Editing Lebanon, New Jersey (section)

===Local government===
Lebanon Borough is governed under the [[Borough (New Jersey)|borough]] form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, 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 borough council, with all positions elected [[at-large]] on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. 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 Lebanon 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=2014-09-24 }}, [[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://www.lebanonboro.com/dept/government/ Intro to the Borough Form of Government in the State of NJ], Lebanon Borough. Accessed May 18, 2007.</ref>

{{As of|2023}}, the [[mayor]] of Lebanon Borough is [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] James J. Pittinger, whose term of office ends December 31, 2026. The Lebanon Borough Council is comprised of Council President Richard J. Burton (R, 2024), Samuel Berger (R, 2024), Gregory F. Crawford (R, 2025), Robert J. Kirchofer (R, 2025), James Lance (R, 2023) and Mary Basile Logan (R, 2023).<ref name=MayorCouncil>[http://www.lebanonboro.com/directory Directory], Borough of Lebanon. Accessed May 4, 2023.</ref><ref>[https://www.lebanonboro.com/_Content/pdf/budgets/2023-Municipal-Budget.pdf#page=10 2023 Municipal Data Sheet], Borough of Lebanon. Accessed May 4, 2023.</ref><ref name=HunterdonPage>[https://co.hunterdon.nj.us/920/Lebanon-Borough Borough of Lebanon], [[Hunterdon County, New Jersey]]. Accessed May 4, 2023.</ref><ref name=HunterdonDirectory>[https://www.co.hunterdon.nj.us/DocumentCenter/View/5487/2022-Hunterdon-County-and-Municipal-Officials-Directory-PDF#page=79 ''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>

In August 2019, the borough council selected Melissa Saharic to fill the seat expiring in December 2020 that became vacant following the resignation of Michael Piagentini, who left office the previous month after announcing that he was moving out of the borough.<ref>[http://www.lebanonboro.com/_Content/pdf/newsletter/2019-Autumn-Lebanon-Lantern.pdf "The Lebanon Borough Council welcomes Councilwoman Melissa Saharic."], ''The Lebanon Lantern'', Autumn 2019. Accessed November 20, 2019. "I want to thank Mike Piagentini for his service to Lebanon Boro on the town council. Mike resigned in July as his family relocated to Clinton Township. Congratulations and welcome to Melissa Saharic, who was voted onto the council to fill Mike’s vacancy in August."</ref> In November 2019, Saharic was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.<ref name=Hunterdon2019>[https://www.co.hunterdon.nj.us/election/2019/general/Official%20SOV%20G2019.pdf Hunterdon County District Canvass November 5, 2019, General Election], [[Hunterdon County, New Jersey]], updated November 14, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020.</ref>

After Republican incumbent Barbara "Bonnie" Schmidt and Democratic challenger Marlene Baldinger ended up tied with 431 votes for the second of two council seats in the November 2016 general election, the two faced off in a January runoff, which Baldinger won by a 183-135 margin.<ref>O'Brien, Walter. [http://www.newjerseyhills.com/hunterdon_review/news/lebanon-borough-reorganizes-after-run-off-election/article_63043f2b-2fe0-5c36-b952-a22e05cd611b.html "Lebanon Borough reorganizes after run-off election"], ''Hunterdon Review'', January 4, 2017. Accessed May 15, 2017. "Attorney Judith Novack swore in Republican Jeffrey Schneider and Democrat Marlene Baldinger for three-year terms, and Republican Michael Piagentini for one-year unexpired term. Baldinger replaced former Councilwoman Barbara 'Bonnie' Schmidt after a Tuesday, Jan. 3, run-off election in the borough in when Baldiner garnered 183 votes and Schmidt 135. The two had tied for the second of three three-year terms after Schneider had taken in the most votes of the three in November."</ref>