MEDFORD JUST SAYS ‘NO’
Board of Trustees for RCBC in State of Tumult, Failing to Reorganize by Deadline, Amid Nepotism Assertions County’s Process to Fill Vacancies ‘Flawed,’ College President Says; Two Additional Trustees Resign and Wrangling Ensues over Solicitor
By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer
MOUNT
LAUREL—The
TO CANNABIS CULTIVATION
By Bill B onvie Staff Writer
MEDFORD—Even without any official vote being taken on the matter, Medford Township appears to have just said “no” to allowing the cultivation of cannabis within its geographic boundaries.
At least, that was how both its officials and a sizeable gathering of residents responded to a local landowner’s entreaty to the Medford Township Council at its Jan. 21 meeting to reconsider a 2021 ordinance prohibiting such activity in this community so that he and his wife
can utilize their 31-acre property at 100 Jackson Road to grow cannabis in an indoor venue.
The petitioner, Phillip Justus, had originally made such a pitch during
apparent inability of the Rowan College at Burlington County (RCBC) Board of Trustees to convene its annual reorganization meeting amid ongoing tumult has led to deep concern in the college community about both the college’s ability to continue to adequately function and whether there is outside political influence, as spelled out in numerous telephone calls and emails this newspaper has received during the past month.
The Board of Trustees approves the business of the college, awarding contracts for services, and recommends action items relating to the college’s finances, facilities, academics, personnel and Foundation. The board also hears key reports on those areas, and acts when indicated.
But what is supposed to be a 12-member board that meets every third Tuesday of the month, has not met since October, when a fiery meeting gave way to an alleged nepotism in hiring scheme, which was subsequently chronicled by this newspaper to allegedly
By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer
PEMBERTON—A conflict over whether Richard “Richie” E. Wright, Jr., is still legally the provisional business administrator of Pemberton Township reached new heights this past week, with a suggestion that Wright has reported to a “detective,” as well as the state Department of Community Affairs (DCA), that the township has allegedly unlawfully tried to terminate him under the Faulkner Act, all while the township solicitor has threatened to bring Wright up on “harassment” charges and reaffirmed the municipality’s position that Wright is “no longer a township employee.”
Things turned heated between the parties when Wright had reportedly sought medical treatment early last week, this reporter has learned through documents that were turned over to this newspaper by a source close to Wright.
Wright, who has publicly insisted since a Jan. 1 Pemberton Township Council session that Republican Mayor Jack Tompkins cannot fire him because the business administrator acts as the personnel officer of the municipality under the Faulkner Act, upon purportedly learning that his promised healthcare benefits had been canceled, apparently called Michele Brown, “assistant to the business administrator” and the mayor, who has also been reported in the past to handle personnel matters for the municipality.
A confrontation apparently ensued, with Wright alleging that he had not been notified of the loss of his health benefits (which he reported learned were canceled Jan. 1), and that he also did not receive the “federally required” notice to enroll in COBRA, or a program that provides a continuation of health benefits for separated employees from large organizations or governmental entities.
Wright, during the confrontation, allegedly had informed Brown that he was also recording their telephone interaction. What immediately followed that phone call was a purported Certified U.S. Mail letter from Jerry J. Dasti, the new solicitor for Pemberton Township.
Dasti had already sent Wright a letter dated Jan. 3 informing him of his alleged
Dec. 31 termination from the township. However, it was reportedly the first formal correspondence Wright had received notifying him of his alleged firing, and the apparent delay is what reportedly led, in part, to a public scene during council’s Jan. 1 reorganization meeting when Wright had taken a seat in the business administrator’s chair, next to the mayor, only to be brought into a conference room to be told by Tompkins he was no longer employed with the township.
That initial letter from Dasti was also to serve as a “cease and desist” letter, informing Wright to no longer have contact with township employees and the councilmembers.
In Dasti’s second letter to Wright, dated Jan. 21, the township attorney spoke of his “wish to confirm to you, once again, that you are no longer employed by the township,” before going on to maintain to Wright “the township has forwarded to you documentation so that you register for health insurance through COBRA” and that it is the municipality’s understanding that “Luminaire Health has also forwarded to you COBRA notifications.”
“Please do not contact our employees and indicate that you are recording them,” Dasti asserted. “Please do not call them at all.”
