JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP — The Township Council is expected to fill the seat vacated by Councilman Dan Schultz when it meets Wednesday, August 5, choosing from three nominees put forward by the Jefferson Township Republican Committee: Bob Vander Ploeg, Sheila Brown, and Yvonne Ioffredo.
Schultz, a Republican, resigned July 24. He was serving a term set to expire December 31, 2028. His departure leaves the governing body with four members: Council President Josh Kalish, Vice President Melissa Garruto, Robert Birmingham, and Melissa Senatore.
Because Schultz was elected as the nominee of a political party, New Jersey’s Municipal Vacancy Law (New Jersey Statutes Annotated 40A:16-11) governs the process for replacing him. Under the statute, the municipal committee of the departing member’s party had fifteen days from the vacancy to present three names to the governing body. The council then has thirty days from the date of the vacancy — in this case until approximately August 23 — to appoint one of the three nominees.
The council cannot reject the slate or select someone outside it. A 1990 amendment to the law removed a governing body’s discretion to leave a party-nominated seat vacant.
If the council fails to act within the thirty-day window — whether through inaction or a deadlocked vote — the choice reverts to the Republican Committee itself, which would then have fifteen days to appoint one of the same three nominees. The New Jersey Supreme Court confirmed that process in its 2022 decision in Linden Democratic Committee v. City of Linden, ruling that a deadlocked council forfeits the appointment to the party committee.
Wednesday’s meeting is the council’s only regularly scheduled session before the thirty-day deadline; the next regular meeting is not until September 2. As of the agenda posted August 3, the appointment had not yet been listed as an agenda item.
Whoever is appointed will serve only until the November general election, when voters will elect a council member to serve the remainder of the unexpired term, which runs through December 31, 2028.
The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. at the Jefferson Township Municipal Building, 1033 Weldon Road, Lake Hopatcong.
