Michael J. Ferrara, a former New Jersey assemblyman, who became a fixture in Bergen County politics as a Republican and an attorney, died March 1 after a short illness. He was 96. The longtime Wyckoff resident and World War II veteran served as counsel to Bergen County, the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders and towns across the county, including Cresskill, Elmwood Park, Garfield, Mahwah and Maywood.

His involvement in politics began in his native Hudson County. His sister prompted him to ask for an appointment to the county Republican Party committee. At the start of his political career, Ferrara had recently returned from serving as a tank driver in Europe, where he injured his ear, and worked under Gen. Dwight Eisenhower in Versailles.