As someone who has followed the vagaries of municipal government for 30 years, I felt sad to read that Scotch Plains will have its sixth town manager in five years.
This tribute to Tom Atkins upon his retirement will explain why. Atkins served for 28 years and knew his town inside and out. He undoubtedly also had the skills of dealing with the Local Finance Board and other aspects of state government that affect municipalities..
As noted on nj.com, the town manager post will be held by Freeholder Alexander Mirabella as Democrats take control of the governing body. The outgoing manager cited "political realities" as the reason for his departure.
No matter what party is in charge, the task of managing day-to-day municipal operations should ideally be separate from politics. There is no Republican or Democratic way to shovel snow or manage the taxpayers' money. Oh wait, I forgot this is Union County and we all know who runs this ...
--Bernice
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