Residents say pick mayor

“Residents say that voters should pick mayor,” reads an “old” edition of Vernon Aim, which ceased publication in November 2016. The article was about how the late Eva Ferlauto of Lake Wanda and I went to the March 13, 2008, Vernon Township council meeting 10 years ago, to plant the seeds to change the “options” in our municipality.
Before the “Open to the Public” portion of that meeting, the lawyer gave a short talk about the Faulkner Act. I had a prior meeting with the township manager, regarding “the change,” and word got out I would be attending that meeting, but they didn't know who would be at my side.
The lawyer said, “Residents could vote for our own mayor, only the mayor under the council/manager form of government, wouldn't have anymore power then that of a councilperson.” Another words, that mayor would be a figurehead. He was right, but it would still be a mayor that was elected by the people, not the council, but that mayor would still be “the go to“ council member.
Eva got up and said that when the Charter Study Commission took place, ”We were never told that we could vote for a mayor! It wasn't explained to us that way!”
Then, I read my letter to the council asking that an ordinance be passed to put a question on the November ballot; “Would the residents of Vernon want to elect their mayor by popular vote?” I also said that we needed to go to an additional “option” of a ward system. Then, one of the council persons yelled out and said, “That form of government doesn't work! We did all kinds of research and spent a lot of money to get the best form!”
Eva passed away in December of 2017. I will always remember her kindness towards me as a faithful friend. Even if she thought I was wrong, she without hesitation supported me when “others” thought I was wasting my time.
As they say, “The rest is history!”
Mary Ellen Vichiconti
Vernon Township