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Green Township Committee holds special meeting, goes into closed session to interview tax assessor candidate; no public comment
Summary
At a May 26 special meeting, the Green Township Committee entered a closed executive session under Resolution ES2026-10 to interview a candidate for township Tax Assessor; the committee returned to open session with no formal action taken. No members of the public attended.
Mayor Virginia "Ginnie" Raffay called the Green Township Committee to order at 5:00 p.m. on May 26 and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Township Clerk Mark Zschack read the public notice required under the New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act, and roll call recorded James DeYoung, Margaret "Peg" Phillips, Deputy Mayor Michael Rose and Mayor Raffay present; Bader Qarmout was absent.
Phillips moved to excuse the absent member; DeYoung seconded and the committee voted in favor. Deputy Mayor Michael Rose moved to approve the agenda for the special meeting; DeYoung seconded and the agenda was approved by the members present.
Mayor Raffay opened the first public session for comments and, finding no members of the public present, closed the public comment period. Raffay then announced Resolution ES2026-10 and said the committee would go into executive session to interview a candidate for the position of Tax Assessor and that “action will not be taken when the Committee returns to public session.”
The resolution text entered in the record cites the Open Public Meetings Act, Chapter 231 P.L. 1975 (N.J.S.A. 10:13-12) and N.J.S.A. 10:4-13 as the legal basis for excluding the public to discuss personnel matters. Phillips moved to enter executive session at 5:05 p.m. to conduct the personnel interview; Deputy Mayor Rose seconded and the committee recessed. The minutes record the committee returning to open public session at 5:55 p.m., after which Rose moved to close executive session and return to public session; Phillips seconded and the motion carried.
After returning to open session the committee took no formal action on the personnel matter in public. Deputy Mayor Rose moved to adjourn at 7:33 p.m.; the motion is recorded as seconded by Bader Qarmout and the meeting was adjourned. The meeting minutes show an approval date of June 1, 2026.
Why it matters: The committee used the statutory executive-session procedure to interview a candidate for a municipal office that affects property assessments and local tax administration. The record shows routine procedural steps (roll call, excusal of an absent member, agenda approval), no public participation, and no public action taken on the personnel matter when the committee returned to open session.
