Clark Township — At its Jan. 1, 2025, reorganization meeting at Brewer Municipal Building, the Clark Township Council sworn in officials, elected leadership, and handled routine organizational business needed to start the year.

Angel Albanese was confirmed as council president and William F. (Bill) Smith as council vice president by unanimous roll call. All seven council members voted yes: Councilwoman Angel Albanese, Councilman Steve Hunt, Councilman Frank Mazzarella, Councilman James Manitti, Councilman Pat O'Connor, Councilman William F. Smith and Councilman Brian Toll.

The leadership votes were part of a wider package of organizational actions the council took on Jan. 1: professional services contracts were awarded after a request-for-proposals process; the council confirmed mayoral appointments including the business administrator and department liaisons; a multi-item consent agenda (resolutions 17–38) covering temporary budgets, petty-cash authorizations, purchasing and procurement rules, designation of official newspapers and other procedural items passed by unanimous roll call; and the council introduced three ordinances with public hearings set for Jan. 21.

Why it matters: Reorganization meetings set the township’s year-long leadership, confirm the administrative team that executes policy and budgets, and put in place procedural authorizations that allow normal municipal operations — from paying bills to advertising for bids.

Most significant actions

- Leadership: Angel Albanese was elected council president and William F. Smith elected vice president on motions put before the council and confirmed by roll call. The votes were recorded individually and were unanimous.

- Professional services: The council approved awards for several professional-service roles that are required annually after an RFP or fair-and-open process. The auditor was designated as Scott Cleland of PKF O’Connor Davies; the township engineer as Richard O’Connor; professional planner Paul Rickey; labor counsel Richard P. Flom; bond counsel Steven L. Rogut; and several special-counsel appointments were read into the record. The clerk said these awards followed the required procedures and the council confirmed them by roll call.

- Mayoral appointments: The council confirmed multiple mayoral appointments, including James Ulrich as business administrator and Mark Dugan as director of law; other appointments announced included Ralph Bernardo as director of recreation, Brian Toll as municipal historian and multiple board and commission representatives (planning board, environmental commission, library trustees and others). These confirmations were approved by roll call.

- Consent agenda (resolutions 17–38): The council adopted a bundled consent agenda that included: adopting temporary municipal and utility budgets for 2025; establishing petty-cash funds; setting the interest rate on small overpayments; authorizing certain officials to sign payroll and agency accounts; designating official newspapers and an electronic news source in compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act; appointing acting clerks and municipal compliance officers; affirming civil-rights and EEO certifications; delegating procurement and purchasing authority (including use of state contracts and cooperative pricing); authorizing release of a performance guarantee for Brookside Manor Group LLC; and authorizing grant applications. The clerk read the items; the motion to adopt the consent agenda passed unanimously by roll call.

- Ordinances introduced (first reading): The council introduced three ordinances for public hearing on Jan. 21:
• Ordinance 25-01 — to fix salaries of communications operators for 2025–2028;
• Ordinance 25-02 — to exceed municipal budget appropriation limits and to establish a cap bank (a temporary procedural step when budgeting);
• Ordinance 25-03 — to supplement Section 7 of Chapter 117 of the township code concerning clothing-donation bins.
Each ordinance was introduced by motion and approved for introduction by roll call; public hearings were scheduled for Jan. 21.

Mayor’s State of the Township

Mayor Salvatore Buena Corso delivered the annual State of the Township remarks after the organizational business. He reviewed accomplishments the administration attributes to sustained fiscal discipline and expanded services over his tenure, citing investments in public works, recreation, library expansion, infrastructure projects, and shared services. The mayor listed specific achievements — including improved budget discipline, principal payments on municipal bonds, senior services, a library addition, parking and playground projects, and the creation of Clark Commons — and said continuing “safety and service for a hometown will always be a priority.” He opened the address by saying, “As I begin my 25th year as mayor, I stand in front of you, still humble as anyone could possibly be.”

What was procedural vs. substantive

Most votes on Jan. 1 were organizational and procedural — confirming appointments, adopting temporary budgets and delegating procurement authority — rather than policy changes with new programs or long-term contracts that require later action. The ordinance introductions set public hearings for later consideration. Several appointments and contract awards will require follow-up documentation (contracts, ordinances at public hearing, final budget adoption) before new or continuing policy actions are fully binding.

Next steps

Public hearings on the three introduced ordinances are set for Tuesday, Jan. 21. Items adopted as temporary budgets and procedural resolutions will be incorporated into the township’s regular budget calendar and contract award files. The mayor noted that certain mayoral appointments and an item he had planned to appoint (acting director of public works) were removed or left open pending separate legal review; the mayor said a court action was scheduled for Jan. 17 concerning that appointment.

Votes at a glance

- Council president (Angel Albanese): confirmed by unanimous roll call (Albanese, Hunt, Mazzarella, Manitti, O'Connor, Smith, Toll — all ‘Yes’).
- Council vice president (William F. Smith): confirmed by unanimous roll call (same members — all ‘Yes’).
- Professional services awards (auditor, engineer, planner, labor counsel, bond counsel and special counsel): adopted by roll call (all ‘Yes’).
- Mayoral appointments (including James Ulrich, business administrator; Mark Dugan, director of law; Ralph Bernardo, director of recreation; and multiple board/commission appointments): confirmed by roll call (all ‘Yes’).
- Consent agenda (resolutions 17–38): adopted by roll call (all ‘Yes’).
- Ordinances 25-01, 25-02, 25-03: introduced by motion and approved for public hearing on Jan. 21 (roll calls recorded as unanimous ‘Yes’).

Source and context

The report is based on the Jan. 1, 2025 Clark Township reorganization meeting transcript and on remarks read into the record at that meeting. Most items were organizational; no final policy votes beyond the consent and introductory steps occurred. The mayor’s address summarized prior accomplishments and reiterated service priorities for 2025.

Meeting status: meeting adjourned following a motion to adjourn and a unanimous voice vote.