Mahwah Launches Official Facebook Page

Mahwah just got a little more current. The township now has an official Facebook page.

So far, the page, which launched two weeks ago, has 115 ‘likes,’ questions posed to residents and comments posted by the township administration, and comments and questions from residents.

According to Mayor Bill Laforet, the Facebook page is “long overdue. Facebook is an element of our daily lives now, so I think it’s a good way for residents to be able to have access to town government.”

Laforet’s social media and marketing advisor Jade Gunver, who helps manage the page, said it is “not about politics. It is about the community. We want it to be a place where past, present and future residents and business owners can gather to talk about current topics and reminisce about the township.”

Gunver said other posts – like old photos of Mahwah, and updates from township departments like the and – are “definitely things we want to get up on the page in the future.” Laforet added that the page will be a “two-way street. It’s a way for the town to talk to residents, and vice-versa.”

Residents’ posts on the township Facebook page, “don’t have to be lofty,” he said. “They can be a simple comment or a great idea, anything.”

One concern brought up by several residents on the page so far is the condition of Riverside Park, which was . “What is going on with Riverside Park? Since the spring sports have already started, I hope the town has immediate plans of cleaning the park up so the kids don't have to play in that mess left from Hurricane Irene,” one resident wrote on the site.

To launch the site, Mahwah’s administration has put together a Facebook-only coloring contest for kids, with the grand prize of being “Mayor for a Day.” Judged in three different age categories – 4 and under, 5-8 and 9-12 – the contest asks kids to draw and submit a picture of something that represents Mahwah to them.

The entries can be uploaded to Facebook through April 27. They will be judged on artistic merit and originality, and one winner will be chosen from each age group. Winners will receive a prize basket, and have their drawings displayed in town hall starting May 2.

An overall winner will be named “Mayor for a Day.” The day will include lunch with the mayor, a tour of Police Department, tour of town hall, the opportunity to sit on the dais during a township council meeting, and a picture with the mayor and the council.

“I think [the contest] is a fun way to launch the page, and the prize will be a good experience for the winner,” Laforet said. “To be able to sit on the dais at a council meeting and tour the police department are ways for our young people to become more involved in our town, and I think that’s a great experience to have as a child.”

Get the entry form and see the coloring contest rules here. And, visit the new Mahwah Facebook page here.