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===Local government=== Washington operates within the [[Faulkner Act]], formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the [[Faulkner Act (council–manager)|Council-Manager]] form of municipal government. The borough 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 six-member borough council, all of whom are elected [[at-large]] on a partisan basis as part of the November general elections. The mayor and members of the borough council are elected to four-year terms on a staggered basis, with either two seats (plus the mayor) or four seats coming up for election in even-numbered years. The council selects a borough manager who is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the municipality.<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=12 "Forms of Municipal Government in New Jersey"], p. 12. [[Rutgers University]] Center for Government Studies. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref><ref>[http://www.washingtonboro-nj.gov/form-of-government.html Council – Manager Form of Government], Borough of Washington. Accessed August 8, 2016.</ref> {{As of|2023}}, the borough's [[Mayor]] is [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] Ethel Conry, who was elected to serve an unexpired term of office ending on December 31, 2024.<ref name=Mayor>[http://www.washingtonboro-nj.gov/mayor_main.html Office of the Mayor], Borough of Washington. Accessed April 10, 2023.</ref> Members of the Borough Council are [[Deputy mayor]] Louann M. Cox ([[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], 2024), Jerry Brown (R, 2026), Edward France (R, 2026), Cassandra Gorshkov (R, 2026), Christopher Infinito (R, 2024;appointed to an unexpired term) and Sherri Musick (R, 2026).<ref>[http://www.washingtonboro-nj.gov/council_main.html Borough of Washington Council], Borough of Washington. Accessed April 10, 2023.</ref><ref>[http://www.washingtonboro-nj.gov/financial-documents/2022-Adopted-Budget.pdf 2022 Municipal Data Sheet], Borough of Washington. Accessed December 8, 2022.</ref><ref name=Warren2022>[https://www.warrencountyvotes.com/home/showpublisheddocument/5368/638046410878670000 General Election November 8, 2022, Warren County Official Results], [[Warren County, New Jersey]], updated November 21, 2022. Accessed January 1, 2023.</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> In January 2022, the borough council appointed Sonia Ron to fill the seat expiring in December 2022 that had been held by Chelsea Duchemin.<ref>[http://www.washingtonboro-nj.gov/council_agendas/2022/council-minutes-010422.pdf Reorganization Meeting Minutes for January 4, 2022], Borough of Washington. Accessed March 2, 2022. "A motion made by Noone and seconded by Conry to fill the unexpired vacancy left by Chelsea Duchemin; all were in favor with the exception of Cox voting no.... Attorney Parikh administered the oath of office to Sonia Ron."</ref> Following the resignation of Mayor David Higgins in December 2021, the borough council voted the following month to leave the position vacant until the November 2022 general election, when voters will choose a candidate to serve the balance of the term of office through December 2024.<ref>[http://www.washingtonboro-nj.gov/council_agendas/2022/council-minutes-011222.pdf Meeting Minutes of January 12, 2022], Borough of Washington. Accessed March 2, 2022. "WHEREAS, on December 28, 2021, Mayor David Higgins ('Mayor Higgins') resigned from his position of Mayor for the Borough of Washington; and WHEREAS, the term of the office held by Mayor Huggins expires, as a matter of law, on December 31, 2024; and WHEREAS, the resignation of Mayor Higgins created a vacancy in the office of Mayor for the Borough of Washington... BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the office of Mayor that has become vacant by the resignation of Mayor Higgins is to be remain temporarily vacant during the interim period from the time the vacancy occurred until the time of the 2022 general election."</ref> In the November 2022 general election, Ethel Conry was elected to fill the remainder of the mayoral term.<ref name=Warren2022/> In January 2017, Paul Jones was selected on an interim basis to fill the seat expiring in December 2018 that became vacant when David Higgins took office as mayor.<ref>[http://www.washingtonboro-nj.gov/council_agendas/2017/council-minutes-011717.pdf Borough Council Meeting Minutes January 17, 2017. Accessed February 3, 2018. "A motion was made by Klimko, seconded by Thompson, to nominate Paul Jones to fill the vacant Council seat.... The Clerk administered the Oath of Office to new Councilman Paul Jones."]</ref> Dewayne Keith Norris was elected in November 2017 to fill the vacant seat for the remainder of the term of office.<ref name=Warren2017>[http://www.co.warren.nj.us/elections/current%20election%20results/vote.pdf General Election November 7, 2017, Warren County Official Tally], [[Warren County, New Jersey]], updated November 14, 2017. Accessed January 1, 2018.</ref> A month later, the borough was informed that Norris had faced a number of criminal charges in previous decades including having been sentenced in 1994 to serve 45 days in jail on a misdemeanor larceny charge. The council passed a symbolic no confidence vote by a 4-2 margin, though Norris indicated that he was unwilling to resign from office.<ref>Novak, Steve. [http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/warren-county/index.ssf/2017/12/washington_councilman_criminal.html "N.J. borough council learns official has criminal record, holds no-confidence vote"], ''[[The Express-Times]]'', December 22, 2017. Accessed February 3, 2018. "A Warren County borough council has declared no confidence in its newest member after learning of his criminal record from decades ago in North Carolina. Dewayne Keith Norris, a local firefighter, has served on Washington's borough council only since November. He has also served jail time and still has a standing order for arrest on at least one charge, according to the North Carolina county courts that confirmed the veracity of some of the charges."</ref> Kristine Henry, who had served as Washington's clerk and borough manager, was sentenced in January 2018 to seven years in jail, lost her ability to work in a public job and was required to repay $97,000 she had stolen from the borough after writing a series of checks payable to herself from 2011 to 2016. Her role was filled by Matthew Hall, who was the borough's manager for several years and helped improve the town's sewers, garbage collection system, and paved the way for new businesses and residences to be built in the area.<ref>Novak, Steve. [http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/warren-county/index.ssf/2018/01/ex-borough_manager_sentenced_t.html "N.J. borough's ex-manager sentenced to 7 years for stealing $97K"], ''[[The Express-Times]]'', January 5, 2018. Accessed January 3, 2018. "The former clerk and manager of a Warren County borough stole almost a year's worth of pay by cutting herself checks over five years. Now, Kristine Henry, 48, will spend the next seven years behind bars, pay back the $97,182 she stole from the borough of Washington and will be barred from ever holding a public job again."</ref>
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