The Livingston Township Council held its first regular meeting of2023 on Monday, January 9, when it passed its first resolutions of the new year. Among those resolutions was one that set specific flag raisings to be done at Town Hall throughout the year.
It was the first regular meeting for Council member Rosy Bagolie and the first for Michael Vieira as mayor. The meeting may be viewed on the Livingston Township, NJ Facebook page.
Flag Raisings
A resolution was unanimously passed that will permit certain flags to be raised during the year as an expression of government speech. The listed flags were for Black History Month, Juneteenth, PRIDE, National Hispanic Heritage, and the national flags of Italy, India, and Israel. The list is not exclusive, and additional flags may be added. These flags are part of the resolution because they have been previously raised by the township.
The resolution is a response to a Supreme Court decision related to a flagpole in Boston, in which the city denied a request to fly a Christian flag outside of City Hall. The Supreme Court determined the denial was a violation of free speech. This resolution seeks to avoid a similar situation in Livingston. Two residents, Justin Alpert and Scott Goldman, objected to the resolution, and each Council member defended its passage in response.
“I think that this protects the town, as we have been advised legally... from having to fly (for example) a white supremacist flag on township property,” Council member Shawn Klein said.
“I feel that it would be disheartening for certain flags to fly over this town,” Council member Rosy Bagolie said. “I want to support these things that we believe in but we also want to keep out things that we don’t.”
“I appreciate what our attorney is doing in protecting what flags go up,” Council member Ed Meinhardt said, referencing that the resolution began as a suggestion from township attorney Jarrid Kantor.
Deputy Mayor A1 Anthony stressed that the resolution permits the possibility to raise more flags in the future.
“What this resolution does is protect us from flags of hate,” Mayor Vieira said.
Other Resolutions
The Council passed several other resolutions during the meeting, including one to authorize purchases under the Morris County Cooperative Pricing System.
Mayor Vieira and deputy township manager Russ Jones were also appointed as the 2023 representatives to the Essex County Community Development Committee.
The Council also authorized the filing of the Essex County Division of Housing and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) 2023 application. Under the grant, the township requested funding for ADA improvements, specifically a sensory-friendly trailer for community events and an accessible van.
All resolutions were passed unanimously.
Council Comments
New for 2023, Council public comments are now being conducted at the end of the regular meeting. In the past, public comment has been done at the end of the conference meeting. During these comments, township manager Barry Lewis noted that requests for proposals are being finalized for construction on the new Department of Public Works garage on Industrial Parkway, and that the process is expected to begin soon.
New cameras and a sound system for Town Hall chambers are expected to be ready by the end of the month, he added, improving the quality of livestreamed meetings.
Each Council member also took a moment to thank crossing guard Paulette Dorflaufer and all Livingston crossing guards, for their work, after they were mistakenly not thanked during the reorganization meeting earlier this month.
“Day in and day out, they protect our children,” Mayor Vieira said.
Vieira also stressed that residents should only drop off electronics at the Senior/Community Center on appropriate days. People have been dropping off electronics and other trash at all times, forcing DPW employees to deal with the mess. Vieira said that littering rules may be updated and enforced, with cameras potentially installed in the area, to remedy the issue.
Closed Session
In a closed executive session at the end of the meeting, the Council was expected to discuss litigation involving both Fair Share Housing and Michele Meade, as well as Open Space acquisitions.
