Englewood will likely move from three-year terms to four-year terms for the mayor and city council members next year, if U.S. Census estimates are correct.
The potential change appears to be the unintended consequence of a 2001 law that extended the term of the mayor of Westfield from two to four years.
That legislation affected special charter municipalities whose population fell between 28,000 and 35,000. At the time, only Westfield fell in that category.
Englewood’s population was at 27,147 after the 2010 census. According to a U.S. Census 2018 estimate, the city now has a population of 28,624.
Mayor Michael Wildes won a three-year term in 2018. Beginning next year, he would be on a calendar of running in gubernatorial election years.
In the future, that will force Wildes to give up his local post if he wants to run for the legislature.
