses in Fort Lee, Palisades Park and beyond.”

Weinstein, an attorney with a general law practice in Fort Lee, is a past Chamber president and current member of its executive committee who was instrumental in forming the Main Street Revitalization Committee and wrote the ordinance to allow outdoor cafes in town, according to the local Chamber.

He has served on several town boards and committees and is counsel for the Fort Lee Education Foundation (FLEF), the Fort Lee Girls Softball League and the Fort Lee Girls Recreational Basketball League.

Weinstein has also provided a paid summer internship to a student in Fort Lee High School’s Academy of Finance (AOF), for which he has served as a mentor and board member, and each year, he has sent a high school basketball player to Jim Boeheim’s Summer Basketball Camp at Syracuse University, Weinstein’s alma mater, according to the Chamber.

An avid athlete, Weinstein was a bike lead for professional athletes in the 2012 New York City Triathlon in July and is the Chamber’s Ironman committee for the taking place Aug. 11 in Fort Lee and New York City.

Pollotta and his father founded A. Pollotta & Son in 1950, building schools, houses of worship, public buildings and shopping centers in Bergen and Hudson Counties and throughout New Jersey.

Pollotta has raised funds throughout his career for organizations and causes like the Boy Scouts and multiple sclerosis research. He has also served as president of the Lions Club and the Palisades Park Board of Education and has been an active member of the Palisades Park PTA, Palisades Park Sportsman Club, Holy Name Society of St. Nicholas Church and the Elks Lodge 1466, according to the Chamber, which describes Pollotta as “a well-known figure in Bergen County politics,” having served as chairman of the Palisades Park Democratic Club since 1961.

Pollotta was a national delegate to the 1976 Democratic presidential convention and was inducted into the Democratic Bergen County Hall of Fame in 2011. The Borough of Palisades Park honored him for more than 40 years of community service by renaming its municipal complex in his name in 2009, according to the Chamber.

The Fort Lee Regional Chamber of Commerce, which was until recently called the Greater Fort Lee Chamber of Commerce, has recognized people who “have made a significant contribution to the organization and the community” as its Person—or as is the case this year, Persons—of the Year since 1970.

Details on how to get tickets for the 2012 Person of the Year dinner dance, which go on sale in September, will be available on the Chamber’s website.