The township attorney further maintained that a “further intrusion” by
By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer
SOUTHAMPTON—The Vincent Fire Company in Southampton Township is reportedly in dire need of replacing its aging fire equipment, which is now reportedly failing, with its chief, Scott Mitchell, describing to the Southampton Township Committee (which he indicated will need to provide the company with financial assistance) on Jan. 21 that, “in the last 30 days, we have had 45 days of trucks being out of service (the math sounds “a little silly,” according to the chief, but is not a misprint).”
The transmission in Vincent Fire’s water tender “literally fell out of the bottom of the truck because the mounts broke,” revealed Mitchell, further describing that “they no longer make the parts.”
“So, we had to have them fabricated,” said Mitchell, putting the cost to do so near $10,000.
The water tender truck is “currently 31 years old,” but yet Mitchell pointed out that the “National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard is that you replace fire trucks every 20 years.”
This newspaper previously covered other area fire companies and departments having to scurry to obtain new equipment to ensure they remain in conformance with the NFPA’s useful life standard, even if it
end of 20 years of life.
Those companies have previously said that they have had no other choice but to do so, or otherwise they could be held liable for any accidents or injuries that occur as a result of not being in conformance with the NFPA’s standard.
Mitchell, during the Southampton committee’s Jan. 21 session, revealed that not only is Vincent Fire’s water tender no longer in compliance with the standard, but also its “other engine, which is now 25 years old.”
“Communally, that is the only one that is running at the moment,” Mitchell declared.
That is because even Vincent Fire’s “newer” rescue engine, now 11 years old, according to the chief, is having troubles as its “wiring harness has now caught on fire for the second time.”
That engine will be requiring a second round of rewiring, Mitchell said.
“And their (the repair people’s) exact words to me were, ‘Hey, that can’t happen a second time,’” Mitchell observed. “And, I said, ‘You’re right.’”
Mitchell described that it has become “increasingly frustrating” for his firefighters, who are all volunteers, to “come down to the station” and contend with the equipment that is in disrepair. In some cases, according to the chief,
Photo By Alex Costa
Richard “Richie” E. Wright, Jr. (left), sits next to Township Solicitor Jerry Dasti during a December council session, all before Wright’s alleged firing occurred.
BIG GAME
Sale Dates: 2/3/2025 - 2/16/2025.
BIG GAME PARTY PLANNING | BE PREPARED
Avoiding a Big Mess
Any Big Game party host should be prepared for a small mishap or two, including dropped food and spills.
But to reverse an old saying, you can have a Big Game party without something being broken. It just takes a little bit of preparation. Here’s how:
CREATE MORE ROOM
You’d probably like to have additional space. People tend to bump into things, or each other, when they’re in close proximity. At the same time, however, you’re not likely to undergo an extensive home renovation before this year’s title
game. So it’s time to declutter. Rearrange your furniture to create a central gathering area, even if that means moving some bulkier pieces of furniture into the garage. (Safeguard any valuable or fragile items by storing them away, too.)
Remove unnecessary items from walkways. But keep as many seating options as possible, including sofas, loveseats, recliners, stools and even folding chairs if necessary. Bean bags can be a fun option for kids. Sweep away everything on flat surfaces so there’s room for snack foods and drinks, including everyday items like mail, magazines, dishes and laundry.
ADDED PROTECTION
Protect your home by basically
covering it with a layer of cloth, paper or plastic. Tablecloths will protect hard surfaces from stains, condensation and scratches made by drinks and appetizers. Disposable versions make clean-up a cinch. Identify areas where you know there will be heavy foot traffic and place runners or throw rugs to keep spills, dirt and excessive wear from affecting the carpet below. Go with plastic cups, since they’re sturdier than glassware. In the event of a spill, remember to initially blot the carpet with cold water to minimize the damage.
DON’T FORGET PETS
Between partygoer reactions to the game itself, the highly anticipated commercials and the raucous halftime shows, these Big Games can
become quite loud. That kind of noise can be quite stressful for family pets, particularly for those who are shy or naturally anxious. They may react negatively by barking or even making messes of their own. So it’s smart to keep them in separate areas of the home. Check in often and take them out for regular potty breaks. When it’s all over, consider giving them a special treat!
