WEST MILFORD - Upper Greenwood Lake resident James Novack will vie for one of the two council seats being contested in the November general election. He will run as the candidate from The New Republican Organization, a fledgling political party he started with other West Milford residents who say they are unhappy with the way the new town council is conducting business. The 48-year-old native of West Milford has been challenging the partisan Republican council since it took office in January - questioning officials about excessive spending, garbage contracts, posting minutes of meetings; he has even asked why there is no potable water in Town Hall. Novack says he is not running as an independent because he embraces Republican policies and it is not the party he opposes, it is the representation (present council members) and the way they conduct business. At the top of his to-do list is getting more input by residents at the public portion of council meetings, with a give-and-take dialogue between township officials and community members, thereby giving the council an idea of what the people want. Novack asserts opening the meetings with public comments and concerns before town business is conducted would be beneficial to all. Currently the public must wait until the end of the meeting to voice their concerns, they get five minutes each, and there is no question and answer dialogue. He says reform is needed within town departments such as the Department of public works, and he has extensively researched the rising cost of waste removal. Novack is depending on his "getting involved" approach, rather than depending on bureaucracy, to win a seat on the council in November, he said.