LAWRENCE: Councilman Puliti stepping down

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Councilman Greg Puliti is stepping down from Township Council,
effective at midnight Dec. 31, according to a letter of resignation
submitted Wednesday, Dec. 26, to Municipal Clerk Kathy Norcia.
Mr. Puliti, who would be entering the final year of his fifth,
non-consecutive term on Township Council in 2013, cited "professional
obligations" for resigning from the governing body. He works for the state
Department of Banking and Insurance.
Mr. Puliti served on Township Council from 1996 to 2007. He was
reappointed in January 2009 to fill an unexpired term on the council, and
then re-elected to a full, four-year term in November 2009.
The veteran councilman, who is a Democrat, also held the honorary
post of mayor in 1998, 2000, 2003, 2007 and 2011.
Under state law, the Lawrence Township Democratic Municipal
Committee must submit three names of potential replacements to Township
Council by Jan. 16, which is 15 days from the date that Mr. Puliti’s
resignation takes effect. His last day in office is Dec. 31.
Township Council must fill the opening by Jan. 31, which is 30 days
after Mr. Puliti’s resignation. The council must fill the vacancy by
appointing one of the three nominees by a majority vote.
But if Township Council does not appoint one of the three nominees,
the job falls to the Lawrence Township Democratic Municipal Committee to
name one of the three.