Walsh_Act_(New_Jersey)

Walsh Act (New Jersey)

The Walsh Act is legislation in the U.S. state of New Jersey that permits municipalities to adopt a non-partisan commission form of government. The legislation was signed by Governor of New Jersey Woodrow Wilson on April 25, 1911. The commissions in Walsh Act municipalities are composed of either three or five members elected for four-year concurrent terms. The commissioners also serve as department heads in addition to their legislative functions. The commissioners elect one commissioner as mayor, however the mayor is only responsible for his or her departments and serves as the chair of the commission.

The Walsh Act was modeled on the commission system that was set up in Galveston, Texas in the wake of the devastating Hurricane of 1900. As part of its reconstruction efforts, the city reorganized itself to a government system in which each elected official had a specific area of responsibility, combining executive and legislative responsibilities. The Walsh Act was enacted in 1911, and specified that commissioners would be elected at large in nonpartisan elections, and would serve four-year, concurrent terms of office. The Walsh Act was the first charter law in New Jersey to include options for ballot initiatives, referendums and recall.

Municipalities that have a five member commission

These communities have five commissioners:

Municipality	County	Year Adopted
Lyndhurst Township	Bergen	1913
Millville City	Cumberland	1913
North Bergen Township	Hudson	1931
Nutley Township	Essex	1912
Ridgefield Park Village	Bergen	1912
Union City	Hudson	1930
West New York Town	Hudson	1931

Municipalities that have a three member commission

These communities have three commissioners:

Municipality	County	Year Adopted
Allenhurst Borough	Monmouth	1916
Audubon Borough	Camden	1921
Avon-by-the-Sea Borough	Monmouth	1919
Bass River Township	Burlington	1972
Beach Haven Borough	Ocean	1946
Bordentown City	Burlington	1913
Bradley Beach Borough	Monmouth	1915
Cape May Point Borough	Cape May	1916
Collingswood Borough	Camden	1917
Deal Borough	Monmouth	1912
Haddon Township	Camden	1950
Haddonfield Borough	Camden	1913
Harvey Cedars Borough	Ocean	1923
Long Beach Township	Ocean	1936
Longport Borough	Atlantic	1912
Margate City	Atlantic	1911
Monmouth Beach Borough	Monmouth	1929
Mount Ephraim Borough	Camden	1935
Pine Valley Borough	Camden	1942
Sea Isle City	Cape May	1913
Tavistock Borough	Camden	1928
Ventnor City	Atlantic	1968
West Cape May Borough	Cape May	1948
West Wildwood Borough	Cape May	1964
Wildwood Crest Borough	Cape May	1937