See if you can follow the musical chairs.
The nine-member board, which had a busy 2015 with the former Maplewood Village Post Office project, among other things, includes six members appointed by the mayor. Each serves four-year terms.
The three other members are the mayor, another Township Committee member appointed by the TC, and a Township employee. There are also two alternates.
One major change this year is the departure of Board Member Craig Miller, who was first appointed to the board in 2007 by former Mayor Fred Profeta, then later reappointed by current Mayor Vic Deluca.
Miller said he wanted to be appointed for another term, but Deluca denied his request.
"I sought reappointment and the mayor, as is his prerogative, chose not to reappoint me," Miller said. "I was honored to serve Maplewood, I would have liked to continue, but was not reappointed."
Board Chair Tom Carlson said former Township Committee member Jerry Ryan, who lost his bid for re-election last fall, was appointed to Miller's seat by Deluca.
Asked about the move, Deluca said via email: "Craig did a good job and I appreciate his service to the community. I wanted the Planning Board to benefit from Jerry Ryan's knowledge and experience."
Ryan had served on the Planning Board as the TC representative to the board, but he had to relinquish that seat when he lost re-election.
Township Committee member Nancy Adams, who was elected to her TC seat in November, had been on the Planning Board as a voting member appointed by the mayor. But she had to give up the seat when she joined the TC.
Her fellow TC members, however, chose to appoint her as the TC representative to the Planning Board on Jan. 1, 2016. So she remains on the board in the new position.
Confused yet? Wait, there's more.
With Adams leaving her appointed board seat to take the TC seat on the Planning Board, another appointment was needed, Carlson said. That allowed first alternate John Larrier to move up and fill Adams former seat (Larrier is married to TC Member India Larrier.)
With that move, second alternate Edward Bolden becomes first alternate and a new second alternate is appointed by Deluca. He chose to appoint Karen Pisciotta.
Deluca said via email he appointed Pisciotta: "to give a new person an opportunity to serve on the Planning Board."
Carlson said the alternate appointments are important because they are allowed to engage in discussions on issues and approvals, but not vote. If there are fewer than nine members present, however, they can vote.
In recent years, there have been fewer than nine at most meetings because the township employee seat has been vacant. The last person to hold it, Carlson said, was former DPW Director Eric Burbank, who resigned last year.
Because the township employee seat is vacant, the first alternate always votes with the board. If he is absent, or anyone else is absent, the second alternate votes.
See tonight's agenda, which includes a final formal approval of the post office project, HERE.
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