Bernards Mayor, Other Appointments Tues. Night

Bernards Township's Mayor for 2011, John Malay, is expected to shift the mayor's gavel to the newly re-elected Mary Pavlini at Tuesday night's  reorganization of the Township Committee, when many other appointments also will be announced for municipal boards and positions.

Republicans to the Township Committee, also are due to be sworn into additional three-year terms on the committee at the meeting. The meeting is set to begin at 7 p.m. at .

The return of Pavlini and Carpenter means that the Township Committee will remain an all-Republican governing body. Under that form of local government, the Township Committee each year selects one of its members to serve as mayor, and another as deputy mayor.

Other appointments are listed on the agenda for Tuesday's reorganization meeting, which is online on the township website.

As it traditional in Bernards, 2011's deputy mayor, Township Committeewoman Carolyn Gaziano is expected to be named as this year's deputy mayor.

Pavlini previously was Bernards Township Mayor in 2007. At that time, she established the "Green Team" to promote changes in municipal operations that were both environmentally and economically conscious. That head start helped bring the township a top "silver certification" in the state's Sustainable Jersey program this year.

The reorganization typically also includes a review of the previous year's highlights and discussion of plans and goals for the upcoming year.

During 2012, Pavlini said she also expects to be reviewing the township's preparation for emergencies, following a year in which many residents in town experienced power outages of up to about a week long resulting from two severe storms in late August and late October.

On Monday afternoon, Malay listed among the major events of his year as mayor:

• except for open space investments funded by a dedicated open space tax. The township has been paying even for even major expenses by allocated money within the budget.
• Malay said the township has continued to control municipal spending and taxes despite pressure from the state in the form of higher costs for pension and health benefits.
• In a year of layoffs and furloughs in many towns, there have been no cuts in local services, Malay said.
• The township achieved the "silver status" with the township's Sustainable Jersey program, recognizing environmentally concious steps that also improve the local economy.
• The township has funded local group homes and senior housing with money from developer's funds set aside for affordable housing, according to Malay.

In addition, the outgoing mayor said the township responded to record snowfalls in early 2011, Tropical Storm Irene and the Halloween snowstorm, both with associated loss of power and major property damage. Despite those natural disasters, the township experienced no serious injury or loss of life, Malay noted.