Editing Mannington Township, New Jersey (section)

===Local government===
Mannington 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 a three-member Township Committee, whose members are elected [[direct election|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. 20.</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 conducted during the first week of January, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor.

{{As of|2022}}, members of the Mannington Township Committee are [[Mayor]] Donald C. Asay ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]], term on committee and as mayor ends December 31, 2022), [[Deputy Mayor]] Luke S. Patrick Jr. (R, term on committee ends 2024; term as deputy mayor ends 2022) and Kenneth H. Dunham Jr. (R, 2024).<ref name=Committee>[https://manningtontwp.com/township-committee/ Township Committee], Mannington Township. Accessed April 12, 2022.</ref><ref>[https://manningtontwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2021-adopted-budget-Mannington-Township-min.pdf 2021 Municipal Data Sheet], Mannington Township. Accessed April 12, 2022.</ref><ref name=Salem2021>[https://salemcountyclerk.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/OFFICIAL-General-Election-Results-Salem-County-2021-min.pdf Election Summary Report General Election Salem County November 2, 2021 Official Results Report], [[Salem County, New Jersey]], updated November 15, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.</ref><ref name=Salem2020>[https://salemcountyclerk.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ElectionSummaryReportRPT-short-version-revised-min.pdf Election Summary Report Salem County NJ General Election November 3, 2020 Official Report], [[Salem County, New Jersey]], updated November 25, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.</ref><ref name=Salem2019>[https://salemcountyclerk.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Official-Result-Summary-Report-min.pdf November 5, 2019 Summary Report Salem County, NJ Official Results], [[Salem County, New Jersey]] Clerk, updated November 18, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020.</ref>

In the 2012 general election, the Township Committee had Democrats in the majority for the first time in township history, though the committee decided to choose the committee's only Republican, Donald C. Asay, as mayor.<ref name=SJT2013>Williams, Michael. [http://www.nj.com/salem/index.ssf/2013/01/democratic_majority_on_manning.html "Democratic majority on Mannington Township Committee names Republican mayor"], ''[[South Jersey Times]]'', January 4, 2013. Accessed January 17, 2013. "During the reorganization of township committee on Thursday, newly elected Democratic Committeeman John Emel was sworn into a three year term. Emel's election brought the make-up of the three member township committee to 2 to 1 with a Democratic majority, which marks the first time in the township's history that Republicans have not held the majority in Mannington. But in a somewhat unusual move, the Democratic members of committee nominated lone Republican Donald Asay to continue serving as mayor."</ref>