Montgomery councilwoman is third vice president
By Katie Wagner, Staff Writer
MONTGOMERY — The state’s mayors elected Montgomery Deputy Mayor Louise Wilson to the position of third vice president of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities on Friday.
The bipartisan organization’s executive board has four officers, which include president, first vice president, second vice president and third vice president. The executive board mainly consists of one person from each of the 21 counties, but Essex and Bergen counties both have two representatives. Ms. Wilson has been on the executive board for three years.
”As an officer I will become more active as a spokesperson and representative for the league, giving testimony at legislative hearings, etc., and helping to communicate the needs and challenges of local communities to elected officials at the state and federal level, who tend to be a little further from the ‘front lines,’” Ms. Wilson said. “All of us in elected office work for the people we serve, but only those of us who serve locally see and talk to those people every day and stay intimately familiar with the day-to-day dynamics in our towns and neighborhoods. We can and do reach elected officials higher up the food chain in a way that is difficult for most people. And we can and do make sure that folks in state and federal government understand the impacts — good and bad — of the laws they propose and adopt, and policies they set.”
She added, “As I see it, the League of Municipalities is the statewide voice of local communities. It’s a very effective, productive organization that I’m proud to serve with. The league is one of the loudest and most potent voices calling for tax reform, which is hugely important to Montgomery and other suburban communities. Fundamentally, league board members and officers make sure that the governor and Legislature hear and understand what local leaders grapple with, including the so-called ‘un-funded mandates’ or costs of implementing state laws and regulations.”
Ms. Wilson has served as the township’s deputy mayor since January and previously served as the township’s mayor from January 2002 to December 2006 and as a township committeewoman in 2001.
She is a guest lecturer on local policy and planning, and environmental policy at Rutgers University’s Bloustein School and Cook College, as well as Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture and Planning.
Ms. Wilson and her husband Cliff Wilson Jr. have two children ages 16 and 18.