Editing Commercial Township, New Jersey (section)

===Local government===
Commercial Township is governed under the [[Township (New Jersey)|Township]] form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state.<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 three-member Township Committee, whose members are elected directly by the voters [[at-large]] in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one seat coming up for election each year as part of the November general election 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. 19.</ref><ref>[https://njdatabook.rutgers.edu/sites/njdatabook.rutgers.edu/files/documents/forms_of_municipal_government_in_new_jersey_9220.pdf#page=7 "Forms of Municipal Government in New Jersey"], p. 7. [[Rutgers University]] Center for Government Studies. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref> At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor, each serving a one-year term.<ref name=Committee/>

{{As of|2025}}, members of the Commercial Township Committee are Mayor Joseph "Joe" Klaudi (R) (New Jersey), term on committee ends December 31, 2027; Deputy Mayor Warren "MIke" Vizzard (R) (New Jersey), term on committee ends December 31, 2025); and Committeeman Ronald "Ron" Sutton (R/D) (New Jersey), Term ends on December 31, 2028.<ref name=Committee>[http://commercialtwp.com/government/administration/mayor-committee/ Mayor & Committee], Township of Commercial. Accessed August 27, 2023. "Commercial Township is under the 'Township' form of local government. As in all local governments, our Township is highly regulated by the State of New Jersey and falls under the laws of the State Legislature. Three people serve on the Township government for a three year term. A single position is open each year for someone from the public to run for office.... The Mayor is appointed by the three Township committee people and is not elected directly by the public."</ref><ref>[https://commercialtwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2023-Adopted-Budget.pdf#page=8 2023 Municipal Data Sheet], Township of Commercial. Accessed August 27, 2023.</ref><ref name=CumberlandDirectory>[https://www.cumberlandcountynj.gov/filestorage/22641/24559/2023_Directory_.pdf#page=66 ''2023 Directory of Cumberland County, New Jersey''], [[Cumberland County, New Jersey]]. Accessed March 1, 2024.</ref><ref name=Cumberland2022>[https://ccclerknj.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SUMMARY-REPORT.pdf Election Summary Report General Election Cumberland County November 8, 2022], [[Cumberland County, New Jersey]], updated November 28, 2022. Accessed January 1, 2023.</ref><ref name=Cumberland2021>[https://ccclerknj.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/SUMMARY-REPORT-1.pdf Election Summary Report General Election Cumberland County November 2, 2021], [[Cumberland County, New Jersey]], updated November 19, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.</ref><ref name=Cumberland2020>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Cumberland/107141/web.264614/#/summary General Election Results November 3, 2020, Official Results], [[Cumberland County, New Jersey]], updated November 19, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.</ref>

After Mayor Judson Moore resigned from office in March 2016, Ronald Sutton was named as mayor to replace Moore and Fletcher Jamison shifted to deputy mayor.<ref>Woods, Don E. [http://www.nj.com/cumberland/index.ssf/2016/03/commercial_twp_mayor_resigns_with_9_months_left.htmlCommercial Twp. mayor resigns with 9 months left in office"], [[NJ.com]], March 15, 2016. Accessed June 30, 2016. "Moore was two years into his three-year appointment on committee when he announced his resignation Monday night at a Commercial Township work session meeting.... According to township clerk Hannah Nichols, Ronald Sutton Sr. was made mayor during Monday's meeting and Fletcher Jamison was made deputy mayor."</ref>

In the November 2013 general election, Moore became the first candidate to win election running as an independent, while Ronald Sutton was elected to fill the vacant seat of Bill Riggin, who had resigned from office.<ref>Tomlinson, Philip. [http://www.nj.com/cumberland/index.ssf/2014/01/commercial_township_reorganizes_judson_moore_appointed_mayor.html "Commercial Township reorganizes, Judson Moore appointed mayor"], ''[[South Jersey Times]]'', January 6, 2014. Accessed July 23, 2014. "In November, Judson Moore became the first Independent candidate elected to the township's three-person committee.... Democrat Ronald Sutton was also sworn in to serve the remainder of the term of former committeeman Bill Riggin, who resigned due to health concerns this past fall; Sutton, elected for the seat in November, had served in that capacity by appointment since shortly after Riggin's resignation. Longtime Democratic Committeeman Fletcher Jamison was tabbed as deputy mayor."</ref>