BIG GAME PARTY PLANNING
Dips to Light Up Your Party
You can make a whole meal off a table full of dips. Finger foods are the perfect complement for a football watch party, especially the biggest one of the year.
Go beyond some of the old standbys with these recipes for success.
VIDALIA ONION DIP
Makes 32 servings. Recipe is from Allrecipes.
Ingredients
• 1 tablespoon butter, or as needed
• 1 1/4 cups chopped sweet onion, such as Vidalia
• 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir sweet onion in hot butter until brown for 5-7 minutes and transfer to a bowl. Add the mayonnaise to the onion and stir, then pour into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the Swiss cheese over the mixture.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the top is bubbling and lightly golden, about 35 minutes.
HOT CORN DIP
Makes 12-16 servings. Recipe is from Ree Drummond, The Food Network.
Ingredients
• 5 ears of corn, shucked
• Vegetable oil
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced (scrape out half the seeds and membranes)
• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 pound Monterey jack cheese, shredded, about 4 cups
• 2 scallions
• 1 4-ounce can diced green chilies
• Chili powder, for sprinkling
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat a grill pan over medium heat or preheat an outdoor grill. Brush the corn with vegetable oil and sprinkle with salt. Grill, turning, until slightly charred, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, bell peppers and jalapeno. Stir and cook the veggies until they’re soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. Cut the kernels off the cobs. In the bowl of a mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream and two-thirds of the cheese. Mix on low speed until combined. Add the scallions, veggie mix, corn and canned chilies with liquid. Mix until just combined.
4. Spread the mixture in a threequart baking dish and sprinkle with the rest of cheese and chili powder.
5. Bake in the oven until bubbling and golden, 20 minutes or so.
BIG GAME PARTY PLANNING | SCORE BIG
Entertain With These Games
While the Big Game is on television, some fans can need distraction.
Set up these party games to make sure everyone has fun the whole evening — including the littlest football fans.
Pin the Football on the Goalpost
Find some clear wall space and pin up a football field backdrop. In the same way you’d play “Pin the Tail on the Donkey,” blindfold contestants, spin them around, and give them a paper football cutout. The player to stick the football closest to the goalposts wins.
Wing-Eating Contest
All you need for this game is a platter of wings, plenty of napkins and some empty stomachs. Set up a table and see who is hungriest for victory.
Make it a Costume Party
Invite your guests to dress as their favorite celebrities. Have them vote for the best costume and give out prizes.
Play Big Game Bingo
You can make your own bingo cards or find a readymade set. Think of squares such as “mascot citing” as well as football plays such as touchbacks. Put out highlighters or markers in team colors for your guests to mark their cards. Have prizes — get creative with fun prizes or gift cards to local restaurants. Have a whole separate card for the commercials.
Classic Paper Football
Set up a tournament bracket and have paper football sets. Winner takes all, or maybe just the last plate of wings.
Commercial Ratings Cards
Print out custom rating cards for guests to rate each commercial. Have someone keep track of the big winners for the night.
Trivia
Find the trivia master in your group and have them dive into football history for a trivia game. We’ll get you started with these questions:
Q: How many teams are in the NFL?
A: 32.
Q: Who was the first Black head coach to win a Super Bowl?
A: Tony Dungy.
Q: What is the last pick in the NFL draft traditionally called?
A: Mr. Irrelevant.
Q: Which NFL team has the most Hall of Fame inductees?
A: Chicago Bears.
Q: With which team did Joe Montana end his NFL career?
A: Kansas City Chiefs.
BIG GAME PARTY PLANNING | TECHNOLOGY
Upgrade Your Viewing Experience
The Big Game isn’t just any football game. It’s an event. With cutting-edge home entertainment technology, you can bring the stadium excitement into your living room.
From crystal-clear TVs to immersive sound systems, the right gear makes all the difference for game day.
gold standard for picture quality. With four times the resolution of standard HD, they deliver crisp images and vibrant colors, ensuring you catch every detail.
8K TVs: If you’re ready to invest in future-proofing, 8K TVs take resolution to the next level. They offer unparalleled clarity, making them ideal for tech enthusiasts who want the best of the best.
OLED and QLED Displays :
OLED TVs provide deep blacks and exceptional contrast, while QLED models excel in brightness and color vibrancy — perfect for well-lit party
and deliver rich, room-filling sound. Look for models with Dolby Atmos for a 3D surround sound effect.
