The office in Vernon will be one of six "constituent service centers."
VERNON -- Mayor Harry Shortway, whose crossover endorsement of U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer made waves last fall, is offering another boost to New Jersey's newest member of Congress.
Shortway, a Republican, said on Saturday he is turning over an unoccupied office in the township's municipal building to Gottheimer.
The office in Vernon will be one of six "constituent service centers" in the district operated by Gottheimer, a Democrat who ousted former Republican Rep. Scott Garrett last fall.
"He's trying to save money. We have the room," Shortway said.
Shortway said the township is not seeking rent for the office and that Gottheimer indicated it will be used no more than once per week.
"We're ready to go whenever he's prepared," Shortway said.
As for approvals, Shortway said that, under Vernon's form of government, the mayor controls use of the building and that he does not need permission from the Township Council.
Councilman Patrick Rizzuto, a Republican who supported Garrett over Gottheimer, agreed with Shortway's interpretation.
"The mayor does run the building. He can assign office space to whoever he wants," Rizzuto said.
"As far as rent, again, it's his building, within reason," Rizzuto said, adding, "I'm certainly not going to like it if we have to use township personnel to support the congressman.
Shortway said no municipal employees will be involved.
Gottheimer announced on Wednesday six office locations he will be using in the Fifth District, which includes parts of Bergen, Sussex, Warren and Passaic counties. He took office Jan. 3.
Shortway's endorsement of Gottheimer was highlighted by the Democrat during the final month of the campaign. He offered his support after Gottheimer, a Wyckoff resident, journeyed to Vernon.
"My thing with Josh, in our first meeting, was people come here and forget about us. He proposed this," Shortway said, referring to having a district office in Vernon.
Garrett lives in Wantage and was the first Sussex County resident elected to Congress in 90 years when he took office in January 2003.
Shortway took office in January 2016 after defeating former Mayor Vic Marotta, a Republican recently hired as the business administrator in Hopatcong.
His father, also named Harry Shortway, is the Republican mayor of Midland Park.
Reflecting on his endorsement of Gottheimer, Shortway said, "I went out on a limb, being a Republican."
"I knew it was going to upset a lot of other Republicans. Josh and I were very similar on the issues," Shortway said.
Gottheimer's two main offices will be in Glen Rock and Newton, the same municipalities where Garrett's offices were located.
In addition to Vernon, his satellite offices will be in Ringwood, Washington Borough in Warren County, and Hackensack.
Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.