Editing Little Falls, New Jersey (section)

===Local government===
Effective January 1, 2005, the form of government in Little Falls was changed (based on the results of a public referendum passed in November 2003) to the [[Faulkner Act (mayor–council)|Mayor-Council]] form authorized by the [[Faulkner Act]]. The township is one of 71 (of the 564) municipalities statewide that use this form of government.<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 five-member Township Council. Voters [[direct election|directly elect]] the mayor and the five township council members to four-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either three seats or two seats (together with the mayoral seat) up for election in even-numbered years as part of the November general election. For most of its history, until 2003, Little Falls had been governed under the [[Township (New Jersey)|Township]] form of government by a township committee consisting of five committee members elected by the voters. Under this system, a chairman ([[mayor]]) and deputy-chair ([[deputy mayor]]) were selected annually by the Township Committee members.<ref name=DataBook>''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'', [[Rutgers University]] [[Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy]], March 2013, p. 169.</ref><ref>[https://njdatabook.rutgers.edu/sites/njdatabook.rutgers.edu/files/documents/forms_of_municipal_government_in_new_jersey_9220.pdf#page=10 "Forms of Municipal Government in New Jersey"], p. 10. [[Rutgers University]] Center for Government Studies. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref>

{{As of|2023}}, the mayor of Little Falls is [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] James Belford Damiano, whose term of office ends December 31, 2024. Members of the Township Council are Council President Anthony Sgobba (D, 2024), Christine Hablitz (D, 2024), Michael Murphy ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]], 2026), Jayna Patel (R, 2026) and Christopher Vancheri (D, 2026).<ref name=Officials>[https://www.lfnj.com/mayor-council Mayor and Council], Township of Little Falls. Accessed March 24, 2023.</ref><ref>[https://www.lfnj.com/sites/default/files/field/files-docs/2022_user_friendly_budget.pdf 2022 Municipal User Friendly Budget], Township of Little Falls. Accessed April 27, 2022.</ref><ref name=PassaicDirectory>[https://www.passaiccountynj.org/home/showpublisheddocument/5705/638004837984030000#page=70 ''Passaic County 2022 Directory''], [[Passaic County, New Jersey]]. Accessed March 1, 2023.</ref><ref name=Passaic2022>[https://www.passaiccountynj.org/home/showpublisheddocument/6026/638060192685700000 2022 General Election November 8, 2022 Summary Report Passaic County Official Results], [[Passaic County, New Jersey]], updated December 7, 2022. Accessed January 1, 2023.</ref><ref name=Passaic2020>[https://www.passaiccountynj.org/home/showpublisheddocument/3378/637678115691870000 November 3, 2020 Summary Report Official Results], Passaic County, New Jersey, updated November 20, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.</ref>

In January 2017, Democrat Chris Vancheri was appointed to fill the council seat expiring in December 2018 that was vacated by James Damiano when he took office as mayor. In April 2017, Republican Marc Benitez was appointed to fill a vacant seat expiring in December 2018 that had been held by Joseph Maceri until he resigned after moving out of the township.<ref>Kelleher, Lindsay. [https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/passaic/little-falls/2017/04/20/new-councilman-wants-little-falls-reach-true-potential/100623236/ "New councilman wants Little Falls to reach 'true potential'"], ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]'', April 20, 2017. Accessed April 14, 2020. "Benitez was sworn in this month to an unexpired term, filling the seat vacated by Joseph Maceri, who moved to Cedar Grove and stepped down in February. He is the only Republican serving on the five-seat council."</ref> In the November 2017 general election, Vancheri was elected to serve the balance of Damiano’s term of office and Democrat Tanya Seber defeated Benitez for Maceri’s unexpired seat. When Seber was sworn into office, it marked the first time in township history that all of the township's elected officials were Democrats.<ref>Pappas, Tina. [https://www.tapinto.net/towns/passaic-valley/categories/news/articles/vancheri-seber-swearing-in-marks-first-ever-all "Vancheri, Seber Swearing In Marks First Ever All Democrat Council"], TAP into Passaic Valley, January 5, 2018. Accessed April 14, 2020. "Democrats Chris Vancheri and Tanya Seber were sworn in as members of the Little Falls Township Council during a ceremony on Jan. 1 in town hall council chambers. According to Mayor James Damiano, the swearing in marks the first time that the council is composed of all Democrat members in the history of the Township. A resident of the township since 2004, Vancheri was appointed to take over the council seat vacated by Damiano one year ago when he was elected mayor.... Newcomer Tanya Seber, a Little Falls resident of over 27 years, was also sworn in. Seber ran against Republican Marc Benitez, who was appointed as a Little Falls council member at the April 3, 2017 council meeting."</ref>

Darlene Post (who returned to using her maiden name of Conti as of January 2015<ref>Green, Jeff. [http://www.northjersey.com/news/little-falls-reorg-seats-democratic-bloc-features-first-jousts-1.1186444 "Little Falls reorg seats Democratic bloc, features first jousts"], ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]'', January 5, 2015. Accessed June 28, 2015. "The Democrats join the council after a year of division within the township GOP, between the all-Republican council and Mayor Darlene Post (who announced Monday she would return to using her maiden name, Conti)."</ref>) won election to a full four-year term as mayor in the 2012 general election, along with all three of her Republican running mates for Township Council; Louis Fontana, Pamela Porter, and Joseph Rento (who won the balance of an unexpired term of office).<ref>Kadosh, Matthew. [http://www.northjersey.com/news/177588541_Little_Falls_Republicans_secure_mayor__council_seats.html "Little Falls Republicans secure mayor, council seats"], ''Passaic Valley Today'', November 7, 2012. Accessed January 13, 2013. "Republican Mayor Darlene Post kept her position as the township's top official and three Republican candidates won council seats on Tuesday.... Republican Councilwoman Pamela Porter received 2,293 votes, or about 18.5 percent of the electorate. Republican Council President Louis Fontana received 2,206 votes, or about 17.8 percent of the electorate. Republican Councilman Joseph Rento received 2,164 votes, or about 17.5 percent of the electorate."</ref><ref name=Passaic2012>[http://www.passaiccountynj.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/113 Passaic County Official Results - 2012 General Election November 6, 2012], [[Passaic County, New Jersey]], updated November 27, 2012. Accessed July 28, 2016.</ref>