Take Five Briefing – January 2, 2024 Mayor & Council Annual Organizational Meeting
The purpose of the annual Organizational Meeting is to install duly elected members of the governing body, take care of necessary “housekeeping,” and chart the course for the upcoming year. By statute, the meeting must be held within the first seven calendar days of January. Below are a few highlights:
1) Oaths of Office and Council Appointments –Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman issued the Oath of Office to Mayor Elsie Foster and Councilmembers Matthew Hersh and Jason Postelnik. Mayor Foster, who is Highland Park’s first African-American mayor, will serve a four-year term and Councilmembers Hersh and Postelnik will each serve three-year terms. Appointments included Councilman Philip George as the Council Representative to the Library Board of Trustees, Councilman Matthew Hale to the Planning Board, and Councilwoman Stephany Kim-Chohan as the Council Representative to the Middlesex County CDBG Committee.
2) Adoption of Mission Statement – Every year, Borough Council adopts a mission statement to guide its policy decisions in the upcoming year. Below is the 2024 mission statement of the Borough of Highland Park:
The mission of the Highland Park Borough Council is to establish a government based upon the principles of good government: ethics, efficiency and the effective provision of services. The Borough Council is committed to creating a thriving community, which is sustainable economically, environmentally and socially. The Borough Council is further committed to creating a community which values its unique and diverse populations and encourages direct public participation in the governing process.
3) Standing Committees: Each councilmember was appointed to serve on three standing committees, chairing one of them. Standing committees provide the opportunity for councilmembers to focus on the activities of specific departments and commissions and offer policy support as needed. Standing Committee appointments for 2024 are as follows:
- Tara Canavera: Health & Human Services
- Philip George: Public Safety
- Matthew Hale: Economic Development & Planning
- Matthew Hersh: Public Works & Public Utilities
- Stephany Kim-Chohan: Finance
- Jason Postelnik: Recreation and Arts
4) State of the Borough Address – Mayor Foster delivered the annual “State of the Borough” address to highlight successes from 2023 and big plans for 2024. During her remarks, Mayor Foster expressed tremendous gratitude to the hardworking staff, Council, and volunteers of Highland Park.
Notable successes from 2023 include: the announcement of a new supermarket, Superfresh, expected to open by Memorial Day; the opening of new businesses such as Ellinikon and Barbie Fit Studio on Raritan Avenue and ANJA and Salonica Greek Store on Woodbridge Avenue; the hosting of community events in partnership with the Human Relations Commission to celebrate Pride Month, Juneteenth, Caribbean Heritage Month, Latin Heritage Month, and Israeli Independence Day; and the completion of our Water Meter Replacement Program.
2024 is expected to be a milestone year. Renovations at the Highland Park Public Library will be completed. Superfresh will open its doors to shoppers. The Felton Avenue Tot Lot will receive a much-needed refresh. A lot of time will be devoted to advancing the redevelopment of our downtown. Redevelopment will create more jobs, greater variety of housing stock, and a broader diversity of businesses on our main street and we will use economic development tools to attract and retain those businesses to create a bustling downtown.
5) Appointment of Board & Commission Members – Members of the Borough’s volunteer boards, commissions, and committees were appointed and reappointed during the meeting. Boards, commissions, and committees are established by ordinance, which also outlines responsibilities, term length, and membership composition. If you are a resident interested in volunteering on a board, commission, or committee, you can go to
hpboro.com/volunteer for more information and to fill out an application.
If you’re interested in watching the January 2nd Council meeting, go to HPTV’S Youtube channel where the meeting will be posted in its entirety. The next meeting of Council is scheduled for Tuesday, January 16th at 7 p.m.