Home Theater Systems: ultimate audio experience, a multispeaker setup provides dynamic range and depth. Systems with wireless rear speakers are ideal for creating a surround-sound atmosphere without clutter.
For larger gatherings, consider screen size. A TV over 65 inches provides an immersive experience, especially when paired with a high refresh rate for smooth motion during fastpaced action.
Sound That Packs a Punch
Pair your sound system with a subwoofer to add heart-thumping bass that makes every touchdown celebration feel like it’s happening right in your living room.
Score Big with Deals
Electronics stores often roll out big discounts in the lead-up to the Big Game, making this the perfect time to upgrade your home entertainment setup. Look for bundle deals pairing TVs with
systems shine.
yet powerful, sound
BIG GAME PARTY PLANNING | MIX IT UP
Cocktail & Mocktail for the Big Game
Boozy Dole Whip
Makes three servings. Recipe is from Real Simple
Ingredients
• 4 cups frozen pineapple
• 1 frozen banana, halved
• 1/2 cup coconut milk, chilled
• 1/2 cup coconut rum, chilled
• Fresh pineapple wedges, for garnish
• Coconut flakes, for garnish
Directions
1. Combine the pineapple, banana, coconut milk and coconut rum in a blender.
2. Pulse a few seconds at a time,
Pineapple
Fresca Mocktail
Ingredients
• Fresca (original flavor)
• Pineapple juice
• Frozen fruit (pineapple chunks or raspberries pair well with this recipe)
Directions
1. Shake or stir pineapple juice to blend contents and set aside.
2. Then pour 6 ounces of Fresca into two glasses. Add 3 ounces of pineapple juice to each of the glasses and briskly stir the contents so the pineapple juice and Fresca blend together.
scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula, until smooth but not liquefied.
3. Scoop into cups and garnish with pineapple wedges and coconut flakes.
3. Next add the frozen raspberries and serve immediately.
Voters to Decide $14M Referendum for Southampton Schools, with More Than a Decade Since District Last Held a Referendum Superintendent Says District Stands to Receive $3.5M in State Assistance Should Ballot Question Pass; Taxpayers Would See ‘Minimal’ Tax Increase
By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer
SOUTHAMPTON—It has been over 10 years since taxpayers in Southampton Township have been asked to float a referendum for the Southampton Township School District, according to Superintendent of Schools Megan Geibel.
But on March 11, a special election will be held so that township voters can decide on a $14,124,526 referendum.
Serving as “the catalyst for the referendum,” Geibel explained at a recent Southampton Township Committee meeting, is that the school district was “afforded preschool expansion grants” from the state, to provide preschool classes for three- and four-year-olds, and must now gradually expand the number of classrooms for the preschool program.
“We brought in half a million dollars this year to open three preschool classrooms,” Geibel said.
The district has plans to expand the number of preschool classrooms to six during the next school year, the superintendent revealed, and then, “in the next five years, we have to have nine fully-funded preschool classrooms,
comprising all three- and four-year-olds, in the town of Southampton, which is wonderful for Southampton.”
The school district currently has “no debt,” according to Geibel, and “because we have no debt, and we are looking to continue expanding out the preschool,” it was felt now is the time to go out for a referendum, including to fund “bathrooms in the classrooms.”
But the referendum, she maintained, will also address “quite a bit of things that need updating in the schools” comprising the district, “particularly the boilers that are 30 years old.”
“So, there is some stewardship of the buildings that needs to be taken care of,” Geibel asserted.
The superintendent described that the district is “crunched on space,” and so it also hopes the referendum will finance the overhaul of what is currently a bus garage, “that pretty much has been just a storage unit at the school,” turning it into a “humanities building” that will include an “all purpose room” for gym classes.
The plan also calls for the district to offer music and art courses in the
See VOTERS/ Page 9
Brian Carns Apologizes to Medford Council for Behavior at Previous Meeting, But Hopes for Reciprocal Gesture Suggests Letter of Apology from Township for Treatment of His Mother During Dispute Over Zoning Violation Would ‘Bring Closure’ to Matter
By Bill B onvie Staff Writer
MEDFORD—It is not every day that someone gets up at a public meeting to offer an apology for their behavior at a previous meeting. But that is what Medford resident Brian Carns did during the public comment portion of the Jan. 21 meeting of the Medford Township Council.
