Editing Pohatcong Township, New Jersey (section)

=== Local government ===
Pohatcong Township is governed by the [[Faulkner Act (small municipality)]] form of government. The [[Faulkner Act]], formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, allows municipalities to adopt a Small Municipality form of government only for municipalities with a population of under 12,000 at the time of adoption. The township is one of 18 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 government is comprised of the Mayor and the four-member Township Council, with all positions elected [[at-large]] on a [[non-partisan democracy|non-partisan]] basis. The Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. Council members serve a term of three years, which are staggered so that either one or two seats come up for election each year as part of the November general election.<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><ref>[https://njdatabook.rutgers.edu/sites/njdatabook.rutgers.edu/files/documents/forms_of_municipal_government_in_new_jersey_9220.pdf#page=14 "Forms of Municipal Government in New Jersey"], p. 14. [[Rutgers University]] Center for Government Studies. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref> In May 2011, the township council submitted an ordinance to shift the non-partisan elections from May to November. The shift, which took effect in November 2012, was intended to save the municipality $8,000 a year in costs associated with conducting the election.<ref>Wojcik, Sarah M. [http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/phillipsburg/index.ssf/2011/05/pohatcong_township_council_pla.html "Pohatcong Township Council plans to move May elections to November"], ''[[The Express-Times]]'', May 5, 2011. Accessed June 14, 2013. "Township council voted Tuesday night to introduce an ordinance that would move the nonpartisan government elections from May to November. The move is expected to save the township about $8,000 in costs associated with putting on the May elections."</ref>

{{As of|2022}}, the [[Mayor]] of Pohatcong Township is David S. Slack, whose term of office expires on December 31, 2023.<ref>[http://www.pohatcongtwp.org/Officials/Bio/mayor-david-slack Mayor David Slack], Pohatcong Township. Accessed May 10, 2022.</ref> Members of the Township Council are Stephen Babinsky (2024), Ingrid Gray (2023), Kevin J. Melvin (2022) and John S. Stillo (2022).<ref name=Officials>[http://www.pohatcongtwp.org/directory Directory], Pohatcong Township. Accessed May 10, 2022.</ref><ref>[http://www.pohatcongtwp.org/_Content/pdf/budgets/2022-Introduced-Budget.pdf 2022 Municipal Data Sheet], Pohatcong Township. Accessed May 10, 2022.</ref><ref name=Warren2021>[https://www.warrencountyvotes.com/home/showpublisheddocument/3284/637729175316070000 Summary Results Report 2021 General Election November 2, 2021 Official Results], Warren County, New Jersey, updated November 18, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.</ref><ref name=Warren2020>[https://www.warrencountyvotes.com/home/showpublisheddocument/2484/637648299297000000 Warren County 2020 General Election November 20, 2020 Official Results], Warren County, New Jersey, updated November 20, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.</ref><ref name=Warren2019>[https://www.warrencountyvotes.com/home/showpublisheddocument/2470/637642013517370000 General Election November 5, 2019, Warren County Official Tally], [[Warren County, New Jersey]], updated November 12, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020.</ref>

In September 2019, Ingrid Gray was appointed to fill the seat expiring in December 2020 that had been held by Anthony S. Vangeli until he left office.<ref>[http://www.pohatcongtwp.org/_Content/pdf/minutes/2019-09-17-Council-Minutes.pdf Meeting Minutes for September 17, 2019], Township of Pohatcong. Accessed March 3, 2020. "Motion: (To appoint Ingrid Gray to former Councilman Melvin' vacant seat (term of former Councilman Vangeli) through the November election at which time the winner of the election will be sworn in at the November meeting). Councilwoman Van Lieu moved to appoint Ingrid Gray to Melvin’s vacated seat through The General Election in November, Melvin seconded. The motion carried 3-0 (ayes: Melvin, Van Lieu and Slack, nays: none, absent: Babinsky)."</ref>

At 22 years of age when he was inaugurated on July 1, 2011, James R. Kern III became the youngest municipal executive serving in office in the State of New Jersey.<ref>Staff. [http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/07/younger_elected_officials_in_s.html "Twenty-somethings take N.J. political offices by storm"], ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'', July 15, 2011. Accessed August 15, 2011. "In mid-May, he uprooted wisdom, conventional and otherwise, and beat an experienced incumbent in a non-partisan election to become South Orange village president – and the state's youngest sitting municipal chief executive. He held that distinction for just a few weeks: On July 1, 22-year-old Jim Kern III was sworn in as mayor of Pohatcong, in Warren County."</ref><ref>Wojcik, Sarah M. [http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/phillipsburg/index.ssf/2011/05/james_kern_iii_elected_as_poha.html "James Kern III is Pohatcong Township's new mayor"], ''[[The Express-Times]]'', May 10, 2011. Accessed August 15, 2011. "In a [[landslide victory]] Tuesday, James Kern III edged out Frank Pagano to become what could be the youngest mayor in New Jersey, according to unofficial election results. Kern, 22, earned 63 percent of the vote while his opponent former township police sergeant Frank Pagano, 47, received only 34 percent.... Councilman Anthony 'Sal' Vangeli, who ran unopposed, was re-elected Tuesday with 73 percent of the vote. Both men will be sworn in during the July 1 reorganization meeting and a person will be selected to fill the remainder of Kern's council term."</ref>