Newly sworn-in deputy mayor Dennis Riley took a page out of Abraham Lincoln’s playbook at Mt. Laurel Council’s reorganization meeting last week, stating how government is “of the people, by the people and for the people.”
The message wasn’t just applicable to Americans more than 150 years ago. Mt. Laurel Council is hoping to make 2015 the year of the people in municipal government.
Inside a packed municipal courtroom, members of council implored the audience to get more involved this year. Irwin Edelson, the township’s new mayor for 2015, said perhaps the biggest goal for council this year is to open up more of a dialogue with the community.
“We all look forward to working together to make Mt. Laurel an even better place to live,” he said.
For Riley and fellow rookie councilman Rich Van Noord, opening a line of communication with the public had been something they spoke about during their election campaign last fall.
“We want the input of the people,” Riley said.
The township is looking to get the public more involved in a number of ways. This includes getting people to volunteer for their township as well as bringing the township to the people.
“We’re going to create some new advisory boards,” Edelson said. “We’re looking to mimic what the county has done and take council on the road.”
Council has not discussed in detail what advisory boards will be created, but Edelson said the idea is to get more people involved in something they are passionate about while also benefitting the township.
Meanwhile, the proposal to take council meeting outside the municipal building is a new one for the township. Edelson said moving council meetings to different areas of the township could attract more people to attend.
Right now, the township has not set any dates for meetings away from the municipal building, but council is expected to look at venues and dates in the near future. Edelson said these meetings would likely take place later in the year.
Van Noord credited previous councils and township manager Maureen Mitchell with the way they’ve run the township in previous years. However, he added residents should still voice their opinions so the township can discover where it can improve.
“When a government is functioning so well, sometimes the residents get complacent,” Van Noord said. “We’d like to reach out to those residents.”
The reorganization meeting was extra special for Riley and Van Noord as New Jersey Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno swore in the two new councilmembers. Riley said Guadagno’s willingness to come to Mt. Laurel shows how much of a positive impact the township has on the state.
“Coming down to the Mt. Laurel, it just shows how much it means to the state of New Jersey,” Riley said. “This is a great township.”
Even more important to the new councilmen was how many friends and family came out for the ceremony. Van Noord said their support was appreciated during his campaign, and he is looking forward to working with other community members during his four-year term.
“We really do appreciate the support of the community,” he said.
