These Are The Top Issues Wyckoff Officials Will Face In 2018

WYCKOFF, NJ — Broadcasting muncipal meetings, discussing how the mayor is chosen and the budget are all issues going before the Township Committee next year.

There will be some turnover on the committee in January as Republican Tim Shanley and Democrat Melissa Rubenstein were elected to three-year terms. Incumbent Democrat Brian Scanlan was re-elected to another term.

It will be Scanlan's fourth, and likely final three-year term.

Scanlan said that Township Committee and land-use board meetings need to be broadcasted live.

Another important issue heading before the committee is the issue of choosing the mayor. The five-person committee selects the mayor and deputy mayor annually. Residents have no say in the matter.

More than 900 residents signed a petition early this year, which was presented to the committee in September, suggesting researching other ways of filling the town's highest office. Having voters elect someone to the position is an option presented in the petition.

A two-person, bipartisan committee was created in September to examine the pros and cons of what the petition proposes.

Some residents have wondered why Scanlan has never been chosen as mayor. He was deputy mayor in 2016.

Mayor Rudy Boonstra previously said he did not recall ever hearing from anybody who thought that changing the way the township elects its mayor is a "major priority for our community."

RELATED: Rubenstein, Scanlan And Shanley Win Wyckoff Committee Seats
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RELATED: 'Denying Scanlan The Mayorship Was Egregious,' Resident Says

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