NEWARK -- After the chairman of fencing's ruling body in New Jersey abruptly resigned last week following his politically-charged rebuff of Newark, the group's executive committee has named a city native to replace him.

The committee also resolved to work with Newark to stage an event there.

The secretary of USA Fencing's New Jersey Division said Monday that Alexandra Gioiella had been named acting chair of the 10-member executive board during a teleconference meeting on Thursday night.

Gioiella is a Maplewood resident who is originally from Newark, said Alice Key, secretary of the NJ Division, whose members are scattered around the state and meet by teleconference.

"She has been involved with fencing since the age of 14 and is an active member of the fencing community on both the local and national level," Kee said in an email. "She has also been a referee in the sport for at least the last 4 years."

Gioiella replaces Gene Costa, who resigned on Thursday.

After two months as chairman and a relatively low profile in the sport, Costa drew criticism from within the Garden State's closely-knit fencing community when he rebuffed an invitation from the Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau to help organize an event.

"Please tell Mayor Ras Baraka that the NJ Division of USA Fencing is not interested in holding any of our activities in Newark, NJ, as of June 19, 2017, due to its Sanctuary City declaration," Costa stated in a July 31 email to a visitors bureau intern who had written to the sport's national ruling body, Colorado Springs-based USA Fencing, a week earlier seeking a New Jersey contact.

Costa's email went on to say that he could not in good conscience endanger members of the fencing community by sending them to Newark as long as Democratic legislators refused to permit concealed firearms among the general public.

Costa's statements were roundly condemned by city officials, fencers, club owners, fellow committee members and by USA Fencing.

He submitted his resignation Thursday and offered an explanation: "Unfortunately, my personal beliefs got in the way of my professional judgment."

Lee said the executive committee would address filling Costa's vacancy and making a permanent selection for the chairman's regular 1-year term at an upcoming meeting.

"Separately," Lee said, "We have already been in touch with the Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau and are finalizing details for a meeting with them later this month."

Costa's rebuff was criticized not only for its blatant politics, but also for its incongruity with the history of fencing in New Jersey as a sport fostered by immigrants, particularly Russian, Italian and Polish coaches, who helped make New Jersey into a national fencing powerhouse today.

Newark in particular has produced a number of world-class fencers, mainly through St. Benedict's Preparatory School on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, including Christian Rivera, later an All-American at Ohio State University and coach on last year's US Olympic Team in Rio de Janeiro.

Rivera, who was born in Puerto Rico and grew up in Bloomfield, is now the head women's coach at Fairleigh Dickinson University. He was among several New Jersey fencers who said a regional competition, exhibition or other fencing event in Newark would be good for the sport and for the city.

"Simply seeing somebody walking down the street with a fencing bag could change somebody's world," Rivera said. "As it did mine."

Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook.