Township Council reorganizes
By Lea Kahn
With little fanfare Saturday morning, Township Councilman Greg Puliti was unanimously elected to serve his fifth, nonconsecutive term as mayor at Township Council’s annual reorganization meeting on New Year’s Day..
Councilman Michael Powers nominated Mr. Puliti to serve as mayor for one year, noting that he was “quite confident” in Mr. Puliti’s ability to lead the council as mayor. He pointed out that except for a brief hiatus,Mr. Puliti is a 14-year veteran of Township Council and had already served as mayor.
With his family at his side his wife, Pam Puliti, and their two sons, Erik and Patrick, and his mother, Patricia Puliti Mr. Puliti was sworn into office by Mercer County Board of Freeholder Pat Colavita Jr. in the Township Council chambers at the Municipal Building.
Mayor Puliti, in his first official act, swore into office the three fire chiefs Michael Oakley of the Slackwood Fire Company, Shaun Dlabik of the Lawrence Road Fire Company, and Ray Nagy of the Lawrenceville Fire Company.
In his inaugural remarks, Mayor Puliti thanked Township Council Democrats Jim Kownacki, Pam Mount and Michael Powers and Republican Bob Bostock for having the confidence in him to represent them when speaking on behalf of the council.
”Having had the pleasure to be in this position several times before, I look forward to using the network of elected and public officials I have had the opportunity to work with in the past to move the council’s agenda forward,” Mayor Puliti said. The Democrat served as mayor in 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2007.
Turning somber, he said that when he had addressed Lawrence Township as mayor in the past, it was the chance to highlight major projects that Township Council had achieved the construction of a new Police and Municipal Court building, rehabilitation efforts in the Eggerts Crossing neighborhood and renovations to the Municipal Building.
”But the reality is, times are different and the focus now is on what essential services we can save,” Mayor Puliti said. “We are all aware of the constraints the State of New Jersey is putting on municipalities. What I am referencing is the 2 percent cap on spending that we are restricted to.
”I could stand here and lecture on the state putting budget constraints on us (that) we cannot realistically meet without dismantling core services of the town, and I could also talk at great length on the state holding back energy receipt taxes owed to the town under the guise of what they call state aid,” he said.
”But there will be plenty of time for those conversations as we review this year’s budget in the coming weeks. While it is unfortunate that we cannot undertake any new monetary projects or initiatives, I can offer a couple of ideas for the new year that I would like the council to entertain,” the mayor said.
Mayor Puliti suggested that Township Council should adopt an ordinance to require all elected officials and appointed statutory board members the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Adjustment to take a local government ethics course every two years. The course is offered by the state Department of Community Affairs.
While Lawrence Township has not experienced “any type of ethical problems,” the mayor said, the requirement to take the course would help to keep the public’s trust in the council’s actions. He added that he has taken the course, along with the municipal manager, the municipal attorney and the municipal clerk.
The second initiative, Mayor Puliti said, is to raise money to bring back the annual Fourth of July fireworks display. Lawrence Township paid for the annual event, but it was canceled when funding was cut in the 2010 budget. The event costs around $20,000 when police and Public Works Department overtime is factored into the price tag.
That fundraising effort already has started, he said. The Lawrence Township Recreation Department solicited sponsorships for the Red White and Bang Children’s Triathlon held on Labor Day to generate money for the fireworks display.
The event raised $1,500 from local businesses and organizations, Mayor Puliti said. More contributions have been made, “but we still have a long way to go,” he said, making a pitch for more corporations to come forward and discuss sponsorship opportunities.
Mayor Puliti also pledged to donate money to the fireworks fund that he would earn by performing weddings in his role as mayor this year. He estimated that donation to be about $1,000 based on performing two weddings per month for a fee of $100 each.
After the mayor concluded his remarks, Township Council took action on routine business, including the reappointment of Kevin Nerwinski as municipal attorney and Reed Gusciora as Municipal Court prosecutor.
Councilmen Bob Bostock, Jim Kownacki and Michael Powers offered their congratulations to Mayor Puliti in their closing remarks. Councilwoman Pam Mount took the opportunity to praise the work of community volunteers, and noted that 2011 “will be very challenging.”