Current Bordentown
NOVEBER 2018
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Cheesman reflects on decades of service
Filings reveal new details in Nucera case
By siDDhARTh MUchhAL Whether it is in education, local government or juvenile justice, Bordentown resident Heather Cheesman, 46, has devoted her life to serving others and making her community a better place with her efforts. She has served as deputy mayor and commissioner of revenue and finance for the City of Bordentown, as vice president for the Bordentown Regional School District, resident for the Bordentown Elks chapter, amongst various others positions, and was worked tirelessly to raise her voice for good. An now, Cheesman has made local history by being named the first female exalted ruler of the Bordentown Elks. Cheesman’s family has been in Bordentown for a few generations, and she grew up in the are, as well. Early on, she found a passion for leadership. “In sixth grade, I served in a form of student government, since I’ve always been the person sitting in the front with something to say,” she said. She went on to serve as class president from eighth grade to her senior year of high school. She then attended Rowan University, where she found her way back to student government. “In freshman year I decided not to run and take a break, but some issue triggered me, and I decided to run a write-in campaign to become a senator,” she said. “I was approached to become See CHEESMAN, Page 8
Clerk admits to racist language By sAMANThA sciARROTTA
Smires and Associates Real Estate celebrated the opening of its new office in Bordentown City on Oct. 23, 2018. (Staff photo by Samantha Sciarrotta.)
Smires Real Estate expands to city By JOe eMANsKi Bordentown City residents were disappointed when Farnsworth Avenue stalwart App’s Hardware closed its doors earlier in the decade. But this month they’re getting a new neighbor who will be looking to serve the community for as long as the hardware store did: Smires and Associates Real Estate, which is opening its second location in App’s former home after giving the historic building a much needed revitalization. Edward Smires, a veteran with 25 years of experience
in the real estate business, says Smires and Associates invested in modernizing the centur y-old building while retaining as much of the character as possible. In the 24/7 world of modern business he knows his staff must have the modern conveniences that neither they nor their clients can live without. At the same time, he knows the value of working right there on the main street of the community. Smires and Associates opened its first office in Robbinsville in 2009 in a 1,500-square-foot space. In 2016, they moved into a brand
new building down the street, doubling the size of the office while also relocating directly in the heart of Town Center. Smires and Associates embodies that hometowndowntown philosophy in more ways than one. In the increasingly corporate world of residential real estate, Smires and Associates is a throwback to the days of independently owned companies. “Local real estate is done by local companies,” Smires says. “We’re real people. It’s not corporate, but we take the business ver y seriously. We’re excited to bring See SMIRES, Page 6
Bordentown Township clerk Colleen Eckert was placed on paid administrative leave while the township investigates statements made by Eckert during the 2017 investigation into former police chief Frank Nucera, according to a statement by Mayor Stephen Benowitz. Eckert said in an interview with FBI agents and assistant United States attorneys last March that she and Nucera often used the N-word to refer to a Black real estate developer. The slur, Eckert said, was used in a “joking way.” Benowitz said in the statement that the first the township heard about the details of the FBI interviews, including Eckert’s comments, was Oct. 5. The statement also says Benowitz and township solicitor Eileen Fahey were first told of the investigation into Nucera’s behavior during a meeting Jan. 9, 2017 meeting. In a Nov. 1, 2017 statement (and during a Nov. 2017 interview with the Current), Benowitz said the township only learned about the specifics of the charges against Nucera the day he was arrested. According to new FBI documents, first obtained by the See CASE, Page 10
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