This month’s column will step back from the issues that the township is facing and instead focus on governance and how a community, in this case Lawrence Township, organizes itself. A municipality is a complex organization that works to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of the community. When operating well, you do not notice the work behind the scenes.
The grass is cut in the park, public health is protected through licensing and inspection, the roads are safe to travel, and our emergency services are ready to help in times of need. So how does a community govern itself?
Let us start at the beginning, our type of government is a representative democracy where publicly elected officials represent the community to make decisions on their behalf. In Lawrence, council members are elected for four-year terms on a staggered basis.
Every odd year, two or three council seats are up for election. During the campaign cycle, candidates state their reasons for running and are elected to office based on the votes of the majority of the electorate, the residents registered to vote in the election.
The five council members form the governing body of Lawrence Township’s municipal government. Our form of government is a little different than what you see in popular media with a mayor as the head of the executive branch and a council forming the legislative branch.
Instead, we have what I believe to be a stable and professional form of government, the council-manager model. In this form the township is governed by council working in partnership with a manager appointed by council to run the daily operations of the municipality. This structure is similar to our school district with an elected board of nine members appointing a superintendent to run the school district.
As one might imagine, the state of New Jersey has laws governing a community’s form of municipal government. Lawrence Township has operated under the council-manager model since 1970s. The Faulkner Act, the more popular name of the Optional Municipal Charter Law, is the state law that defines the roles and responsibilities of each part of government.
In Lawrence, our township council is the legislative body and, with a few exceptions granted to the mayor, the manager is the executive branch. It is one of the reasons that council members are paid as part-time legislators as opposed to the full-time executive that oversees a $61 million annual budget and 230 employees.
While overseeing the daily municipal operations, the manager works within the constraints of the position. The first constraint is the manager must follow the laws of the state and our town administrative code that govern how the township functions. The next constraint is financial.
Each year the manager collaborates with the chief financial officer and department heads to craft a budget for the year balancing the policy goals of council with the fiscal realities of the moment.
Finally, members of council will have routine communication with the manager to be informed on township matters, relay concerns from the community, and discuss issues that touch on operations and policy.
The role of township council is to be the voice of the community in the setting of policy and governance of the municipality. While the manager and staff can focus on delivering services, council members work to understand the community at meetings, events, and while campaigning.
Each council member then uses their experiences and judgement to make decisions for the community. We keep in mind that with 33,000 people, it is difficult to make a decision that has complete agreement from the community.
Over my ten years as a councilman, I have found there is no perfect time or enough data to decide an issue. In the moment, you need to believe that your values reflect the community’s. Over four campaigns, l have worked to state clearly what my interests are, the issues I believe are important to our community, and who I am as a person.
Those election results have given me confidence in my ability to represent Lawrence Township. Thank you for the trust that you have placed in me, and indeed all five of us, to represent you while governing our community.
Christopher Bobbitt is a councilman and mayor of Lawrence Township
Lawrence Township Mayor Christopher Bobbitt. (Facebook photo.),
