Politics & Government

Victor Canning Appointed Twp. Administrator

Township resident was selected for top management job.

Belleville's township manager has been selected as Montville Township's next administrator.

Victor Canning, a Montville Township resident, officially starts in the new position March 15.

Canning said he is looking forward to working in the town where he has lived for the past 10 years and is raising his family.

Find out what's happening in Montvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Montville Mayor Tim Braden said Canning's references were impeccable.

"Mr. Canning has served in a volunteer role on the Montville Township Planning Board and the Montville Township Environmental Commission," Braden said. "He starts with an in-depth knowledge of the vision of the future of Montville Township. We are very fortunate to be able to tap his expertise in municipal management and look forward to him furthering the Township Committee's goal to be a premier community not only in New Jersey but in the entire U.S."

Find out what's happening in Montvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Before moving to Montville, Canning lived in Belleville, where he served as a councilman and as mayor before becoming the township's manager. He has been Belleville's manager for about seven years.

The approved his appointment Tuesday night and welcomed him to the position. Committeeman Scott Gallopo said he fully supports Canning as township administrator, but cast the lone "no" vote on the resolution because he thought out of principle the search process should have been more thorough.

"I'm happy he's on board," he said, saying the process worked in the township's favor in this case.

Canning is a member of the Montville Township Planning Board, but won't be able to serve in that capacity once he is in the town's top management job.

The township had 34 applicants and conducted five interviews after former administrator Frank Bastone retired in December, Committeewoman Deb Nielson said.

The selection process was unanimously approved by the Township Committee, Braden said. 

Township management specialist Adam Brewer has taken on the township administrator's responsibilities on an interim basis since Bastone's retirement while the search was conducted.


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