that Belmar is the only borough in the county with a strong-mayor, partisan form of government?
Let’s have a look at the other boroughs first.
The most common form of of government among Monmouth boroughs is called the “Borough” form of government and all towns that use it have partisan elections. Wikipedia provides a simple description:
(These towns are) governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The governing body consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle. The Borough form of government used by (these towns), the most common system used in the state, is a “weak mayor / strong council” government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.
Here are the Monmouth County boroughs that use the “Borough” form of government:
Allentown
Atlantic Highlands
Brielle
Eatontown
Englishtown
Fair Haven
Farmingdale
Freehold Borough
Interlaken
Keyport
Lake Como
Little Silver
Manasquan
Matawan
Neptune City
Oceanport
Red Bank
Roosevelt
Rumson
Sea Bright
Sea Girt
Shrewsbury Borough
Spring Lake
Spring Lake Heights
Union Beach
West Long Branch
Four towns use a nonpartisan three member commission. From Wikipedia:
(These towns are) governed under the Walsh Act…..by a three-member commission. Members of the commission are elected at-large in nonpartisan elections to serve four-year terms of office on a (staggered or concurrent) basis. Each Commissioner is assigned responsibility for a specified department within the Borough.
They are:
Allenhurst
Avon by the Sea
Deal
Monmouth Beach
Tinton Falls uses the Mayor-Council form with nonpartisan elections. From Wikipedia:
The Mayor is the Chief Executive Officer of the Borough and is elected for a four-year term. The Borough Business Administrator reports to, and may act on behalf of the Mayor, in the Mayor’s absence. The Borough Council is the legislative body, made up of five members elected at-large for four-year terms on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats up for election every other year as part of the November general election, with the mayoral seat up for vote at the same time that two council seats are being chosen by voters.[7][36] The Borough Council voted in May 2010 to shift its non-partisan elections from May to the November general election, as part of an effort to increase participation of voters and to cut costs associated with the May elections, with savings estimated at nearly $100,000 during the first decade after the change was implemented in the November 2011 vote.
Keansburg uses a nonpartisan Council-Manager form:
Keansburg operates within the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the Council-Manager form of municipal government. Keansburg is governed by a five-member Borough Council, elected at-large on a non-partisan basis as part of the May municipal election to four-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats coming up for election in even years.
Bradley Beach operates under a nonpartisan “Small Municipality” plan:
Bradley Beach has been governed within the Faulkner Act system of New Jersey municipal government under the Small Municipality plan 5, as implemented on July 1, 1992, based on the recommendations of a Charter Study Commission. The officials that head the government are elected at large in partisan elections, including a mayor who is elected to a four-year term of office and four council members who are chosen to serve three-year terms on a concurrent basis. As of 2010, the borough’s nonpartisan elections were shifted from May to the November general election as part of an effort to reduce costs and increase voter participation.
As does Highlands, which, unbeknownst to Wikipedia, recently switched to a nonpartisan system:
Highlands is governed by a Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the Small Municipality (Plan C) form of New Jersey municipal government, enacted by direct petition as of January 1, 1978. The governing body consists of a mayor and four council members, who are elected on an at-large basis in partisan elections to three-year terms on a staggered basis as part of the May municipal election, as part of a three-year cycle in which two council seats come up for election in two consecutive years followed by the mayoral seat.
Only Belmar has a “strong mayor” partisan system:
In July 1990, the voters of Belmar overwhelmingly passed a referendum changing Belmar’s form of government from a three-person, non-partisan Commission form of government under the Walsh Act to the Small Municipality plan 3 form of government under the Faulkner Act. This referendum followed nine months of research and hearings by a Charter Study Commission elected by the residents at a referendum that passed in November 1989 and implemented effective January 1, 1991.
Under the version of the Small Municipality Plan form applicable to Belmar, the Council consists of four members who are elected for staggered, three-year terms at partisan elections each November, with either one or two seats up for vote in a three-year cycle. The Mayor is directly elected by the voters for a four-year term and serves as Belmar’s chief executive office, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Borough. The Mayor sits as a member of the Council, and chairs Council meetings. He is able to vote as a Councilmember, but has no veto over the Council’s actions.
I don’t think it’s worked out well. As we can see, in this system the mayor can accumulate too much power. It’s not healthy and it needs to be changed. We need a nonpartisan system with a less powerful mayor.
18 Comments
The Majority (4 member) Report-1990 Belmar Charter Study:
“Finally, far from dividing the community, the Charter Commission believes that a change to partisan elections may soften the divisions in our community.”