Carns told the council that he had “different reasons” for coming up, one of which was that he wanted to “apologize for the last meeting.”
“Things were hot,” he said in attempting to explain his behavior at the reorganization session. “I think we can all agree me and the ‘Wolves’ shouldn’t be in the same room together.”
By the “Wolves,” he was referring to Joseph Wolf, now-former acting chairman of the Zoning Board of Adjustment and his wife Alberta, whom he previously referred to in passing as a “skank” at council’s reorganization meeting.
The couple had come forward during that reorganization meeting to condemn the governing body‘s vote to end the nine-year mayoral term of one of its
Cannabis Dispensary Planning Soft Opening in Pemberton, Hoping to Focus on Customer Wellness, Give People Access to ‘Legally Available’ Product Line ‘Not Too Far from Home’
PEMBERTON—A family-owned recreational cannabis dispensary is planning a soft opening in Pemberton Township for Feb. 5
members, Charles “Chuck” Watson, whom they strongly supported. Carns and his brother, David, however, were only too glad to see Watson out of the mayor’s chair following an episode in which a $10,000 fine was levied against their mother for their having parked commercial vehicles on the family’s 30acre tree farm (later reduced by a judge) in violation of a local ordinance.
Then, after asking where Watson was and being told he was in Denver on business, Carns said, “That’s really it, I just want to come up here and apologize.” But as it turned out, he wasn’t quite through. Asking whether Solicitor Timothy Prime “could weigh in on this,” he indicated he would like the township to apologize to his mother as well.
“We would love to be able to present my mother, our mother, Carolyn, some kind of letter from the township saying, ‘Look, we got a few things wrong,’” Carns declared. “An apology is what I’m getting at. Not even to us. It would be to her, on behalf of Medford Township. I
See COUNCIL/ Page 9
Aurum Botanics, which will occupy what was once Jamison’s Bar and Grill, near the intersection of Fort Dix and Arney’s Mount roads, will become the first recreational cannabis retailer to open its doors in Pemberton Township.
Aaron Marks, owner of Aurum, has been working on this project for two years in order to create a beautiful space for the community to enjoy and visit. He and his wife Stacey have wanted to get involved in this industry to bring the health and wellness benefits cannabis offers to the community. Stacey earned her undergraduate degree in health and fitness from Penn State and looks forward to sharing her knowledge with customers and helping them incorporate cannabis into their lifestyle to achieve optimal wellness results.
Niko, Aurum’s General Manager, has been in the industry for 15 years, first being part of a medical program for cannabis, before transitioning into the recreational space. Niko said, “I come from the compassionate, educated side of this industry; therefore, Aurum will be wellness-minded.” He goes further to explain that cannabis actually has these naturally occurring chemical compounds
called "cannabinoids", that once they get into your body, they kind of signal and work with the system that is preexisting in your body, called the human endocannabinoid system.
Through that signaling, it has been known to help customers improve digestion, reduce anxiety and stress, lessen depression, and manage their appetite to name a few benefits. So even customers who are looking for recreational use will still reap these benefits.
Aurum Botanics is soft opening its doors at 6 Fort Dix Road, with a light menu to start. Available products will include Cannabis flower, edibles, vapes, topicals and concentrate, all lab tested and carefully monitored and controlled from seed to sale. Customers will get to interact with customer service-minded cannabis and wellness professionals to help guide and educate them.
Niko contends, “People are going to be really happy with visiting our dispensary. We are going to treat them like family. We want to know our customer’s names and their likes. Everything is going to connect to compassion and wellness. I am excited that cannabis is now available for everybody 21+ in NJ, because now more people will be accepting of its recreational and medicinal use.”
Photo Provided
An inside view of Aurum Botanics, which will become the first cannabis retailer to open its doors in Pemberton Township.
CULTIVATION
(Continued from Page 1)
the public comment section of the Jan. 7 reorganization meeting, contending that the township was losing out on a potentially lucrative revenue source – one now being realized by other South Jersey municipalities – by not reversing the ban that it initiated after a statewide referendum opened the door to legalizing commercial recreational cannabis enterprises.
