Rockaway Township Mayor Michael Dachisen dies suddenly at age 58

William Westhoven , Peggy Wright | Morristown Daily Record

ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP — Mayor Michael Dachisen died Wednesday evening of a heart attack, just days after he had a stress test and was cleared by a doctor to go home, two friends said Thursday morning.

Dachisen, 58, was not feeling well early in the week, said Township Attorney John Iaciofano. The mayor went to the doctor Monday due to tingling in his hand and arm, Iaciofano said. He had an EKG and was sent home, Iaciofano said.

"He had a massive, stress-induced heart attack," Iaciofano said. "Mike was larger than life, a good man who wasn't in politics for the ladder-climbing. He wore his heart on his sleeve. He could holler at you one minute and hug you the next."

Dachisen, a Republican, was elevated from council president to mayor in June 2012 when then-Mayor Louis Sceusi stepped down to become a Superior Court judge. Later that year, Dachisen won a special election to serve out Sceusi's term through 2015.

Re-elected in 2015, he was expected to run again in 2019.

Dachisen's wife, Cathy, went to pick up their grandchildren and found her husband unconscious in their home sometime Wednesday afternoon, Iaciofano said. The mayor was transported to St. Clare's Hospital in Dover, where he was pronounced dead, Iaciofano said.

Council President Jeremy Jedynak will be acting mayor for at least 30 days, said John Inglesino, a former township mayor and attorney representing Jedynak against a lawsuit filed by Dachisen.

The township's Republican county committee will have to submit to the council the names of three potential candidates to take over the mayor's position. The candidate selected by the council would hold the seat until a special election is held in November for the candidate to finish Dachisen's term, which expires in December 2019, Inglesino said.

Unfinished business

A Superior Court judge in Passaic County was scheduled to release a decision Friday on a lawsuit Dachisen had filed against the council. The judge Thursday gave attorneys a two-week extension to try to determine how the suit should be handled.

TIMELINE: Mayor Michael Dachisen's sudden death leaves questions about future of lawsuit

The litigation centered on an investigation council members undertook to probe Iaciofano's and former Business Administrator Adam Brewer's involvement in a lawsuit filed by Councilman Tucker Kelley over the mayor's receipt of township-funded health benefits.

Dachisen was entangled for the past year in a power struggle with Jedynak and council members Patty Abrahamsen and Tucker Kelley.

Inglesino called for politics to be temporarily set aside and said Dachisen's commitment to the township must be honored.

Inglesino said he believes Dachisen's lawsuit is now moot, because he was the sole plaintiff.

"It's a time for the whole township to mourn and to remember Mike for the good person he was," Inglesino said.

Reaction to mayor's death

Mine Hill Mayor Sam Morris said he learned from Dachisen's family that he felt ill and had an EKG sometime Monday at a physician's office and was sent home. Morris said he spoke to Dachisen around 5:45 p.m. Wednesday and asked if he wanted to meet for dinner but then didn't hear back from the mayor.

"He was in great spirits," Morris said. "We were talking about how both of us were running again in 2019. He had no intention of ending his term as mayor."

"I only had the pleasure of knowing Mike for a couple of years, but we became personal friends over that time and shared a love of cars," he said. "Mike loved his Corvettes. I'm gonna miss my friend very much. He really cared about Rockaway and worked really hard for 20 years trying to make it a better place."

Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, who represents Rockaway Township in Washington, said he was "very saddened to hear the news."

"Mike and his wonderful family have served the township well for decades," Frelinghuysen said. "They were devoted to all its residents and to Morris County."

Dachisen, Frelinghuysen said, was a strong supporter of Picatinny Arsenal and the work of thousands of men and women "who support our war fighters every day."

Acting Township Business Administrator Patricia Seger said Dachisen was always engaged with the community, hosting a picnic for senior citizens, honoring veterans and bringing Brownies and Girl Scouts around Town Hall.

"We're very saddened. He put his heart and soul into Rockaway Township," Seger said.

Assemblyman Anthony Bucco said he was devastated to hear the news and remarked on Dachisen's young age.

"Mike was a good guy," Bucco said. "He really was."

Sen. Joseph Pennacchio, R-26th District, said he was deeply saddened by the death of Dachisen.

"A dedicated public servant who always put the best interests of Rockaway Township first," Pennacchio said. "A good man, and a good friend. You will be missed, Michael."

Morris County Freeholder Heather Darling echoed Pennacchio's sentiments. "May he rest in peace and may God bless his family and watch over them as they attempt to deal with their sorrow from a life ended too soon," she posted on social media.

Friends and residents throughout Wednesday night posted condolences to the family of the mayor,

Jedynak posted on his Facebook page: "It is with great sadness that the council learned of Mayor Dachisen’s passing this evening. I have requested that all flags in the township be flown at half-mast out of respect and while the township mourns. At this time, we ask for your prayers especially for Mayor Dachisen’s loved ones that they have strength and comfort during this difficult time. We thank Mayor Dachisen’s family for his years of service to Rockaway Township."

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On the Rockaway Township Politics Facebook page, resident Ali Trace wrote: "This breaks my heart."

"A HERO to the people of Rockaway Township," Jacob Fugger wrote.

"We will all fight for a better Rockaway in Mike's name and memory. ... he loved this town he loved these people and we loved him," Lisa Flanigan Salberg wrote.

A lifelong resident of the township's Birchwood section and graduate of Morris Knolls High School, Dachisen served on the council for 15 years before becoming mayor.

Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-917-9242; wwesthoven@Dailyrecord.com.