Thursday, January 24, 2013
Flat tax would be first time since 1998, Freeholder Hank Lyon says.
The recently reshuffled Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders has moved quickly on its first substantial piece of action, passing a resolution on a plan introduced just two weeks ago. Six of the Freeholders approved a resolution to seek a goal of no increase in county taxes for the 2013 budget, according to a press release from Freeholders John Krickus and Hank Lyon. Lyon, the budget committee chairman, presented the resolution to the board, saying “It’s important we give the taxpayers a break. We cannot freeze property taxes every year, but when we can we should freeze or cut property taxes,” according to the release. If the resolution holds true, this would be the first year since 1998 taxes did not increase at the county level, the …
Monday, January 7, 2013
Tom Mastrangelo replaces William Chegwidden as Morris County Freeholder leader.
Morris County Freeholder Tom Mastrangelo was chosen by his colleagues to be the group’s director for 2013. He replaces William Chegwidden who lost in the June 2012 Primary Election. The Montville freeholder was sworn in to the leadership position during the governing body's annual reorganization meeting on Friday. Towaco resident William "Hank" Lyon was also sworn in to serve the balance of his term after he was elected in March 2012. In his first bid for a Morris County Freeholder seat, Washington Township’s John Krickus, along with running mates John Cesaro and David Scapicchio, won a three-year seat on the governing body and was sworn in Friday as well. Krickus plans to get to work immediately and just as quickly stop spending, he said…
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Democrat seeks to be write-in candidate to challenge Hank Lyon for unexpired term.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Local and state officials are confident Towaco Crossing will spur economic development for Morris County.
Local Montville, county and state officials were "all aboard" on a project to develop land near the Towaco train station into a bustling business district and saw the beginning stages of their vision come to fruition Wednesday during a groundbreaking ceremony on Towaco Crossing and Rails Steakhouse. Developers of Towaco Crossing, LLC, invited politicians, relatives and friends to the site where the 18,000-foot restaurant, six retail businesses (taking up 1,200 feet) and six residential units are being built. Speakers of note at the event included state Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce (District 26), Morris County Freeholders Tom Mastrangelo and Hank Lyon, Montville Township Mayor Tim Braden and Montville Township Committeeman Jim Sandham. …
Monday, April 2, 2012
Appeals court ruling issued just before filing deadline causes confusion; Lyon running unopposed as a result for unexpired seat
Ten Republicans, and four Democrats have filed petitions with the Morris County Clerk’s Office seeking their party’s nominations for two, 3-year seats on the Morris County Board of Freeholders. And another Republican, incumbent William “Hank” Lyon of Montville, who took office less than a month ago to fill an unexpired term, will run unopposed to hold onto term seat for the two years it has left. But that's in part because a court's last-minute ruling about Lyon's status—just hours before Monday's filing deadline for candidates—caused confusion among would-be candidates. Confusion from the Court Lyon was put in office after a state appeals court removed incumbent Margaret Nordstrom from office in February, setting up a special county …
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Newest freeholder votes no on first budget.
The Morris County Board of Freeholders adopted a 2012 $317 million budget Wednesday that calls for a half-cent property tax increase. The budget sets the tax rate at 21.9 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. That does not include school and municipal taxes, which are set separately. The freeholders previously shaved one-quarter cent off the open space tax. The budget was passed by a 6-to-1 margin, with the newest freeholder, William “Hank” Lyon of Montville, casting the sole “no” vote. “When I ran last year I said I’d cut taxes,’ he said. The project that concerned him the most is the new county emergency management center under construction in Parsippany. The freeholders' own news release on the budget is as follows: The Morris County …
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Montville political newcomer is sworn in Saturday after winning the party convention's support.
Political newcomer William “Hank” Lyon was sworn in as a Republican Morris County freeholder Saturday after winning a court-ordered special convention. Lyon will serve in this seat until the end of the year. An election will be held in November to fill remainder of the 3-year term. Also up for grabs in that general election ballot are three freeholder seats now held by incumbents Gene Feyl, Bill Chegwidden and John Murphy. Former freeholder Jack Schrier welcomed Lyon. "We wish him the very best, especially as the Freeholder Board is now in a state of major reorganization, with even more to come in June," Schrier said. Saturday’s convention was ordered by a state appeals court in February when it removed incumbent Margaret Nordstrom from …
Friday, February 17, 2012
Former freeholder says she won't pursue court case or run for re-election.
After being ordered by an appellate court to vacate her seat on the Morris County Board of Freeholders in a decision after being voted in by the electorate in November, Margaret Nordstrom will not pursue the seat or appeal the ruling. “This is the end of one road for me,” Nordstrom said. “I’m not going to pursue the court case or take part in the (Morris County Republican Committee) convention. I've decided it’s time to move on.” Nordstrom, the incumbent heading into the 2011 Republican Primary election against William “Hank” Lyon of Montville, originally lost that election by just six votes. But the former mayor of Washington Township, seeking her fifth consecutive term on the board, appealed the decision, citing voter fraud and illegal …
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Towaco resident says he may run unopposed at Republican County Committee convention.
William "Hank" Lyon said Wednesday he has heard there's a good chance he will be running unopposed when the Republican County Committee votes to fill a vacant seat previously held by Margaret Nordstrom, though he's still waiting to hear officially whether Nordstrom will be vying to return to the seat after an appellate court removed her from the position. Nordstrom, a Long Valley resident, has cleaned out her office in the county administrative building and told the Observer-Tribune it's time to move on, according to the newspaper. But Lyon, a Towaco resident, said he still hasn't heard from Nordstrom if she is bowing out of the contest. She previously said she would try to be returned to the seat at the convention. Nordstrom couldn't be …
Monday, February 13, 2012
Voters in Morris County as well as South Jersey's 4th District find their November choices upended, at least for the moment, by court challenges that seem to drag on.
And so Morris County Republicans are about to have yet another caucus to choose a public (usually elected) official. They seem to be doing a lot of this lately. This will be the second time in six months that they are meeting on this particular seat: freeholder. A New Jersey appeals court panel tossed longtime county freeholder Margaret Nordstrom from the board after finding “multiple legal errors” in a decision made last year by Superior Court Assignment Judge Thomas Weisenbeck—who had tossed out the primary win by Nordstrom’s opponent, Hank Lyon. “We do not lightly determine that the Law Division erred and that Lyon should have been the Republican nominee to run in the November 2011 general election,” states the appellate decision. That …
Kevin Nedd
5:51 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013
I think you are right. Especially since the WTBOE's lastest budget contained a 0 percent tax increase, the County could probably learn a thing or two. more ›