By MICHAEL NUNES
Staff Writer
EAST BRUNSWICK – Long-time public servant James White has retired as the township’s business administrator after 19 years of service.
“No matter what the profession … you need to know when it’s time to leave [and for me] it’s time to leave. It’s time for me to go onto other things. I hope that those who come after me experience the same satisfaction that I had,” White said about his almost 20-year stint with East Brunswick.
White reflected on his long years of service at the March 28 Town Council meeting.
“One of the true ways to measure how good a job the administrator is doing is whether or not the elected officials get re-elected. After all, if the town is running very well, all that time, theoretically [the council] should keep getting re-elected,” he said.
“I’ve had 19 council people and three mayors since I’ve been here so I’m not sure if I’ve achieved perfection, but I’ll leave that up to all of you to decide,” White joked as he addressed the council at the meeting.
Having served the township since 1997, White retired, effective March 29.
“I have spent nearly a third of my life as the township administrator here in East Brunswick and I could honestly tell you there is not another municipality in the state of New Jersey or anywhere that I would have rather been for the past 19 years,” White said.
“A month after I started here, I had to go home earlier because my daughter was graduating from elementary school. Now, [my family] is planning her wedding because she is 30 years old. Time does go by,” White reminisced.
For White, being able to work with residents was something that he will never forget about this career.
“What I’m going to miss most is some of the individual residents and being able to help them one-on-one with some of their issues that might seem trivial, but are very important to that person at that time. That’s what I’m going to miss,” he said.
“At the local government level you really get the chance to affect someone’s life in a positive way.”
Members on the dais spoke in remembrance on the many years they have spent working with White.
“He’s been a great resource and I could speak for everyone up here saying that. [White] has the daunting task of making us look good up here and that’s not always easy but he’s done a really great job with that for 19 years,”said Council President Michael Hughes. “He’s provided the steady hand that steers the ship of East Brunswick government for quite some time.”
Even in retirement, White said he will continue to teach political science at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.
At a previous township council meeting, the members on the dais voted to have Jack P. Layne Jr. replace White. According to Layne, his first official day in office was March 30.
“I’m very excited. I want to be the kind of public servant that this community needs and demands by working with residents and businesses,” Layne said after the March 14 town council meeting at which he was unanimously approved.
Layne, a native of Dayton, Ohio, currently lives in Maple Shade Township in Burlington County and previous worked there as a township manager.
“[East Brunswick] is an attractive community. I looked at the website and thought it was the kind of community I wanted to come to and manage,” he said.
Contact Michael Nunes@gmnews.com.
