Former Councilman Mark Ciarrocca is scheduled to take the oath of office as a state Superior Court judge on August 2 in a ceremony at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth.

Mayor Andy Skibitsky announced last week that the ceremony will occur at 4 p.m. on that day. Ciarrocca, who represented the third ward from January 2004 to July 2011, was nominated for the state judgeship by Gov. Chris Christie last month, with confirmation from the state Senate coming a week later. Ciarrocca dropped his bid for a third term on the Council following his nomination by Christie.

Skibitsky said that during the ceremony he and other town officials will recognize Ciarrocca's service to the town. Ciarrocca served as the town's acting mayor and chaired both the finance committee and the public safety committee during his time on the Council. He was also the liaison to the Recreation Commission, Downtown Westfield Corporation board and the Board of Education during his service. As a councilman, Ciarrocca was viewed as one of the most powerful individuals in town, due to his close friendship with Skibitsky and involvement in a slew of policy issues.

Outside of the Council, Ciarrocca is a former president of Contact We Care and has been a football coach in the PAL program.

Ciarrocca was succeeded on the Council by fellow Republican Mark LoGrippo, who faces off against Democrat Matt Sontz and independent Greg Kasko for a full term in November. Skibitsky has yet to announce Ciarrocca's successors as acting mayor and finance committee chairman.