Editing High Bridge, New Jersey (section)

===Local government===
High Bridge is governed under the [[Borough (New Jersey)|borough]] form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey.<ref>[https://njdatabook.rutgers.edu/sites/njdatabook.rutgers.edu/files/documents/inventory_of_municipal_forms_of_government_in_new_jersey.pdf ''Inventory of Municipal Forms of Government in New Jersey''], [[Rutgers University]] Center for Government Studies, July 1, 2011. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref> The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the six-member borough council. The mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle.<ref name=DataBook>''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'', [[Rutgers University]] [[Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy]], March 2013, p. 103.</ref> The borough form of government used by High Bridge is a "[[weak mayor]] / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can [[veto]] ordinances subject to an [[veto override|override]] by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The borough council decides committee and liaison assignments for council members. Appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.<ref>Cerra, Michael F. [https://www.njlm.org/809/3982/Forms-of-Govt-Magazine-Article "Forms of Government: Everything You've Always Wanted to Know, But Were Afraid to Ask"], [[New Jersey State League of Municipalities]], March 2007. Accessed January 1, 2025.</ref><ref>[https://njdatabook.rutgers.edu/sites/njdatabook.rutgers.edu/files/documents/forms_of_municipal_government_in_new_jersey_9220.pdf#page=6 "Forms of Municipal Government in New Jersey"], p. 6. [[Rutgers University]] Center for Government Studies. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref><ref name=Council/>

{{As of|2023}}, the [[mayor]] of High Bridge Borough is [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] Michele Lee, whose term of office ends December 31, 2026. Members of the Borough Council are Kenneth Doyle (D, 2025), Natalie Ferry (D, 2023), Christopher Graham (D, 2024; elected to serve an unexpired term), Curtis Nowell (D, 2025), Alan Schwartz (R, 2023) and Steven Silvestri (R, 2024).<ref name=Council>[https://highbridge.org/government/mayor-council/ Mayor and Council], High Bridge Borough. Accessed May 4, 2023.</ref><ref name=HunterdonPage>[https://co.hunterdon.nj.us/913/High-Bridge-Borough Borough of High Bridge], [[Hunterdon County, New Jersey]]. Accessed May 4, 2023.</ref><ref>[https://highbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/2022-Adopted-Budget.pdf#page=11 2022 Municipal Data Sheet], High Bridge Borough. Accessed August 1, 2022.</ref><ref name=HunterdonDirectory>[https://www.co.hunterdon.nj.us/DocumentCenter/View/5487/2022-Hunterdon-County-and-Municipal-Officials-Directory-PDF#page=71 ''2022 County and Municipal Directory''], [[Hunterdon County, New Jersey]]. Accessed May 1, 2023.</ref><ref name=Hunterdon2022>[https://co.hunterdon.nj.us/DocumentCenter/View/9118/G2022-Official-SOV-PDF Hunterdon County District Canvass November 8, 2022, General Election], [[Hunterdon County, New Jersey]], updated November 21, 2022. Accessed January 1, 2023.</ref><ref name=Hunterdon2021>[https://co.hunterdon.nj.us/DocumentCenter/View/6226/2021-General-Election-Official-Results-by-Municipality-PDF November 2, 2021 District Report Hunterdon County Official Results], [[Hunterdon County, New Jersey]], updated November 12, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.</ref><ref name=Hunterdon2020>[https://co.hunterdon.nj.us/DocumentCenter/View/8592/2020-Official-General-Election-Results-Municipality-PDF November 3, 2020 District Report Hunterdon County Official Results], [[Hunterdon County, New Jersey]], updated November 20, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.</ref>

High Bridge Borough Council meeting agendas and minutes are available on the borough website.<ref>[https://highbridge.org/documents-and-forms/council-agendas-and-meeting-minutes/ Council Agendas and Minutes], High Bridge Borough. Accessed November 18, 2019.</ref>

In February 2022 the borough council selected Christopher Graham from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2024 that had been held by Leigh Ann Moore until she stepped down from office. Graham won election outright in November 2022 and will now serve the balance of the term of office to December 2024.<ref>O'Brien, Walter. [https://www.newjerseyhills.com/high-bridge-council-welcomes-new-member/image_a4c340ba-62b9-50b8-8b0b-b41937929c51.html "High Bridge Council welcomes new member"], ''New Jersey Hills'', February 14, 2022. Accessed March 22, 2022.</ref>

In April 2016, the borough council selected Keir LoIacono from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat of Mike Stemple, who had resigned from office the previous month.<ref>O'Brien, Walter. [http://www.newjerseyhills.com/hunterdon_review/news/high-bridge-swears-in-newest-council-member/article_a5bbe480-4ee6-5520-b38b-b31a8a4e5bc6.html "High Bridge swears in newest council member"], ''Hunterdon Review'', April 19, 2016. Accessed July 10, 2016. "The Borough Council Thursday, April 14, swore in new Councilman Keir LoIacono, who takes the seat vacated by former Councilwoman Karen Scarcia, who resigned on Wednesday, March 16. Scarcia was re-elected in November 2015 and her term would have expired on Dec. 31, 2018. LoIacono will now finish out that unexpired term."</ref>

In November 2014, the borough council selected Stephen Strange to fill the vacant seat expiring in 2016 of Victoria Miller, who had resigned from office in the previous month.<ref>Wright, Terry. [http://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/index.ssf/2014/11/high_bridge_appoints_tewksbury.html "High Bridge appoints Tewksbury teacher to Council vacancy"], ''[[Hunterdon County Democrat]]'', November 26, 2014. Accessed April 21, 2015. "Stephen Strange, a third-grade teacher in Tewksbury Township Elementary School, is the newest member of Borough Council. The Council appointed him to fill the seat of Victoria Miller, who resigned effective Oct. 31. Voters will elect somebody to the post in the November 2015 election."</ref> In the November 2015 general election, Strange was elected to serve the balance of the term.<ref name=Hunterdon2015>[http://www.co.hunterdon.nj.us/election/voterhistory/2015GeneralElection-StatementofVotes.pdf#page=62 Hunterdon County District Canvass November 3, 2015]{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, [[Hunterdon County, New Jersey]], updated November 5, 2015. Accessed July 7, 2016.</ref>