Council Undecided on Filling Empty Seat, Accepting Applications

On July 25, the Mahwah Township Council will decide whether or not it is going to temporarily replace John Spiech, who retired from his elected position on the council last month. In the meanwhile, the township is accepting resumes of residents interested in filling the seat.

Council President Harry Williams announced at a meeting Thursday night that the board has not yet decided whether or not it will appoint an interim councilperson to fill Spiech’s seat until November. During the general election, voters will choose a candidate to take over the rest of Spiech’s term, which wraps in December 2014.

Council members took different stances on whether or not an interim should be appointed.

Councilmen John Roth, Steve Sbarra, and Roy Larson said they felt the council should appoint an interim, mostly because between now and November, there are seven to eight council meetings. With only six members on the board, votes could end up in a 3-3 tie during those meetings.

Councilmen Chuck Jandris and Harry Williams expressed the opposite opinion, saying that they might leave the seat open since the election is only three months away.

The council needs to appoint someone by July 30, otherwise the seat will remain vacant until the election.

Residents can apply to the position by dropping off a resume to the town clerk’s office, Williams said. The resumes are distributed to current council members, who can choose to nominate them, or not.

At its next meeting on July 25, the council plans to vote on all of the nominated applicants.