Teaneck Blog

Casting a wary eye on Teaneck politics and municipal affairs

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Hue and cry raises questions

We are still two weeks away from the Council's reorganization meeting, but a number of citizens are already protesting the presumed outcome. A series of speakers during last night's Good & Welfare lobbied for the selection of Lizette Parker as Teaneck's next mayor. Of course, under Teaneck's council-manager system of government, the mayor is selected by the majority vote of the new Council, not by popular vote. What's behind the heightened public interest in a process that has historically been conducted behind closed doors? Why are so many citizens, including a former mayor, attempting to insert themselves into the process this year?

It does not take more than a quick glance at the makeup of the incoming Council to see that the current Deputy Mayor is does not have the votes, so Parker's supporters are right to be concerned. But why do they care so strongly who the Council selects as its leader? The role of mayor is largely ceremonial. It is true that the mayor has some influence over the Council agenda as it impacts policy, but that is exactly why it makes sense for the Council to select the leader who best represents the Council rather than the individual who best represents the town as a whole.

Tuesday's proceedings could have been an orchestrated effort by friends of Parker to try to bolster her candidacy for a position she clearly wants. Or they could have represented a concerted effort by opponents of the Council members who are likely to form the majority for the next two years to put those members on the defensive even before the new term commences. Or they could have just been an expression of boredom now that election season has ended and the school budget is set. Regardless of what motivated the outcry, it ought to be ignored.

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