Councilman Elect Anthony Pranzatelli and I attend first class

I thought that you ought to know that we attended our first class in the "Powers and Duties of the Municipal Governing Body" (click red text to go to that website) class that is offered by the Center for Government Services at Rutgers University. It is a 15 hour, 5 session course that is geared to make elected officials more effective and productive.

We understand that municipal government responsibilities are broad, extensive, and impact on the quality of life of all citizens. Tony and I do take the trust that you have placed in us seriously and truly desire to safeguard your interests. To do so requires extensive knowledge of how government works as well as absorbing technical knowledge and proficiency in a multitude of subjects.

I believe that all those good citizens who desire to serve their communities should arm themselves with as many governing and management skills as they can. In fact I feel that this should be mandatory for all elected officials as well as candidates for public office so that they fully understand the nature of the office that they are seeking.

The NJ School Boards Association does indeed offer a candidate briefing seminar for all School Board Candidates. NJ under the NJ School Ethics Act requires mandatory training requirements that must be fulfilled by successful candidates during their first year of service on a school board. I was successful in completing a series of school board member courses while serving as a member of the Bound Brook Board of Education and achieved the "Certificated School Board Member " certification. The courses were extremely useful.

Until next time,

Ben