About

The Photograph

The photo on the heading is a detail of a photograph: “Seven Former and One Current Mayor at Oak Hill Manor. October 19, 1951.” (l.to r.): George W. Miller (1946-1947), Cornelius B. McCrelis, Jr.(1922-1923), the current mayor (in 1951), Alvah H. Cole (1948-1951), Russell E. Watson (1916-1919) (guest speaker at the dinner), Edwin E. Eden (1928-1929), Harold W. Drake (1942-1945), Walter K. Wood (1940-1941), and Russell C. Smalley (1936-1937). (Will Gainfort Photograph. Rutgers University Libraries, Special Collections).

The Town

What is now Highland Park was a part of Raritan Township until 1905. Some of the citizens felt that too high a percentage of their taxes were going to maintain country roads in the township. Raritan Township had been formed from part of Piscataway Township with a small section of Woodbridge Township to include Fords in 1870. Raritan Township was renamed Edison Township in 1954.

The Government

New Jersey has a so-called “weak mayor” system. In effect the mayor does not vote in Council meetings unless there is a tie. The mayor’s ability to set an agenda is determined by their Council. The Borough of Highland Park website explains it thusly: ”
It has a Mayor and Council form of government in which the Mayor and Borough Council have separate executive and legislative powers. This provides a system of checks and balances by avoiding a large concentration of power in either the Council or the Office of Mayor. The Mayor votes only in case of a tie.”

The Blog

This blog history of the mayors is an initiative of the Highland Park Historical Commission in 2019. The content was prepared by Donald Beetham and any mistakes or omissions are his responsibility.

Sources

Sources include the Borough of Highland Park Historical Commission archives carefully collected and maintained for many years by Jeanne Kolva. Much of the data for this blog has been gleaned from Home News newspaper reporting and opinion (The Central New Jersey Home News in the early years of the borough and Home News Tribune in the later). Jeanne Kolva and Joanne Piscotta. Highland Park, Borough of Homes. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2005 is another valuable source for the Borough’s history.