Riggs will be missed on Monroe Twp. Council

There are big shoes to fill in Monroe. While that is the case for John Riggs in taking on the paid position of township environmental protection manager last held by the late Joe Montanti, it is also the case for whoever is chosen to replace Riggs on the Township Council.

Riggs announced last week he is resigning his council seat, which he's held since 1989, after being offered the full-time position of environmental protection manager. The position is being combined with the new state-mandated role of municipal housing liaison. Riggs will focus on environmental issues, lead the township's open-space efforts and work on affordable housing matters.

We share Riggs' own "mixed feelings" about his decision. The township is gaining an employee with tremendous knowledge and experience important to a job that was performed so well by Montanti prior to his sudden death last April. But it is also losing those same qualities in a council member.

Riggs has a long history of service to his community through his volunteer roles on numerous township organizations, from the Planning and Zoning boards to the affordable housing committee and environmental commission. But it is on the Township Council where his absence will likely be felt the most.

Too often officials who are elected and re-elected to serve their towns seem to view their responsibilities as showing up at meetings, voting in line with their colleagues and heading home in time to catch the nightly news. Whether they're in it for the politics or the paycheck or for other reasons is up to interpretation.

Riggs did not fit that category. For 17 years, he could be counted on to be well informed and hardworking. We see him as someone who has made knowledgeable decisions that he felt were in the best interests of his community. In that respect, it's nice to know he will still be focused on matters that are important to Monroe. But we do hope the council replaces him with a candidate of similar motivation and equal dedication.