Franklin Lakes June 9, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 7 New borough bylaws draw concerns from public by Frank J. McMahon The amended bylaws of the Franklin Lakes Borough Council were adopted last month, but not before two members of the public voiced concerns about the changes and the reasons for them. Resident Lisa Sciancalapore questioned why there were so many changes made to the bylaws, referring to the amendments as a “hatchet job.” “It seems to me a lot of the duties of the mayor have been taken away,” she said. The resident noted that one section of the previous bylaws that pertained to the appointment of standing committees was deleted and another that provided for the mayor to require reports from committees was also deleted. “The public will be dismayed,” Sciancalpore said. “It seems like you are diminishing the power of the mayor, and I don’t fully understand why.” She went on to say there might be a conflict of interests involved in the preparation of the new bylaws because she claimed that drafts of the new bylaws were prepared by Councilman William Smith before he was sworn in to his seat on the governing body. Resident Cathy Stack echoed some of Sciancalapore’s comments, and voiced the opinion that the new bylaws appear to be taking the mayor out of everything in town. In response, Smith said he did not think the new bylaws diminish the mayor’s duties at all, and that all the changes were made in conformance to state statute or Robert’s Rules of Order. “The old bylaws gave the mayor the power to appoint committees for the council, but the council has the right to appoint its own committees,” Smith explained. Smith acknowledged that he prepared the bylaws, but disputed Sciancalapore’s claim that a draft of the bylaws was written before he was sworn in. Councilman Frank Bivona said he supported the changes to the bylaws because the council’s bylaws are dictated by state law and should not conflict with state law. He concurred with Smith that there was no attempt to diminish the power of the mayor in the bylaws, saying, “This type of government is a weak mayor and strong council type of government.” Franklin Lakes Borough Attorney Richard Lustgarten reiterated to Sciancalapore that any set of bylaws must defer to the language in state law. He noted that, in the previous set of bylaws, the mayor’s role was expanded, which was incorrect and they superceded the mayor’s statutory authority. He explained that, while the council has the right to vote on policy, the mayor is not restricted from commenting on those votes or the policy involved. He pointed out that the mayor cannot mandate a report from a committee because that is within the purview of the council in this borough’s form of government. “These bylaws as written now are faithful to statutory law,” Lustgarten said. The bylaws provide the rules of order to follow in a public meeting, describe the duties and authority of the mayor and the borough clerk, set the timing for the council meetings, provide for the election of a council president, state how special meetings can be called, what constitutes a quorum, and the order of business for the regular meetings of the governing body. 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