Editing South Bound Brook, New Jersey (section)

===Local government===
South Bound Brook 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 the mayor and the borough council, with all positions elected [[at-large]] on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. The mayor is elected [[direct election|directly]] by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes six members 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. 77.</ref> The borough form of government used by South Bound Brook 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=2014-09-24 }}, [[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>

{{As of|2022}}, the [[mayor]] of South Bound Brook is [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] Caryl A. "Chris" Shoffner, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2023.<ref>[https://sbbnj.com/government/mayor/ Mayor], Borough of South Bound Brook. Accessed July 17, 2022.</ref> Members of the Borough Council are Council President Richard Eickhorst (D, 2023), Kathleen Connor (D, 2022), Anne Dedousis (D, 2023; appointed to serve an unexpired term), Kathryn M. "Katie" Kelly ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]], 2022), Elizabeth Konkle (D, 2024) and Jitendra "Jimmy" Shah (D, 2024).<ref name=MayorCouncil>[https://sbbnj.com/government/borough-council/ Borough Council], Borough of South Bound Brook. Accessed July 17, 2022.</ref><ref>[https://sbbnj.com/wp-content/uploads/Documents/Budgets_Audits/2022Budget/2022-Intro-Budget-for-Website.pdf 2022 Municipal Data Sheet], Borough of South Bound Brook. Accessed July 17, 2022.</ref><ref name=SomersetDirectory>[https://www.co.somerset.nj.us/home/showpublisheddocument/46227/638203671214730000#page=70 ''2023 Directory of County & Municipal Offices''], [[Somerset County, New Jersey]]. Accessed April 10, 2024.</ref><ref name=Somerset2021>[https://www.co.somerset.nj.us/home/showpublisheddocument/43891/637725959984900000 2021 General Election Winning Candidates], [[Somerset County, New Jersey]]. Accessed January 1, 2022.</ref><ref name=Somerset2020>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Somerset/107161/web.264614/#/summary Somerset County General Election November 3, 2020 Final Certified Results], [[Somerset County, New Jersey]], dated December 3, 2020. Accessed January 19, 2021.</ref><ref name=Somerset2019>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Somerset/98879/Web02.235350/#/ General Election November 5, 2019 Final Results], [[Somerset County, New Jersey]], updated November 15, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020.</ref>

In February 2022, the borough council appointed Anne Dedousis to fill the seat expiring in December 2023 that had been held by Elizabeth Chu until she resigned from office the previous month.<ref>[https://sbbnj.com/wp-content/uploads/Council_Minutes_2022/Regular/02_22_Regular.pdf Borough Council Regular Meeting Minutes for February 8, 2022], Borough of South Bound Brook. Accessed July 17, 2022. "Motion by Councilperson Conner to appoint Ann Dedousis to the South Bound Brook Borough Council, seconded by Councilperson Konkle, discussion. No discussion, roll call vote taken, all ayes. (5 ayes, 0 nays) At this time Mayor Shoffner administered the Oath of Office to Ann Dedousis. This is for a one year term."</ref>

In August 2015, the borough council selected Kathryn M. Kelly from three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2016 that had been held by James Holmes until he resigned from office the previous month as he was moving out of the borough.<ref>[http://www.sbbnj.com/councilminutes15/rminutes15/07_15_Regular.pdf Borough Council July 14, 2015, Regular Meeting Minutes], Borough of South Bound Brook. Accessed August 1, 2016. "Letter of resignation from Councilperson James Holmes. Councilperson Holmes is moving out of town effective August 1st."</ref><ref>[http://www.sbbnj.com/councilminutes15/rminutes15/08_15_Regular.pdf August 11, 2015, Regular Meeting Minutes], Borough of South Bound Brook. Accessed August 1, 2016. "As discussed, three names were submitted for the vacancy on Council. Kathryn Kelly was chosen to fill the unexpired term. Motion by Councilperson Quinlan to appoint Kathryn Kelly to fill the unexpired term, seconded by Councilperson Timpano, discussion. Roll call vote taken, all ayes. Ms. Kelly is sworn in by the Borough Clerk and takes her seat at the Council Table."</ref> Kelly served on an interim basis until the November 2015 general election, when she was elected to serve the one year remaining on the term of office.<ref name=Somerset2015>[http://www.co.somerset.nj.us/Home/ShowDocument?id=8846 Somerset County - General Election November 3, 2015 Winning Candidates], [[Somerset County, New Jersey]]. Accessed July 31, 2016.</ref>

====Political corruption====
In 2005, Republican mayor Jo-Anne Shubert resigned as Mayor of South Bound Brook a week before admitting that she had given a $35,000 no-bid computer contract to a company owned by her brother and where she was employed as an office manager.<ref>Hemenway, Chad. [https://web.archive.org/web/20121106180031/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/mycentraljersey/access/1752676691.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Sep+24,+2006&author=CHAD+HEMENWAY&pub=Courier+-+News&desc=NEW+LOOK+FOR+SOUTH+BOUND+BROOK:+Redevelopment+brings+rebirth+to+determined+community&pqatl=google "NEW LOOK FOR SOUTH BOUND BROOK: Redevelopment brings rebirth to determined community"], ''[[Courier News]]'', September 24, 2006. Accessed May 17, 2011. "'Basically, we tried to reinvent the town,' said former Mayor Jo-Anne Schubert, who made redevelopment a rallying cry of her 10-year political tenure in the borough until her resignation in October 2005."</ref>

In 2010 and 2011, Republican mayor Terry Warrelmann, was involved in a controversy involving his family and the borough's refusal to release police reports surrounding the incident. On July 9, 2010, John Paff, filed a lawsuit seeking the release of the documents.<ref>[http://ogtf.lpcnj.org/2010207yc//PaffvSBB.pdf "OPRA Request: Borough of South Bound Brook"], New Jersey Libertarian Party Open Government Advocacy Project. Accessed January 22, 2015.</ref><ref>Deak, Michael. [http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20100726/NEWS/7260326/Libertarian-party-organiztion-chair-s-lawsuit-seeks-file-possibly-involving-South-Bound-Brook-mayor-s-relative "Libertarian party organization chair's lawsuit seeks file possibly involving South Bound Brook mayor's relative"], ''[[Courier News]]'', July 26, 2010. Accessed January 23, 2015. "John Paff, chairman of the Libertarian Party Open Government Advocacy Project, filed suit in Superior Court against the borough and Borough Administrator Donald Kazar. Paff is contending he should have been given the report about the investigation that may have involved a relative of Mayor Terry Warrelman."</ref> On December 17, 2010, New Jersey Superior Court Assignment Judge Yolanda Ciccone, sitting in Somerville, New Jersey, conducted a hearing on Paff's lawsuit. On March 31, 2011, Paff received a 79-page file containing the redacted versions of documents within that investigative file.<ref>[http://ogtf.lpcnj.org/2010207yc//SouthBoundBrookDocs.pdf ''Paff v. Borough of South Bound Brook''], New Jersey Libertarian Party Open Government Advocacy Project. Accessed January 22, 2015.</ref> The records show that Mayor Warrelmann, along with his son Stephen, Nancy Santora and an unidentified juvenile, were suspects in an investigation of a November 21, 2009, burglary of a shed in South Bound Brook. No charges, however, were brought against any of the suspects.