Experience + Leadership = Progress. That’s the winning formula for West Orange.
I’m Brian Rock, and I’m asking for your support to be Mayor.
I’m an experienced leader, serving for the past four years as President of the West Orange Board of Education. I’ve been a classroom educator, a union negotiator, and a data analyst.
On November 3, 2026, Vote Brian Rock Mayor of West Orange.
Why Am I Running?
Five years ago, I stepped up to serve on the West Orange Board of Education. Superintendent Moore, myself, and the rest of the Board have worked together to do what’s best for the students and families of West Orange. We have a track record to be proud of.
Our steady leadership and forward progress stands in stark contrast to town hall – which has been mired in infighting. Important issues like downtown redevelopment, our affordable housing plan, the budget process, and so much more have been caught in the crossfire.
My family and I chose to live in West Orange, and we are proud to call it our home. So I can’t sit idly by and watch while our community stagnates. I was raised to answer the call to service – and the situation in West Orange is calling for leadership.
How Can You Help?
Stay In Touch
You’ll learn more about me as a candidate and get updates throughout the campaign. I’ll send you regular emails and/or text messages with what’s going on.
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Contribute
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What do I Believe In?
Solutions, Not Blame
For years, I was a volunteer with the Citizens Campaign. I was a founding member of a civic trust, and I consulted on the development of their civics curriculum.
If there’s one thing I learned from them, it’s that you get stuff done by focusing on solutions – not on casting blame.
Budget Within Our Means
Budgeting in the current era – with a cap on the tax levy and ever increasing costs – is tough. As a school district, we’ve reckoned with these challenges and made tough choices when necessary.
Meanwhile, the town has relied on borrowing to get things done and our debt is on the rise. It’s time to right the ship.
Doing Good, Not Perfection
One of my guiding principles is to never let the perfect stand in the way of the good.
As an elected official, I have to make choices – and rarely is one of the available options perfect. Instead of comparing each option to perfection, I compare it to the status quo.
Compromise is necessary if you want to do good.
The Future of West Orange
I wasn’t born in West Orange. We chose to make this our home because it met all of our needs as a family.
With each passing year, I love it even more – the schools, the community, the culture, the parks.
We may face challenges, but I believe there are brighter days ahead. Together, we can make progress toward that future.
Who’s Brian?
I’m an educator, and I spent the first decade of my career teaching high school social studies in East Orange. I’ve studied at Rutgers, worked at C-SPAN, volunteered with civic groups, and dabbled in photography, I’m currently a data analyst for the New Jersey Education Association.
I’ve lived in several different towns in New Jersey throughout my life and ultimately my wife and I chose to plant our roots in West Orange. We were looking for a community that was diverse, that had great schools, and that was relatively affordable. West Orange checked every box – and we grow to love it more every day.
Read more about my personal and professional history in my bio
