Michael W. Herbert Appointed New Municipal Attorney

In a 3-2 vote during a special meeting held Tuesday (May 31), members of Lawrence Township Council approved Michael William Herbert as Lawrence's new municipal attorney.

Herbert, 45, of Hamilton Township, replaces Kevin Nerwinski, who left the municipal attorney’s post to . Herbert belongs to the law firm of Herbert, Van Ness, Cayci & Goodell, which operates from Building 4 of the Princeton Pike Office Park at 3131 Princeton Pike in Lawrence.

After Herbert and two other candidates were interviewed by council members in private during a closed session of the meeting that lasted well over two hours, Herbert was nominated for the municipal attorney position by Councilman Bob Bostock.

Bostock, Councilman Jim Kownacki and Councilwoman Pam Mount voted in favor of the appointment, while Mayor Greg Puliti and Councilman Michael Powers voted against it.

“With no disrespect to Mr. Herbert or the quality of his law firm, I just have concerns in terms of the number of boards and governing bodies that the firm represents, so I will be voting no,” Powers said during the meeting.

After the meeting, Powers noted that Herbert already serves as counsel to the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders; municipal attorney for Cranbury Township; attorney for the planning boards of Ewing Township, East Windsor Township and Marlboro Township; and as attorney for the zoning board of Robbinsville Township.

Powers said he was simply concerned about Herbert’s “workload commitment.”

He noted that all three candidates interviewed would make “a tremendous township attorney.” Citing it as a personnel matter not allowed to be discussed in public, he declined to identify the two candidates who were not selected.

According to his firm’s website, Herbert earned his law degree from Seton Hall University and was admitted to the bars of New Jersey and Pennsylvania in 1992.

Earning $140 per hour, Herbert will serve the remainder of Nerwinski’s one-year term, which ends Dec. 31.

Also during Tuesday’s meeting, Frank Scangarella of Springwood Drive was appointed to the township zoning board to fill a unexpired term that also ends on Dec. 31. The vacancy was due to the .

In appointing Scangarella to the board, the council moved John Gladwell up to full member status from the Alternate #1 position. Sam Pangaldi was moved to Alternate #1 from the Alternate #2 position, and Scangarella was assigned the Alternate #2 position.