Editing Highland Park, New Jersey (section)

===Local government===
[[File:Highland Park, NJ Borough Hall, Nov. 2024.jpg|thumb|right|Highland Park Borough Hall]]
Highland Park is governed under the [[Borough (New Jersey)|borough]] form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 (of the 564) municipalities 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 a mayor and a borough council, with all positions elected [[at-large]] on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A 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. 81.</ref> The borough form of government used by Highland Park 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 mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.<ref>Cerra, Michael F. [http://www.njslom.org/magart0307_p14.html "Forms of Government: Everything You've Always Wanted to Know, But Were Afraid to Ask"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924045019/http://www.njslom.org/magart0307_p14.html |date=September 24, 2014 }}, [[New Jersey State League of Municipalities]]. Accessed November 30, 2014.</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>[http://hpboro.com/index.aspx?NID=197 Government] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019021519/http://www.hpboro.com/index.aspx?NID=197 |date=October 19, 2013 }}, Borough of Highland Park. Accessed December 4, 2019. It has a Mayor and Council form of government in which the Mayor and Borough Council have separate executive and legislative powers. This provides a system of checks and balances by avoiding a large concentration of power in either the Council or the Office of Mayor. The Mayor votes only in case of a tie."</ref>

The borough operates through Committees of the Council: Administration, Finance, Public Works, Public Safety, Community Affairs, Public Utilities, and Health, Welfare and Recreation. The various departments, boards and commissions report to the council through these committees. All elected positions are part-time; the mayor and council members typically hold outside jobs, and receive small salaries from their elected offices.

{{As of|2024}}, the mayor of Highland Park is [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] Elsie Foster, whose term of office ending on December 31, 2027. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Matthew Hersh (D, 2026), Tara Canavera (D, 2024), Philip George (D, 2025), Matthew Hale (D, 2025), Stephany Kim-Choban (D, 2024) and Jason Postelnik (D, 2026).<ref name=Council>[https://www.hpboro.com/government/mayor-borough-council Mayor & Borough Council], Borough of Highland Park. Accessed May 27, 2024.</ref><ref>[https://www.hpboro.com/home/showpublisheddocument/4910/638489492919470000#page=13 2024 Municipal Data Sheet], Borough of Highland Park. Accessed May 27, 2024.</ref><ref name=Middlesex2023>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Middlesex/119048/web.317647/#/summary November 7, 2023 General Election Official Results], [[Middlesex County, New Jersey]], December 7, 2023. Accessed January 1, 2024.</ref><ref name=Middlesex2022>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Middlesex/116148/web.307039/#/summary November 8, 2022 General Election Official Results], [[Middlesex County, New Jersey]], updated November 22, 2022. Accessed January 1, 2023.</ref><ref name=Middlesex2021>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Middlesex/110780/web.278093/#/summary General Election November 2, 2021 Official Results], [[Middlesex County, New Jersey]], updated November 19, 2021. Accessed April 13, 2022.</ref>

In January 2023, the borough council appointed Elsie Foster to fill the vacant seat expiring in December 2023 that had been held by  Gayle Brill Mittler until she resigned from office the previous month citing a desire for more time with her family.<ref>Russell, Suzanne. [https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/middlesex-county/2023/01/25/foster-elected-highland-park-mayor-for-rest-of-2023/69840017007/ "Elsie Foster elected Highland Park mayor for rest of 2023"], [[MyCentralJersey.com]], January 25, 2023. Accessed March 31, 2023. "Elsie Foster is the borough's new mayor. During a special Borough Council meeting on Tuesday, Foster, the council president, who had been serving this year as the acting mayor, was elected mayor by the council and will serve in the position until the end of 2023, replacing former Mayor Gayle Brill Mittler who resigned Dec. 31.... Last month former Mayor Gayle Brill Mittler, who had served as mayor since 2014, announced she was resigning with a year left on her term to spend more time with her family, including her three grandchildren."</ref> The next month, Jason Postelnik was appointed to the council seat expiring in December 2023 that was vacated by Elsie Foster when she took office as mayor.<ref>Russell, Suzanne. [https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/middlesex-county/2023/02/25/highland-park-nj-borough-council-jason-postelnik/69937548007/ "Meet Highland Park's newest council member"], [[MyCentralJersey.com]], February 25, 2023. Accessed March 31, 2023. "Jason Postelnik was sworn in Tuesday to fill the council seat vacated by Elsie Foster, who was selected last month to serve as mayor following the resignation of Mayor Gayle Brill Mittler last year."</ref>

In January 2017, the borough council selected Matthew Hersh to fill the seat expiring in December 2019 that became vacant following the death of Jon Erickson the previous October before Election Day; Erickson's name remained on the ballot and he was elected to serve the three-year term. Hersh had earlier been chosen to serve the balance of Erickson's previous term that expired in December 2016.<ref>Baldwin, Carly. [https://patch.com/new-jersey/newbrunswick/highland-park-fills-council-vacancy "Highland Park Fills Council Vacancy; Matthew Hersh will fill out the remainder of popular Councilman Jon Erickson's term. Erickson died unexpectedly in October."], New Brunswick, NJ Patch, January 7, 2017. Accessed December 4, 2019. "The Borough Council has reappointed Democrat Matthew Brian Hersh (pictured) to continue filling a vacancy on the seven-member governing body, the result of the Oct. 16 death of popular Councilman Jon K. Erickson. Erickson served on the Highland Park Council since 2002 until his death. He was posthumously re-elected last Nov. 8th, because his passing occurred after the deadline to remove his name from the ballot."</ref> In July 2018, Hersh resigned to accept a position with a state agency and was replaced by Matthew Hale.<ref>Staff. [https://www.insidernj.com/political-science-prof-hale-now-highland-park-councilman/ "Political Science Prof Hale Now a Highland Park Councilman"], Insider NJ, July 18, 2018. Accessed December 4, 2019. "Seton Hall University Political Science Professor Matt Hale – who writes a column for this website – last night assumed a seat on the Highland Park Borough Council.... Hale, a Democrat, accepted the appointment to replace Councilman Matthew Hersh, who congratulated his successor. 'I did resign from the Council last month for an incredible opportunity with Gov. Murphy's administration as director of communications at the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, working on an inspiring and ambitious environmental policy agenda,' Hersh wrote on Facebook."</ref>