New Jersey Libertarian Party

The North Plainfield Citizens for Community Rights (NPCCR) has submitted a petition to the North Plainfield Borough Council that will force a "Sunshine" referendum to the ballot. The referendum, if approved by the voters, will require the Borough government to be much more open and transparent. A copy of the petition is on-line a here.

The NPCCR was able to do this because North Plainfield has a form of government chartered under the Optional Municipal Charter Law of 1950 (OMCL), also known as the Faulkner Act. All such forms of government allow citizens to bypass their elected officials and put binding laws on the ballot for voter approval.

More information on the OMCL and an unverified list of municipalities that have Faulkner charters are, respectively, at the following links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faulkner_Act_(New_Jersey)
http://www.economicexpert.com/a/Faulkner:Act:Mayor:Council.htm

Readers living in a Faulkner municipality should consider petitioning for a referendum similar to North Plainfield's. Those living in a non-Faulkner municipality should consider petitioning for adoption of a Faulkner charter (see N.J.S.A. 40:69A-1 et seq.)

John Paff
Somerset, New Jersey