Parties grapple over Zoning Board additions

BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer

EAST BRUNSWICK — Though Democrats say the Zoning Board of Adjustment can benefit from having more alternate members, Republicans argue the move is unnecessary.

The Township Council introduced an ordinance Monday to add two more alternates to the board. There are already two alternates who sit in if a regular member is absent or cannot vote, but officials say the board can benefit from having more.

The move is being made to ensure the board always has a quorum when it meets, said Democratic Mayor William Neary. GOP Councilwoman Christi Calvano said, however, that there has never been an instance where the board did not have a quorum. Calvano said she researched the matter going back several years, and Neary acknowledged he could not recall a time when the board was too shorthanded.

Republican Robert Tagliente, who ran unsuccessfully for council in 2002, said the additions will allow some board members to refrain from voting on controversial applications. By having alternates fill in, board members can sit out a meeting without causing the board to lose its quorum.

“I’m not sure we have the need to make the change,” Calvano said.

Boards statewide are adding alternates to zoning boards, as questions about regular members’ conflicts of interest have arisen. Township Attorney Michael Baker said at a previous council meeting that alternates are needed in part because sometimes regular members have conflicts.

In response to Tagliente, Baker noted during Monday’s meeting that the board does not have elected officials. Its members are appointed by the governing body. Board members are also unpaid volunteers.

Neary said the board has not had full participation at all its meetings, in part due to members being busy. The idea to add two more alternates came from the township’s professional staff.

Neary said the additions were not being made so that regular members could refrain from voting on controversial or even “different” matters.

He said the ordinance is intended to get more people involved in local government.

“The more, the merrier,” he said.

Calvano also asked who would pay for the additional costs of providing the alternates with documentation and information about applications. Baker said most of the costs are paid by applicants.

Council President David Stahl, a Democrat who has served on the Planning Board, said there were nights when he had a hard time getting to board meetings. He said he told the clerk’s office that if he was going to cause the board to lose a quorum, he would change his schedule and attend. But, he added, he is an elected official and regular citizens on the board may not be willing make the same sacrifice.

Stahl also said that by having more alternates, the board has a larger base of expertise that can be drawn from.

A public hearing on the ordinance is scheduled for Feb. 28.