Livingston Hires South Orange Admin; Lewis Appointed As Manager

LIVINGSTON, NJ — Livingston will soon have a new township manager, and he's a familiar face in Essex County: South Orange Village Administrator Barry Lewis Jr.

During their public meeting on Monday, the Livingston Township Council gave a unanimous thumbs-up to the appointment of Lewis, who currently serves as the South Orange village administrator. Lewis will officially start his new position in Livingston on March 1.

In a resolution authorizing Lewis’ hiring, the council wrote that they “conducted an extensive search and interviewed numerous candidates to identify an individual to fill the position.”

The resolution also states that Livingston will enter into an agreement with South Orange and Barry Lewis to resolve “any and all disputes” arising out of his employment.

Lewis took over the reins in South Orange in 2012 after serving as town manager for Mountain Lakes, Spring Lake and Mine Hill.

• See related article: Barry Lewis Confirmed As South Orange Village Administrator

Lewis’ tenure at the helm of Livingston will hopefully last longer than his predecessor. Following the departure of former Livingston Township Manager Michele Meade, the council appointed Greg Bonin to the job in August 2017. However, Bonin – who took over the post from acting township manager Russell Jones Jr. on Aug. 7 – announced his abrupt resignation following the Aug. 14 conference meeting of the Livingston Township Council.

• See related article: Livingston's Town Manager Resigns After Super-Short Stint On Job
• See related article: Livingston Council Wants To Fire Town Manager Michele Meade

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Patch File Photo: Barry Lewis

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