Barbara Iglay
Patricia Provenzano
Kenneth Pringle
D’Arcy McGill
Minority (1 member in disagreement)
Michael Supko
Michael got in right in hindsight.
p.s. Legal Counsel to Petition and Charter Study Group, Dennis Lavender atty.
As Artie Johnson says Veryyyy Interestingggggg!
How do we the people change it ? Can it be changed ?
Under the Faulkner Act it can be changed by petition and then a referendum. When I get a chance I’ll look up the law.
I don’t see what will change if they all have the same mindset!!
Certain Aspects like increasing the number of council would simply require a 15% of the voters who voted in the last election. A change consisting of a weaker mayor-( one who is not also a council person who votes and or from partisan back to non-partisan elections rquires two thirds of the voters who voted in the last election. For the record the voters who signed the petition in 1990 did not notice that the form of government on the ballot was different than the won that won the petition. I guess even in 1990 you had to pass it to see what was in it.
A petition with 2/3 of the number of voters, like 1400 signatures? Are you sure?
25% of Registered voters. Don’t have the current number from the County.
I’m in where do I sign?
Dave’s characterization of Belmar’s form of government is inaccurate. As the term is commonly understood, a “strong mayor” is mayor who does not serve on the Council and who has veto power over the Council’s actions. Long Branch — not listed in Dave’s post — has a strong mayor form of government. It’s known as Faulkner Act – Mayor-Council, Plan A. Tinton Falls has the same form. Belmar’s mayor votes with the Council and has no authority to veto the Council’s decision. Even mayors under the old Borough form of government — which is considered a weak mayor form — have the power to veto Council decisions. The only differences between Belmar’s version of the Small Municipality plan form of government and the one adopted by Bradley Beach is that Bradley opted for a non-partisan form and concurrent terms, meaning the Mayor & Council ran in a May election at the same time once every 3 years.
When we had the Charter Study Commission in Belmar we were looking for a form of government to replace the Commission form of government in which all three commissioners were elected once every 4 years in a May election. We felt it was important for accountability reasons that we opt for staggered terms for the council so that at least one elected official would be up for election every year. That way the voters could send a message about the job their elected officials were doing and the direction in which the town was moving. At the time, we couldn’t have elections every year and have a non-partisan form of government, without having elections every April (for School Board, May (for Council) and November (for all the other offices.) So, we opted for partisan elections, which at the time were the only elections that could be held in November. The law was changed a few years ago to allow non-partisan elections to be held in November. If that had been the law back then, we likely would have opted for that approach.
@Old Timer — “For the record the voters who signed the petition in 1990 did not notice that the form of government on the ballot was different than the won that won the petition. I guess even in 1990 you had to pass it to see what was in it.” Your recollection is wrong. The petition that was circulated called for the election of a Charter Study Commission. It was the Charter Study Commission that proposed the form of government we have and put it on the ballot. The voters voted for it — overwhelmingly.
I didn’t include Long Branch because it is organized as a “city” and not a “borough”. But I thought a strong mayor was directly elected, was responsible for administration and appointments, and also had a vote on the Council. Certainly the way Belmar is being run, the Mayor seems to have almost absolute power over the rest of the government.
I’ll sign the petition
There is not a word in the Faulkner Act that gives any council member any power or authority to do anything aside from voting on matters before the council. Nothing goes before the Council unless the mayor says it can. Everything rests on the mayor’s decisions. There is however a significant amount of authority given to the administrator who is appointed by the mayor and heads every department. Maybe in other towns, where council members are critical thinkers and where the mayor does not govern by intimidation, reprisal, with focus on receiving and giving favors it works. In Belmar it does not.
I don’t think it matters what kind of council you have. There is no law for a public official to act in an ethical and financially responsible manner. Public corporations are held to anti ethical standards. The fact that there is no outcry by the people that voted these people in shows more about the voters, than the council members!
#10. Because the voters were so upset with the bars the behaviors of the visitors and Montego Bay and the disco bar-they were ready for anything. The
Charter study Commission went from final report May 1990 to the Special Election a little over 60 days later.
I only pray if a new group takes up this cause to change the form of government that they educate the voters first before the vote.
Ken, stating facts and accurate representations about Belmar on this site is not necessary. Stop it.
10 Old Timer I doubt things will change, there are just too many people that will not change their view of the current council they just don’t care!
Ken and anyone else who wants to exercise their right to free speech ignore #9.
Facts are facts… some need interpretation. The Bible has been and will continue to be interpreted so why not Hail and Hallelujah Belmar.
Blog = ongoing narrative
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