Editing Berkeley Township, New Jersey (section)

===Local government===
Since July 1, 1983, Berkeley Township has been governed within the [[Faulkner Act]], formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the [[Faulkner Act (mayor–council)|Mayor-Council]] system of municipal government plan D, as adopted based on direct petition.<ref>[http://www.dudley-2010.com/Faulkner%20Act%2046pages.pdf "The Faulkner Act: New Jersey's Optional Municipal Charter Law"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012040522/http://www.dudley-2010.com/Faulkner%20Act%2046pages.pdf |date=October 12, 2013 }}, [[New Jersey State League of Municipalities]], July 2007. Accessed September 23, 2013.</ref> The township is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) 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 seven-member Township Council, which has three members elected [[at-large]] and one member elected from each of the four [[Ward (United States)|wards]]. The mayor and the members of the Township Council are elected to four-year terms of office on a partisan basis in staggered elections held as part of the November election in odd-numbered years, with the respective terms commencing on January 1; the mayor and the three at-large seats come up for election together every four years, with the four ward seats up for election two years later.<ref name=DataBook>''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'', [[Rutgers University]] [[Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy]], March 2013, p. 49.</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|2024}}, the [[Mayor]] of Berkeley Township is [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] John A. Bacchione, whose term of office ends December 31, 2027.<ref name=Mayor>[https://www.berkeleytownship.org/departments/administration/mayor_s_office.php Mayor's Office], Berkeley Township. Accessed June 3, 2024.</ref> Members of the Berkeley Township Council are Council President Keith A. Buscio (at-large; R, 2027), Council Vice President Angelo Guadagno (Ward 2; R, 2025), Douglas E. Bowens (at-large; R, 2027), James J. Byrnes (Ward 1; R, 2025), Sophia Gingrich (Ward 4; R, 2025), L. Thomas Grosse Jr. (at-large; R, 2027) and Michael Signorile (Ward 3; R, 2025).<ref name=Council>[http://www.berkeleytownship.org/departments/council_members.php Council Members], Berkeley Township. Accessed June 3, 2024. "Under the optional Municipal Charter Law (Faulkner Act) effective July 1, 1983, the Township is governed by a Mayor who is elected for a four year term and a seven member Council, elected on a staggered basis for terms of four years, with the respective terms commencing on January 1st."</ref><ref>[https://cms6.revize.com/revize/berkeleynj/document_center/Clerk/Budget/2024/2024%20Intro%20Bdgt.pdf 2024 Municipal Data Sheet], Berkeley Township. Accessed June 3, 2024.</ref><ref name=OceanProfile>[https://www.co.ocean.nj.us/frmGovDirPage.aspx?ID=211 Township of Berkeley], [[Ocean County, New Jersey]]. Accessed June 3, 2024.</ref><ref name=OceanOfficials>[https://co.ocean.nj.us/WebContentFiles/70fc90f8-5e4e-4454-a3c1-8ca3d0911f87.pdf ''2024 Ocean County & Municipal Elected Officials''], [[Ocean County, New Jersey]] Clerk, updated April 2, 2024. Accessed April 17, 2024.</ref><ref name=Ocean2023>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Ocean/119025/web.317647/#/summary General Election Results November 7, 2023 Official Results], [[Ocean County, New Jersey]], updated November 22, 2023. Accessed January 1, 2024.</ref><ref name=Ocean2021>[https://www.co.ocean.nj.us/WebContentFiles/07aecb2a-f6ce-4ef4-a6c3-7b7546fc9e3f.pdf 2021 General Election Official Results], [[Ocean County, New Jersey]]. Accessed January 1, 2022.</ref>

In September 2020, the Township Council appointed Michael Signorile to fill the seat running through December 2021 that had been held by Judy Noonan until she resigned from office as she was moving out of the township.<ref>Lundy, Chris. [https://www.jerseyshoreonline.com/berkeley/new-berkeley-councilman-sworn-in/ "New Berkeley Councilman Sworn In"], ''The Berkeley Times'', September 1, 2020. Accessed July 1, 2022. "Michael Signorile was sworn in as the newest member of the Township Council.... He takes the spot on the council originally held by Judy Noonan, who had been on it for 10 years. Noonan resigned in August and moved to Manchester.... Since Noonan is a Republican, the township's Republican party chose her replacement.... Signorile will have to run in the Nov. 3 election. If he wins, he will fulfill the rest of Noonan's term, which ends Dec. 31, 2021."</ref> Signorile served on an interim basis until the November 2021 general election, when he was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.<ref name=Ocean2021/>

In January 2015, the Township Council selected Anthony DePaola from among three candidates recommended by the municipal Republican committee to fill the at-large seat that expiring in 2015 that had been held by Robert G. Ray, who had resigned earlier that month.<ref>Miller, Patricia A. [http://patch.com/new-jersey/berkeley-nj/township-council-taps-anthony-depaola-replace-robert-g-ray "Township Council Taps Anthony DePaola To Replace Robert G. RayDePaola was sworn in at Jan. 12 meeting in Town Hall."], Berkeley Patch, January 12, 2015. Accessed January 14, 2015. "Anthony DePaola - who holds a number of positions in Berkeley Township - was sworn into the Township Council as a councilman-at-large to replace Robert G. Ray, who resigned earlier this month."</ref>

In November 2012, James J. Byrnes and Kevin M. Askew won the remaining 14 months on unexpired terms of office. Byrnes had been appointed to the Ward 1 seat to fill the vacancy of Karen Davis following her resignation from office, while Askew had been appointed to fill the vacancy of Carmen F. Amato Jr. in Ward 2 after he had taken office as the township's mayor.<ref>Miller, Patricia A. [http://berkeley-nj.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/byrnes-and-askew-coast-to-easy-wins-in-township-council-race "Byrnes And Askew Coast To Easy Wins In Township Council Races; Both win one-year unexpired terms on the governing body"], BerkeleyPatch, November 7, 2012. Accessed August 26, 2013. "Byrnes - the former longtime president of the Berkeley Board of Education - was appointed to the Township Council Ward 1 seat in January, to replace Karen Davis, who resigned because of health reasons. Askew was also appointed to the Ward 2 seat in January, to replace Carmen F. Amato Jr., who was elected mayor in November 2011."</ref>