Twp. government does not require him to be there, Spadoro says
BY ELAINE VAN DEVELDE
Staff Writer
It’s not my job.That’s what Edison Mayor George A. Spadoro’s response was to a recent flurry of criticisms by residents that he should attend Township Council meetings.
“Each community has a different form of government,” the mayor said in a recent interview. “In this one, [the Faulkner Act form] the mayor has no role at council meetings. It is not part of my job to go to council meetings. I cannot vote and serve no purpose there.”
Under the Faulkner form of government, the mayor cannot vote, but does have veto power. It is known as a strong mayor-weak council type of municipal government.
And that is precisely why resident Kevin Duffy has been relentlessly appealing to the mayor to address residents’ complaints in person, in a meeting forum. He said the mayor should attend council meetings to address residents’ complaints and show people he has full knowledge of local laws he could be for or against.
“I thought that you would be proud to attend the council meetings since you said [in your annual speech] that the state of Edison continues to be ‘prosperous, our quality of life continues getting better, our economic condition is strong and our future looks as bright and positive as ever,’ ” said Duffy in a letter to Spadoro. “Would it be a burden on you to attend a council meeting once a month to give the residents a chance to ask you questions about the affairs of Edison?”
Duffy’s recent letter followed many similar requests by other residents.
“When I want to ask my mayor who has the most power of any elected official in town, a question, I want him to be there to answer it once in a while,” said resident Irene Wall. “He never answers letters or calls, or he has someone else answer for him or prepare a statement. This is a public official, not God. The public deserves the opportunity to confront him.”
Attending meetings would be a waste of valuable administrative time, the mayor said.
“I could speak in public, but why would I go sit in on a council meeting when I have a job to do?” he asked. “Edison is a huge town and there are other things I can be working on other than sitting at a meeting where I cannot take any formal form of action anyway.”
But residents say it is part of Spadoro’s job to be more accessible. And attending meetings would accomplish that, they have said.
Tinton Falls in Monmouth County has the same form of government as Edison. Mayor Ann McNamara chooses to attend most of the meetings.
“We invite her to sit on the dais and offer answers or comments when necessary or just when she chooses to,” council President Jerome Donlon said. “The mayor likes to be there so that she knows exactly what residents’ gripes are and what needs to be addressed. She’s very hands-on and likes to face situations head-on as they arise.”
McNamara said she prefers to know everything she can about what is going on in town, and meetings are a good way to get some insight and get a handle on issues.
“I have veto power,” she said. “And, yes, it’s true that under the Faulkner form of government I cannot vote, but I can speak at meetings and address issues that come up and I prefer to do that right away, before conflicts get out of hand or just to offer help right away when something comes up. It’s my job as an elected official to be available. But, to each his own.”
McNamara went on to say that her council does a “wonderful” job, but she prefers to stay directly involved and apprised of its decisions as they occur.
But Tinton Falls is a much smaller town than Edison, council President Parag Patel has said.
“The mayor here has a lot more to deal with besides attending meetings,” he said. “He has office hours.”
But that’s not enough for some residents.
They have written letters and questioned the governing body at meetings about the mayor’s absence when a controversial issue is on the table.
It has been a tradition for him to give his annual “State of the Township” prepared speech at a $40-a-plate Chamber of Commerce dinner, where there is no question-and-answer period.
Resident Jane Tousman said she understands that the mayor is not required to attend council meetings under the township’s form of government.
“But it is just good form for a public official to respond the needs of taxpayers,” Tousman said. “If residents are asking him to appear and confront things head-on, maybe he should.”