Contact Information
Commissioner Dr. Joseph P. Scarpelli
Director, Department of Public Works
1 Kennedy Drive
Nutley, New Jersey 07110
Phone: (973) 284-4959
Email: commissionerscarpelli@nutleynj.org
Dr. Joseph P. Scarpelli is currently serving his fifth term on the Township of Nutley Board of Commissioners, previously serving as Mayor from 2016-2020 and 2022-2024. Elected in May 2008, he is the Director of Public Works.
Dr. Joseph P. Scarpelli was born and raised in Nutley, NJ. He attended the Nutley Public Schools and graduated from Nutley High School where he was a three-sport varsity letter man and vice president of his class. He was also named Who’s Who Among American High School Students in 1976.
As a pre-med major he attended Upsala College where he was a member of the nationally ranked Division III varsity football team. He was also president of the Theta Epsilon Omicron Iota fraternity.
In 1980, he entered New York Chiropractic College graduating with honors in 1983. Dr. Scarpelli served his internship at the prestigious Levittown Outpatient Facility in Levittown, New York. Upon graduation, Dr. Scarpelli returned to his hometown to open his practice and has cared for his patients in the same location for the last 27 years. Dr. Scarpelli is licensed by the New Jersey Board of Chiropractic Examiners. He is also licensed to practice in the state of New York.
Dr. Scarpelli and his family have a history of public service. His grandfather, Peter Scarpelli, Sr., was a respected community activist and his father, Peter C. Scarpelli, a former Mayor of Nutley, had over 39 years of service on the Nutley Board of Commissioners. Continuing in this tradition, Dr. Scarpelli has served on the Essex County College Board of Trustees, the Nutley Board of Education, and the Essex County Board of Freeholders.
During his service on the Board of Freeholders, he promoted a policy of reining in spending, eliminating duplicity of services, and minimizing tax increases. In his three years as a county representative, he voted in favor of balanced budgets that did not raise the tax levy on Essex County residents. He supported the creation of the Essex County Open Space Trust Fund, which established a mechanism for preserving and acquiring open space. He also supported the preserving of over 300 acres of landscape, known as the Hilltop, which kept this property out of the hands of developers, converting this prime real estate into a passive park for future generations to enjoy. In an effort to make county government more accessible, he opened a satellite suburban office to better serve his constituents. “County Government Day”, was one of his innovations to introduce high school students to the inner workings of Essex County government.
In addition to his governmental experience, Dr. Scarpelli has devoted his entire adult life to youth and civic activities. His past volunteer service includes the Nutley American Little League, the Nutley Senior Baseball League, Nutley Midget Football League, the Nutley Chamber of Commerce, the Nutley Columbus Parade Committee, and League of Women Voters. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Nutley Family Service Bureau, Scarpelli Civic Association and the Montclair/Glen Ridge/Nutley chapter of the American Red Cross. He is a past president of the Nutley chapter of Unico National and remains an active member. Additionally, he has served on the Marconi Centennial Committee and the Nutley Columbus Quincentennial Committee. Dr. Scarpelli coordinated the citizen committees for both the Franklin School Improvement Project and Elementary School Improvement Plan. He currently serves as Executive Secretary to the Essex County Mental Health Advisory Board and is recognized as one of the leading advocates for the mentally ill in Essex County.
Some of the honors Dr. Scarpelli has received is his inclusion in the 1985 Outstanding Young Men of America and being named Who’s Who of Among American’s of Italian Descent by the Italian Tribune News in 1995. He was Nutley Unico’s 1996 Man of the Year and was honored by the Nutley Jaycees with their Distinguished Service Award in 1999. In 2016, Dr. Scarpelli along with his father Peter C. Scarpelli were honored by the Italian Tribune Christopher Columbus Gala Award, for their Community Service.
Dr. Scarpelli is married to the former Suzanne Kent and have three grown children: Salvatore, Arielle, and Gianna, and four grandchildren.
