Editing Mendham Township, New Jersey (section)

=== Local government ===
Mendham Township operates 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 Township Committee is comprised of five members, who are elected directly by the voters [[at-large]] in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats 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. 116.</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><ref>Cerra, Michael F. [https://www.njlm.org/809/3982/Forms-of-Govt-Magazine-Article "Forms of Government: Everything You've Always Wanted to Know, But Were Afraid to Ask"], [[New Jersey State League of Municipalities]], March 2007. Accessed January 1, 2025.</ref> At an annual reorganization meeting held on the first Monday after January 1, the newly reconstituted township committee selects one of its members to serve as mayor, and another to serve as deputy mayor.

{{As of|2025}}, members of the Mendham Township Committee are Mayor Sarah Neibart ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]], 2027; term as mayor ends December 31, 2025), Deputy Nick Monaghan (R, 2027; term as deputy mayor ends 2025), Amalia Duarte ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]], 2026), Tracy Moreen (R, 2025) and Lauren Spirig (D, 2025).<ref name=Committee>[https://www.mendhamtownship.org/township-committee Township Committee], Mendham Township. Accessed February 9, 2025. "The Township Committee is made up of five residents who are elected at large to serve three-year terms. Each January, the Township Committee reorganizes and votes on a Mayor and Deputy Mayor to serve for a one-year term."</ref><ref>[https://www.mendhamtownship.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif7531/f/uploads/2024_user_friendly_budget.pdf 2024 Municipal User Friendl Budget], Mendham Township. Accessed February 9, 2025.</ref><ref name=MorrisManual>[https://www.morriscountyclerk.org/files/sharedassets/clerk/v/6/manual/mc-manual-2024-web-052824.pdf#page=43 ''Morris County Manual 2024''], [[Morris County, New Jersey]] Clerk. Accessed January 20, 2025.</ref><ref name=MorrisOfficials>[https://www.morriscountyclerk.org/files/sharedassets/clerk/v/11/elections/2024-municipal-elected-officials-052824b.pdf ''Morris County Municipal Elected Officials For The Year 2024''], [[Morris County, New Jersey]] Clerk, updated May 28, 2024. Accessed January 20, 2025.</ref><ref name=Morris2024>[https://www.morriscountyclerk.org/files/sharedassets/clerk/v/6/elections/past-results/2024-general-summary-report-official.pdf Summary Results Report 2024 General Election November 5, 2024 Official Results], [[Morris County, New Jersey]] Clerk, updated November 18, 2024. Accessed January 1, 2025.</ref><ref name=Morris2023>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Morris/119045/web.317647/#/summary General Election November 7, 2023 Official Results], [[Morris County, New Jersey]] Clerk, updated December 11, 2023. Accessed January 1, 2024.</ref><ref name=Morris2022>[https://www.morriscountyclerk.org/files/sharedassets/clerk/elections/past-results/2022-general-municipality-report-official.pdf General Election November 8, 2022, Official Results], [[Morris County, New Jersey]], updated November 28, 2022. Accessed January 1, 2023.</ref>

In February 2023, Republicans dropped a challenge to the election of Democrat Lauren Spirig, who won the second seat on the committee up for election in November 2022, three votes ahead of incumbent Republican committee member Thomas Baio, who claimed that there had been votes cast by individuals who no longer resided in the township and were thus ineligible to vote.<ref>Morel, Kyle. [https://www.dailyrecord.com/story/news/politics/morris-county/2023/01/06/mendham-nj-lauren-spirig-committee-democrat-election-lawsuit/69781767007/ "Mendham Township swears in second Democrat as Republican court challenge looms"],''[[Daily Record (New Jersey)|Daily Record]]'', January 6, 2023. Accessed March 6, 2023. "Republican Tracey Moreen and Democrat Lauren Spirig were sworn in for three-year terms during Thursday's reorganization meeting at Mendham Township Middle School. Despite a legal case that has drawn national attention, the two newest committee members, in statements after taking their oaths of office, spoke of the need to work in the best interest of the community.... Certified election results from the Morris County Clerk's Office showed Spirig receiving 1,473 votes to Baio's 1,471 to secure the second open committee seat. Moreen led the field with 1,532 votes, while Democrat Martin Slayne received 1,397 votes."</ref><ref>Westhoven, William. [https://www.dailyrecord.com/story/news/2023/02/07/mendham-township-nj-election-judge-dismisses-challenge-baio-concedes/69882282007/ "Judge dismisses election challenge in Mendham Township; GOP's Baio concedes"], ''[[Daily Record (New Jersey)|Daily Record]]'', February 7, 2023. Accessed March 6, 2023. "After a day of initial testimony at the Morris County Courthouse Tuesday, attorneys for former Mendham Township Committeeman Thomas Baio dropped a controversial lawsuit challenging his three-vote November election loss to Lauren Spirig due to alleged illegal vote-by-mail ballots.... The lawsuit identified 33 mostly late mail-in ballots that Baio claimed were cast by former or non-residents in a race he narrowly lost to Spirig, a Democrat. Baio's court challenge said he wanted to root out illegal votes in the interest of 'election integrity.'"</ref>

Former township committeeman Brian Phelan was inducted into the New Jersey State Elected Officials Hall of Fame in 2011.<ref>[http://www.njslom.org/hallelec2011.html Elected Officials Hall of Fame: 2011 Inductee List], [[New Jersey State League of Municipalities]]. Accessed September 5, 2015.</ref>