City of Norton

Norton was a Township from 1818 until March of 1961. The Norton Township Development Committee was formed in 1958. Some residents believed the Township form of government, with its three Trustees, needed a more structured form of government to effectively meet the needs of a fast growing community. The Committee held many public meetings and in time the issue of incorporation as a Village was placed on the ballot. The incorporation issue was defeated in its first try, but the second ballot attempt was successful. Norton was incorporated as a Village in 1961. At the first Village election, residents had numerous candidates to choose from. In all, there were eight (8) candidates for the Office of Mayor and sixty-two (62) candidates for the six (6) Council seats. Norton's first Village Mayor was Richard DuFore and the first President of Village Council was Marcus Bertsch. Electors were also asked to select a Charter Commission to prepare a Charter for the new Village. Voters approved a Charter form of government for the newly incorporated Village at the general election of November 6, 1962. The 1962 approved Charter made many changes in the way the local government was run. Among those changes, the number of Council members was increased from six (6) to seven (7). The Offices of the Village Clerk and Treasurer were combined. The General Election of November 1968, brought Norton to a City status. The official results of that year's election confirmed Norton had 5,037 voters...