Council Looks to Help Future Members Adjust to Life on the Dais

As they start what figures to be a busy year on the dais, all the members of the Council have at least one year of service in their current capacities. 

At the last week, Township Manager Helene Schlegel put forward an idea to help future members understand what their responsibilities are when it comes to serving the residents of Howell. Having delivered her first at the reorganization earlier in the night, Schlegel presented the outline of an orientation program for future members of the council. 

Schlegel said she had several reasons for wanting to present this plan even with an established council. "We have nothing in place to encourage especially incoming council to learn about government," she said. One of the objectives of the plan, she said would be to give new members of the council a firsthand look at township facilities they might otherwise not have seen. "You have to remember that sometimes when people get elected to the governing body, they may not have been around Howell Township for very long," she said.

Another part of the plan would be to have the members of the council meet the department heads whose budgets they decide on to get a better understanding of what they do and how they do it. 

Mayor Robert Walsh said that while he was unsure why the program was needed he supported the education of future members. Before taking office Walsh said he had done a considerable amount of research including taking classes at Brookdale Community College and talking to township officers like the former Township Clerk Bruce Davis. "I know I took it upon myself to do as much as I could to prepare myself for the discussions and decisions I was going to have to make," he said. 

Schlegel said that while many people follow the same path as the mayor, it is not always the case, nor is it required. "I think the administration feels that we need to help prepare council people and give them the knowledge that they need to make good policies as policy makers," she said.

Deputy Mayor William Gotto said the combination of the classes that are offered and the steps taken in the proposed orientation should help members of the council learn the ropes in an efficient way. "It was a steep learning curve and we made mistakes," he said of his early time on the council. "I still think having a very short outline, which is essentially what this is, I think it's excellent to give to new people to be able to use at their disposal because I don't think everybody understands how complex the town is even the day after election day."

Councilwoman Pauline Smith was also in favor of the orientation program having seen councils work through all her time living in the township. "Nothing against anyone ever who has sat up here, everybody's well intentioned but it's a big job," she said. "We're volunteers. The little stipend that some of us accept is nothing. We're volunteers because we care about our community. We want to do our share and I think I work for you, I know I work for you."

While technically the newest member of the council this year, Councilman Juan Malave said a program like this could have helped him when he was first elected to the council several years ago. "When I served the first term I didn't do a lot of things that I knew I could do, or I didn't talk to a lot of people that I thought I couldn't talk to because I was always under the impression or always told by some people that I wasn't allowed to," he said. 

Working with Deputy Mayor Gotto and Councilman Robert Nicastro, Malave said he has learned what he can and cannot do and will follow that going forward with his new term. 

As the discussion wrapped up, Mayor Walsh once again expressed his support for the proposed program. "As much as I knew, and as many brains as I picked before I took office, I was not prepared on day one," he said. "I picked a lot of brains and I spent hundreds of hours discussing the things in this township and I was not prepared. I was as prepared as I could have possibly been, but I was not prepared."

Schlegel asked the members of the council to review the proposal before any more formal action was taken. "Keep in mind that my objective was that you're the board of directors," she said. "You're making critical policy decisions for the town and you need the tools available to make the best decisions possible."

The next meeting of the council is scheduled for Jan. 24.