Brownlee resigns from Maplewood TC

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Marlon K. Brownlee resigned from the Maplewood Township Committee during its Aug. 2 meeting, announcing that his seat will be vacant effective Aug. 31.

Brownlee said he and his wife have decided to move out of Maplewood, so he is leaving the committee to devote his energy toward readying for the relocation into their new home. He previously had decided not to seek re-election this year, though he had planned to remain in office through Dec. 31, the end of his term.

At one of his last meetings before his pending departure, Brownlee thanked the residents of Maplewood for allowing him to serve on the committee for the past six years. He also praised the “professionalism and true caring” of the township employees he has worked with as well as the “passion, intelligence, sincerity and commitment” of his committee colleagues both past and present. As for the future, Brownlee said that he hopes whoever replaces him understands that all of the committee’s decisions have a “far-reaching human impact.”

“Every decision matters,” Brownlee said during the meeting. “What might seem trivial to one person might be a fundamental quality-of-life issue to somebody else. What might seem like the most crucial thing that Maplewood could possibly be dealing with might be irrelevant to somebody else. In both cases, the issue is important to someone. And so I have worked hard to do my best to serve all of the residents of Maplewood by listening, learning and ultimately making my decisions based on what, to me, seems to be in our collective best interest.”

In an Aug. 5 email to the News-Record, Brownlee declined to comment on his reasons for moving away from Maplewood. But the outgoing committeeman did have a lot to say about his love for the community he has called home for 25 years. He particularly said the town has been a wonderful place in which to live and raise his children, adding that interacting with such “smart, passionate” residents has allowed his whole family to really grow as human beings. He has made many good friends as a result, he said.

As he prepares to relocate out of the community, Brownlee said he is proud he spent the past decades trying to be a constructive and positive contributor to Maplewood in any way he could — from serving as a PTA president to chairing the Community Coalition on Race Board of Trustees to taking office as a committeeman. After he is gone, he hopes the township will remain the special place it is today.

“It is my hope that Maplewood will continue on the path of becoming a community that is a welcoming home to people of all walks of life,” Brownlee said. “And it is my hope that not only will such a wide variety of people live here and make friends and have children that thrive in each of the schools, but that they will be full participants in the community as volunteers in the myriad of civic organizations in town and as elected officials and as business owners, as well.”

The outgoing committeeman will certainly be missed, Mayor Vic DeLuca said, telling the News-Record that Brownlee has been a “valuable asset” to Maplewood during his time on the committee. Specifically, the mayor lauded his work establishing the Maplewood Community Action Program and helping to launch the town’s new website. He also praised Brownlee for bringing about initiatives that reduced the municipal crime rate, in his capacity as chairman of the Public Safety Committee.

On a personal note, DeLuca said he always enjoyed discussing local issues with Brownlee. Calling him a “quiet guy but an effective guy,” the mayor said they challenged each other and made themselves better as a result. Though he is sorry to see him go, DeLuca said Brownlee certainly has left his mark on Maplewood.

“I think we’re in a better place for his efforts over the years,” DeLuca said in an Aug. 4 phone interview. “I want to wish him well and thank him on behalf of the 24,000 people in Maplewood.”

While Brownlee has not yet vacated his seat, the Township Committee is already preparing to select a replacement to serve out the rest of his term. According to the state law governing municipal vacancies when political parties are in effect, as Brownlee is serving as a Democrat, the Maplewood Democratic Committee will have 15 days after Brownlee’s departure to recommend three candidates to the Township Committee, which has 30 days after the vacancy to pick one of the three choices as the replacement. Township attorney Roger Desiderio further clarified that the Democratic Committee could present fewer than three nominees, saying current general election candidate Frank McGehee could be one of them.

Democratic Committee Chairman Ian Grodman told the News-Record that a “handful” of interested people have inquired about filling the seat so far, though no one has formally asked to be considered. He did not wish to mention anyone specifically since nothing has been confirmed yet. Grodman said McGehee would be welcome to submit his name, but he has not heard anything from the candidate because McGehee is currently out of the country.

Regardless of who steps forward, Grodman said the committee already knows the kind of person it wants in the position.

“We want someone who is committed to doing what’s best for the town, of course,” Grodman said in an Aug. 4 phone interview. “We don’t have qualifications that we require, but when we look at people we get a feel for who has the experience and the commitment to bring to the Township Committee to assist in the governing process.”

Everyone interested in being the replacement will have an opportunity to speak before the Democratic Committee during its Aug. 17 meeting, Grodman said. He said all the committee’s 40 members who are in attendance will vote to choose nominees; the three with the highest number of votes will “probably” be the ones presented to the Township Committee.

DeLuca said the Township Committee plans to vote on the replacement at its Sept. 6 meeting, and that the nominees must at least three votes in their favor to win. The mayor said he would like to see someone with knowledge of community issues selected so he or she could step into the job easily. And though the replacement will only be on the committee temporarily, he said whoever is picked should have plenty of time to commit to the position since there are a minimum of eight meetings that he or she will have to participate in before the end of the year.