By Tim O’Meilia
Manalapan voters will have a chance to set term limits on its commissioners and allow the mayor’s presence to count toward getting a quorum for meetings when some commissioners are away.
Those two possible changes in the town charter will be on the March ballot, and they might not be alone. The commission will consider any other charter change possibilities during an Oct. 23 workshop. The commission gave unanimous approval to asking voters whether they want to limit the mayor and commissioners to two consecutive terms in the same office or three consecutive terms in any combination of the two offices.
If approved by the voters, the mayor and commissioners’ present time in office would count toward their limit. Commissioners Louis DeStefano and Howard Roder are in their second two-year terms, and both would have a year remaining in office next March. All others, including Mayor Basil Diamond, are in their first terms.
“I’m in favor of term limits, but what if we find we don’t have enough candidates?” Diamond said, and he suggested an exception in that event. Commissioners decided against changing the charter question.
They also gave 5-1 preliminary approval to asking voters to decide whether the mayor should count in assembling a quorum for meetings and be able to vote in that event. Currently, four of the seven commissioners must be present for a quorum, not including the mayor. The mayor votes only in the case of a tie.
The commission must approve the wording of the referendum question later. Commissioner John Murphy opposed the question.
Diamond suggested the quorum question. “Sometimes in the summer, it’s hard to get a quorum,” he said, referring to recent difficulties in finding compatible dates for budget workshops in August and September.
By charter, Manalapan commissioners and the mayor must be in residence seven months of the year.
The discussion prompted Commissioner Donald Brennan to suggest the workshop to consider any charter questions commissioners might propose. “Maybe it needs no changes, but I think it needs some discussion,” he said. Ú
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