08/27/2026
The City of Clifton mourns the passing of Passaic County Commissioner Bruce James, a dedicated public servant and longtime Clifton resident of nearly 40 years.
Commissioner James devoted decades to serving the people of Passaic County and leaves behind a lasting legacy of advocacy and commitment to our community.
We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, and all those whose lives he touched. May he rest in peace.
On behalf of the entire Board of County Commissioners, it is with a heavy heart that I share the news that our colleague and friend, Commissioner Bruce James, passed away earlier today.
Bruce served the people of Passaic County for two decades. He was the first elected to the Board in November 2005 and before that he spent his career at the Passaic County Board of Social Services as a caseworker then supervisor. That work never left him. He had sat across the desk from residents on the hardest day of their lives and he brought those people into the Board room with him every single time we voted.
He also understood the importance of the County having a strong foundation to better support all its residents. Bruce was a consistent voice for fiscal responsibility, and he stood behind the hard budget decisions that got us to the strongest credit rating in our history. Our parks belonged to everyone, as far as he was concerned, and he backed the investments that made them what they are today. On public safety, he was relentless. He fought for the people and the equipment to protect this county, and he did not wait to be asked.
He was a resident of Clifton for almost 40 years and longtime president of his labor organization and a fierce advocate for the people who do the work in this county. He gave his time to the Passaic County Food Bank, St. Joseph’s early intervention program and to the Greater Paterson OIC.
We will miss our colleague and friend.
Our deepest condolences go to Bruce’s family and friends. Thank you for sharing him with us for so long.
