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Millburn delays vote on dissolving CEDA after public outcry over mural inclusion; mayor pledges new diverse committee
Summary
The Township adjourned second readings and public hearings for ordinances to dissolve CEDA and create a Cultural Diversity Committee after a clerical notice error. Public commenters described exclusion of Mount Zion AME Church from the Millburn 250 mural and alleged governance problems at CEDA; the mayor said current CEDA members will automatically be offered membership on the new committee.
Two ordinances that would dissolve the existing CEDA committee and create a new Cultural Diversity Committee, and that would create a strategic planning advisory committee, were adjourned to April 7 after the township acknowledged a clerical error in public notice. The adjournment preserves the opportunity for additional public comment and a properly noticed hearing.
Public comment at this meeting focused heavily on the mural project for Millburn's 250th anniversary. Several speakers including Reverend Maribel of Mount Zion AME Church and community leaders said Mount Zion was omitted from the original mural plan and framed the omission as symptomatic of deeper representation problems. Oyinglola Olaleye and others urged systemic remedies rather than labeling the problem a clerical mistake.
Multiple commenters also alleged governance lapses in the existing CEDA committee: an absence of minutes, an apparent lack of membership elections, and the presence of a "self‑anointed" chair were cited. In response, the mayor described outreach to affected community members, apologized on behalf of the township for the mural omission, and said the township intends to build a new Cultural Diversity Committee that will be open and inclusive. He also stated that existing CEDA members will be offered automatic appointment to the new committee unless they opt out; the committee's leadership, he said, would be appointed by the Township Committee because of documented procedural shortcomings in the prior committee.
Because of the administrative notice issue, the public hearings on Ordinances 2737-26 and 2738-26 were officially moved to April 7; the township clerk will post the corrected notices and agenda. The change gives residents more time to apply to the new committees via Volunteer Interest Forms and for the committee to refine processes and membership rules.
