The Alternative Press

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Barry Lewis Jr., who begins today as South Orange’s new village administrator, said one of his initial goals is “to get to know the place and get to know the people.”

In an interview following his appointment by the Board of Trustees on Jan. 23, the Rockaway Borough resident said he hopes to “develop a relationship of mutual respect and trust with those above me, i.e., the governing body, and those I’m working with.”

Lewis said he is impressed with the members of the Board and with what he has heard about the village staff.

“(Board members are) all well-informed and very dedicated,” he said. “I can tell that, and that was something that appealed to me. I don’t want to be a part of a town where the governing body just sort of ‘mails it in’ and doesn’t show up.”

He said he had just been introduced to a number of department heads and key staff members. “I’ve heard very good things about the staff from Mr. (Reagan) Burkholder and from members of the governing body,” Lewis said. Burkholder is serving as interim administrator and will assist Lewis in his transition into the position.

In his initial meetings with the village’s staff, Lewis said, he would like to make sure “that we’re all on the same page, and that they share my vision and the trustees’ vision of what the goals are.”

Lewis said he was interested the position because he is “intrigued” by South Orange.

“It’s an exciting town,” he said. “There’s a lot going on. As great as it is now, I think there’s even greater potential  to improve things. I thought it was a good opportunity and good challenge.” Lewis has served as village administrator in Mountain Lakes, Spring Lake and Mine Hill.

The Board of Trustees meeting provided Lewis with some idea of the issues in South Orange, particularly the debate over the establishment of a Special Improvement District that would be funded through a special assessment on downtown businesses included in the SID. Most of the public comment time was taken up by those opposed to a SID, although the board is moving forward with an ordinance to create one.

Lewis said he had a sense of the issues prior to his interviews. “(I) got a little more exposure to some of them tonight,” he said. “Hopefully I can be part of that process, that solution in shepherding some of these issues through.”

He said, “I’m intrigued, I’m excited and hopefully I’m up to the challenge.”

Amy Kiste Nyberg is supervising a hyperlocal journalism partnership between The Alternative Press and Seton Hall University's Department of Communication & The Arts designed to give students real-world experience.