Although his proposal, which was made following a contentious discussion of longtime Mayor Charles “Chuck” Watson having been replaced in the mayoral post, generated no immediate response from those present at the time, there was no mistaking the collective thumbs down it subsequently received at the latest session.
Such opposition was first voiced by four of the council members who were present for the Jan. 21 session with Watson, the fifth, who was away on business, having reportedly registered his disapproval as well in a phone conversation with a constituent, followed by a sizeable number of attendees at the meeting who kept the public comment section going for a much longer time than usual, objecting to everything the proposal might entail from its impact on the quality of life in the township (which already is home to several breweries) to the odor it might generate.
Noting at the outset of the meeting that he and two other current members of the council, Watson and Donna Symons, had taken part in the original unanimous decision to prohibit cannabis operations, Erik Rebstock, the township’s new mayor, said his continuing position was “that this is not something that I would be interested in moving forward with here in Medford for a variety of reasons,” including environmental and warehouse issues.
Symons then noted that she, too was against “any changing of that ordinance at all,” and elaborated on some of her reasons for opposing the idea of doing so.
Pointing out that “this is a residential zone, not a commercial zone or a farm zone, Symons noted that many developments, such as Sherwood Forest, Oakwood, Birchwood, Wood Lake, and Cranberry Lakes, are adjacent to this particular property, which is “also located within a radius of a daycare center, a school, and many of the lakes.”
“The effects of permitting this would
cause harm to our residents in many ways,” she maintained, citing such factors as odors, truck traffic and security concerns.
In addition, she said, as a local real estate agent, “I just feel that something like this in the town would definitely create a problem with resale values.”
Also coming out against any revision to the existing ban were the council’s two newest members, Bethany Milk and newly appointed Deputy Mayor Michael Czyzyk.
While Czyzyk said he didn’t “necessarily have anything against the product or its medicinal use, I just don’t feel as though it fits within the character of Medford, the same way an Amazon warehouse wouldn’t fit into our town, or a large department store when that was being discussed along Route 70.”
“That's just not the town that we bought into,” he added.
Milk also stressed the council’s efforts to maintain the “character” of the town, not only pointing out that “nowhere around us do they even allow (such a use) in residential zones,” but rejecting the idea of allowing it in agricultural zones, saying, “I want to keep our farmlands as farmlands.”
Attempting to address the matter of what such a change would entail, Township Solicitor Tim Prime then told the mayor, “Just so we’re clear, this was precipitated by a request relative to a specific piece of property.”
“However, the council’s decision is not based on a specific parcel,” Prime added. “It is based on an overall evaluation of the cannabis uses and their suitability for the township.”
Prime, prior to the council members’ comments, also attempted to clarify the reason for the original decision not to make Medford a cannabis-friendly community, noting that “at the time, the township council felt there were too many unanswered issues concerning cannabis uses” and that “in particular, there were concerns about the environmental aspects of cultivation.”
Such cultivation, he asserted, is not something typical of a farm, but rather an activity carried out “within buildings.” As such, “It has got electric needs, water needs, and that kind of thing.”
“So, the decision, at the time, was to not allow any of the uses in the municipality,” Prime asserted.
Justus, however, in appearing once again before the council, presented it with a contrasting case for the accommodation
of cannabis cultivation, which included a claim he also made at the previous meeting that Medford residents, in effect, had already given their approval to cannabis when roughly two-thirds of the township’s 16,000 registered voters who took part in a statewide referendum in November 2020 voted for legalizing recreational use.
“We need to decide holistically if this is good for us and not base our decisions specifically on zoning of my property,” he asserted, maintaining that there is “an agriculture committee specific to New Jersey, that classifies cannabis as an agricultural activity” and that “under this township’s development regulation DR307,” the Right to Farm is a “permitted use in all zones that covers my ability to produce any agricultural product or build any warehouse,” adding, “I don't know if the township knew that.”
Justus acknowledged, however, that by having adopted an ordinance, the township is able to block his cultivation of cannabis.
He also cited the example of Winslow Township in Camden County, which he claimed, had benefited from just one cannabis license to the tune of $500,000 in 2023 and $868,000 last year, second only to total property taxes collected. An equivalent enterprise, he contended, could represent 10 percent of property tax revenues collected from Medford Township property owners.
He then suggested that the township form a commission or task force to “actually review the data” and that he be given the opportunity to speak with each one.
