WARREN TWP. — It started out like most Warren Township Committee meetings normally do. First, there was the call to order and the salute to the flag followed by roll call.

Then, there was the reading of a couple of ordinance adoptions. Pretty usual stuff. Nothing real special, beyond normal business…until the public discussion portion of the meeting was announced by Mayor Victor Sordillo.

That’s when those in attendance quickly realized that this night was going to be a bit different. Because this was the night that 10-year-old Ian Zohn decided he was going to take advantage of the “privilege of the floor” and address the mayor, the deputy mayor and the rest of the township’s governing body.

No one quite knew what to expect when, dressed in an untucked shocking green shirt and a bright yellow striped tie, the pint-sized constituent approached the dais.

Confidently grabbing the microphone, as if he had done this a hundred times before, Ian introduced himself: “My name is Ian Zohn. I live on Mountainview Road. I go to Central School. And I’m here to talk about the sidewalks.”

After a momentary pause, during which the air of anticipation in the room was palpable, Ian continued: “I know that our town is one of the best in that magazine. We’re like the sixth best town under a certain number of people. It’s just that the only place that has sidewalks in the whole town, is the center of town”.

What followed, once everyone got over their initial amusement and surprise, was a spirited discussion between Ian and the Township Committee about the need to strike the right balance between the desire to maintain the semi-rural personality of a place like Warren, and the reality that there are very few places to safely walk or to even “skateboard” — one of Ian’s principal concerns.

It’s an important discussion that takes place in the meeting rooms of many of the state’s municipalities, these days. It’s just that the debate is not usually initiated by a concerned citizen who happens to still be in the fifth grade.

“I know that (more sidewalks) will like benefit everybody in the town — like walking, running, biking, skateboarding, scootering, all that,” explained Ian. “And like I can’t do it without worrying about cars. It’s like, not fun. It loses the point. You can’t control the cars. Especially on my road. You have like guys speeding trying to get to work from their home.”

“You really make a good point,” said Mayor Sordillo. “You’re really articulate and it’s really well thought-out. Maybe one day you’ll be up here making the decisions. It sounds like you have an interest in the public safety. But I can’t make any promises. The budget’s really tight right now. So it’s really hard to spend money. We’ll talk to the professionals about it.”

The mayor then asked Ian if he wanted to join a committee to research the costs of putting in sidewalks on his street and elsewhere. The answer from the civic-minded young man was a resounding “No!” – after which the entire room broke out in loud laughter.

“He’s really just a normal 10-year-old boy,” offered Ian’s mom, Patricia, after the meeting.

When asked by this reporter how he felt about the Committee’s response to his concerns, Ian offered: “It was definitely better than I expected. I wasn’t expecting them to be as nice as they were, for one thing. Although they didn’t exactly say yes, also. I have no idea what they’re going to actually do in the executive sessions, and all that.”

Astute final words from a wise 10-year-old who’s taken it upon himself to try to affect township policy, and who’s quickly learning about the many intricacies of participatory forms of government.