By a vote of 4-1, council appointed Phillipsburg Resident Dennis Baptista to a three-year term as municipal judge. Baptista began in his position on May 1, replacing Judge Robert Ellwood, who is retiring after holding the position since 1990. The municipal judge presides over all the cases and disputes in the local Phillipsburg court.   

A certified workers' compensation attorney, Baptista was admitted to the bar in 1985 after graduating from Rutgers' Law School. He is admitted to practice before the US Court of Appeals Third Circuit and in all courts in the state of New Jersey. Baptista has lectured and published articles on workmen's compensation.