Editing Pennington, New Jersey (section)

===Local government===
[[File:Pennington, NJ borough hall and library, Oct. 2024.jpg|thumb|right|Pennington Borough Hall and Public Library]]
Pennington is governed under the [[Borough (New Jersey)|borough]] form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it 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 a mayor and a borough council, with all positions elected [[at-large]] on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes six members, who are 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. 73.</ref> The borough form of government used by Pennington 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=September 24, 2014 }}, [[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> The borough council has the option to designate an administrator or assign executive responsibilities to the administrator. The council may also adopt an administrative code which describes how the Council performs its duties.<ref>[https://www.penningtonboro.org/form-of-govt.html Form of Government] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200502154932/http://penningtonboro.org/form-of-govt.html |date=May 2, 2020 }}, Pennington Borough. Accessed May 13, 2020. "The Borough form remains the most popular form of local government in New Jersey. This form dates back to the Borough Act of 1878 and was revised in 1897 . The borough Mayor is elected at large to a four-year term. Six Council members are elected at-large to staggered three-year terms."</ref>

{{As of|2023}}, the mayor of Pennington is [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] James Davy, who was elected to serve an unexpired term of office ending December 31, 2023. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Catherine M. "Kit" Chandler (D, 2023), Katrina Angarone (D, 2025), Deborah L. Gnatt (D, 2024), Charles "Chico" Marciante (D, 2025), Nadine Stern (D, 2024) and John Valenza (D, 2023; appointed to serve an unexpired term).<ref name=MayorCouncil>[https://www.penningtonboro.org/mayor-council.html Mayor and Council], Borough of Pennington. Accessed June 15, 2022.</ref><ref>[https://www.penningtonboro.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif5426/f/uploads/1108_fbi_2022.pdf 2022 Municipal User Friendly Budget], Borough of Pennington. Accessed June 15, 2022.</ref><ref name=MercerOfficials>[https://www.mercercounty.org/home/showpublisheddocument/22827/637794896457670000 Mercer County Elected Officials], [[Mercer County, New Jersey]], as of January 2022. Accessed February 24, 2023.</ref><ref name=Mercer2022>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Mercer/116247/web.303253/#/summary General Election November 8, 2022 Results], [[Mercer County, New Jersey]] Clerk, updated November 8, 2022. Accessed January 1, 2023.</ref><ref name=Mercer2021>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Mercer/111513/web.278093/#/summary General Election November 2, 2021 Official Results], [[Mercer County, New Jersey]], updated November 20, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.</ref><ref name=Mercer2020>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Mercer/107134/web.264614/#/summary General Election November 3, 2020 Official Results], [[Mercer County, New Jersey]], updated November 20, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.</ref><ref name=Mercer2019>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Mercer/98876/Web02.236009/#/ General Election November 2019 Official Results (Amended November 25, 2019)], [[Mercer County, New Jersey]], updated December 9, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020.</ref>

In February 2023, the council selected John Valenza to fill the seat that had been held by Ken Gross expiring in December 2023 that became vacant when he resigned.<ref>Murphy-DePaolo, Colleen. [https://mercerme.com/pennington-council-elects-new-member-life-long-pennington-resident-john-valenza/ "Pennington Council elects new member: life-long Pennington resident John Valenza"], Mercer Me, February 9, 2023. Accessed April 23, 2023. "Mayor Jim Davy read a proclamation during the reorganization meeting honoring former member Ken Gross.... Valenza took his oath of office to join council as its newest member.... Valenza’s election was to fill the unexpired term left by Gross, ending December 31, 2023."</ref>

Katrina Angarone was selected in February 2022 from a list of three names submitted by the Democratic municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2022 that had been held by Beverly Mills until her resignation from office the previous month.<ref>Harrison, Andrew. [https://centraljersey.com/2022/02/08/angarone-appointed-as-newest-member-of-pennington-council/ "Angarone appointed newest member of Pennington Council"], ''Hopewell News'', February 8, 2022. Accessed June 15, 2022. "The Pennington Council has appointed Katrina Angarone to fill former Councilwoman Beverly Mills’s vacant seat on the governing body. The council unanimously voted to appoint Angarone to the unfilled seat on the council at a meeting on Feb. 7. Angarone was one of three candidates nominated by the Pennington Democratic Committee to fill the council vacancy.... Mills resignation from the governing body went into effect on Jan. 6 and was announced at the council’s reorganization meeting on Jan. 5."</ref>

In June 2021, the borough council appointed former councilmember James Davy to fill the mayoral seat expiring in December 2023 that became vacant following the resignation of Joseph Lawver earlier that month.<ref>Harrison, Andrew. [https://centraljersey.com/2021/06/09/lawver-resigns-davy-appointed-penningtons-new-mayor/ "Lawver resigns; Davy appointed Pennington’s new mayor"], ''Hopewell News'', June 9, 2021. Accessed June 15, 2022. "Former Pennington Councilman James Davy was appointed Pennington’s new mayor following the recent resignation of former Mayor Joe Lawver. Davy was appointed through a unanimous vote by the Borough Council at a council meeting on June 7.... Davy now succeeds Lawver, whose resignation was effective June 6. He fills Lawver’s unexpired term until Dec. 31, 2023."</ref> Davy served on an interim basis until the November 2021 general election, when he was elected to serve the remainder of the term of office.<ref name=Mercer2021/>

In January 2019, Joseph Lawver was appointed to fill the mayoral seat expiring in December 2019 that was vacated by Anthony Persichilli, the borough's longest-serving mayor, when he resigned from office the previous month.<ref>Galioto, Mary. [https://mercerme.com/pennington-borough-honors-former-mayor-and-swears-in-council-members/ "Pennington Borough Honors Former Mayor and Swears-in Council Members"], MercerMe, January 10, 2019. Accessed November 28, 2019. "New Councilwoman Liz Semple was sworn in to a three-year term, and Councilwoman Deb Gnatt was re-elected. Mayor Joe Lawver was selected by Council at the December 27, 2018 meeting to fill the unexpired mayoral term vacated upon Tony Persichilli’s retirement. That term runs to December 31, 2019.... Persichilli set a 12-year record as the longest serving mayor in Pennington Borough history."</ref> Former mayor Persichilli was first elected on November 7, 2006, to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of James Loper. Returned to office at that same election were Democratic council members Joseph Lawver and Eileen Heinzel.<ref>[http://www.zwire.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=17439311&BRD=1689&PAG=461&dept_id=41795&rfi=8 Pennington keeps council, changes mayor] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930023640/http://www.zwire.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=17439311&BRD=1689&PAG=461&dept_id=41795&rfi=8 |date=September 30, 2007 }}, ''Pennington Post'', November 8, 2006.</ref> James Loper, the previous elected mayor, had resigned from office effective February 1, 2006. The Pennington Republican Committee nominated three candidates to take his place and the council selected James Benton from the three candidates to fill the vacancy.<ref>[http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16047392&BRD=1091&PAG=461&dept_id=425744&rfi=6 Pennington Borough Mayor Resigns] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311053046/http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16047392&BRD=1091&PAG=461&dept_id=425744&rfi=6 |date=March 11, 2007 }}, ''Hopewell Valley News'', February 2, 2006.</ref> That same procedure was repeated in December 2006, when the borough council selected Diane Zompa to fill the unexpired term left by Persichilli.<ref>Hamner, Nicholas. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070930035104/http://www.zwire.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=17564095&BRD=1689&PAG=461&dept_id=41795&rfi=8 "Council complete"], ''Pennington Post'', December 7, 2006, backed up by the [[Internet Archive]] as of September 30, 2007. Accessed July 11, 2016.</ref>