Lafayette student wins League of Municipalities essay contest

LAFAYETTE - Christina Smith read her award-winning essay at last week’s council meeting with her family standing by. The annual competition sponsored by the New Jersey League of Municipalities presents three scholarships of $1000 from entries submitted throughout the state. This year there were more than 40 municipalities participating with papers submitted on the topic, “What My Mayor and Governing Body Do Best.” Smith’s essay spoke of how proud she is to be a citizen of Lafayette Township and credited here family going back to her grandfather who served on the township committee, her grandmother who was tax collector, and great grandfather who was mayor of Lafayette. She wrote, “They all understood that serving your town is part of our civic responsibility.” Smith’s paper continued with the main theme being that of over-development. She said her inspiration grew from reading a newspaper article commending the council for passing a resolution opposing the construction of a 90-store outlet mall in a neighboring township. Her essay continued, “The Lafayette Township Committee is doing their best to make sure our township is not overdeveloped, but is developed responsibly. I am proud to live in Lafayette and am grateful to those who give their time to serve our township.” Smith is a senior at High Point Regional High School who plans to attend Bloomsburg College in Pennsylvania to study elementary and special education.