Municipal Election Date Change May Be Put to Public Referendum

After months of consideration, Manchester's township council on Monday took the first step toward letting the public decide when its nonpartisan municipal elections will be held. 

The council held a workshop and introduced an ordinance to first reading that will put the decision of whether  in the hands of residents.

"We'll put it out to the people, and I think that's where it should be," said council president Craig Wallis. "It should be up to the public to be able to say, 'this is what we want out of our government.'"

The change, which has been supported by a local Republican club, could save the township about $50,000 and increase participation in municipal votes, some argue. 

But others are concerned that holding a nonpartisan local election in November could nonetheless bring the reemergence of party politics, something Manchester residents voted to excise 20 years ago following the theft of millions of township dollars by Joe Portash and other administrators.

Council member Brendan Weiner said that he supports letting the public have a say in how its government operates.

"I think it's about time to let the good folks of Manchester decide what kind of government they want and what day they want to vote," he said. "It's a government by the people."

Another solution considered by the council involved moving the municipal contest to April along with the school election.

"I thought it would be better if we moved the school election and the municipal election to the same time," Wallis said.

But New Jersey law does not currently allow for April local elections and Wallis said that he believes it will be "a very long process before the state ever changes the law to let us be able to do that."

If enacted, Manchester would be required by law to hold November municipal elections for 10 years before the date could again be changed, the council said.

Council member Kenneth Vanderziel said that he is in favor of holding a referendum, but opposes changing when residents head to the polls.

"I object, really, to moving the election," he said. "I object to what the effects would be, changing to a partisan-like government, because we are a nonpartisan government."

Vanderziel said that the potential saving is "commendable," but he said that he believes locals will not want to invite the potential for party politics to return to Manchester.

"I do not think the residents would like it," he said. "I assume that if we do this, put it on the ballot, it will probably be turned down on the basis that in 1999 we did this and it was 2-1 in favor of not doing it," he said.

According to the ordinance, a November vote would be nonpartisan, "meaning that candidates would not be affiliated with any political party."

The ordinance will be up for a second reading and vote at the council's June 27 meeting, at which time it will also be open to public comment. If the public were to approve the referendum, the terms of the mayor and council would be extended by six months, from July 1 to January 1, according to Vanderziel.