Those figures and suggestions, however, failed to cut any ice with most of the residents who followed him in regard to the subject.
“I think this is about a lot more than just cash; It is a lifestyle,” declared Michael Bryan, who said he lives just around the corner from the proposed facility, which he contended would pose a potential environmental risk so close to the center of a residential area, as well as “a strain on other resources” and a “pretty major” security concern.
He called it the “last thing we need to do.”
Also challenging Justus on the economic benefits of changing the law was Sherwood Forest resident John Busca, who voiced the opinion it would actually “deliver decreased revenue” for
the township “because you are going to have hundreds of families asking for property tax rebates.”
Busca further maintained that if voters were to be asked today whether they wanted a cannabis facility in their neighborhood, he could guarantee the result would be “way below 50 percent.”
The effect of a cannabis-growing operation on Medford’s quality of life was also addressed by Josh Gatesman, who besides being an honor student at St. Augustine Prep and an Eagle Scout from Medford Lakes Troop 48, is the founder of a local charity that he said has donated over $3,800 to youth athletics.
“It would be a shame for a familyoriented, strong-value community like Medford to allow a commercial cannabis farm to infiltrate our town,” Gatesman told the council. “There are so many practical issues with construction and operation of this farm, like the runoff into our lakes and groundwater, and the environmental impact of clearing 31 acres of trees on historic cranberry bogs.”
Noting that he had been “blessed’ to have been allowed by the property’s previous owner to be able to “bike and hike on the same trails this farm would replace,” Gatesman described himself as being “incredibly upset that the young kids in my neighborhood would be deprived of the adventurous woods and would be exposed to the environment of a commercial pot farm,” which he contended would be “opening our doors to drug abuse” by local youth.
“It is seriously important to me and numerous other families that the integrity of Medford that I grew up with remains consistent so we can attract value-driven families to our community who feel safe to raise their children in such a great town,” Gatesman concluded to a round of applause.
A similar note was struck by Lisa Kasunas, of High Bridge Boulevard, who came forward to “strongly oppose this type of operation in a family-friendly environment such as Medford, and asked the council to “please not allow our wonderful town to be exploited by the negative aspect of a gateway drug cannabis farm.”
Another issue – that of the smell caused by such an enterprise – was raised by Monica Hollenbeck of the Sherwood Forest neighborhood.
See CULTIVATION/ Page 11
TUMULT
(Continued from Page 1)
involve Adam S. Malamut, attorney and managing partner of Malamut & Associates with known ties to Democrats, and powerful Burlington County Democratic state Senator Troy Singleton, who represents the state’s 7th Legislative District.
The board was due to reorganize in November of last year, but never did, and this newspaper has been told it is actually a requirement of state law that the board reorganizes at that time.
Then, there were hopes the board would at least reorganize belatedly during a scheduled Jan. 21 session, but that meeting, this newspaper has since learned, was canceled several days beforehand, with no purported immediate intent to reschedule it, setting off alarm bells at the county college.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the board, this newspaper confirmed, is not until Feb. 18.
Two board members have now resigned “effective immediately,” Lorraine Hatcher and Gina Reed, both turning in their resignations in early January.
And this newspaper has learned that there has been continued behindthe-scenes wrangling over the allDemocratic Burlington County Board of Commissioners’ decision to appoint Sean Kennedy to the Board of Trustees, to fill a vacancy that has been left behind last year by James Kerfoot, the latter being the purported father of the college’s chief financial officer, Kevin Kerfoot, and father-in-law of Singleton.
James Kerfoot reportedly had resigned from the board amid a purported falling out between College President Dr. Michael A. Cioce and Attorney Malamut.
As previously reported by this newspaper, Cioce, after pushing back against the alleged nepotism in hiring, found himself the subject of two complaints, which led to an employment hearing pertaining to him at the October board session.
The board ultimately voted to have the complaints investigated, maintaining it has no other choice when complaints are brought against a chief executive officer, but decided not to have them probed by a law firm that Board of Trustees
President Dr. Anthony C. Wright had initially proposed, given allegations it had purported friendly ties to Malamut.
But Wright would only back off his recommendation after Cioce put up a fight, which included his sparring with two Malamut & Associates attorneys attending the October session over what he maintained were suddenly changed processes involving the handling of employment hearings.
This newspaper has since reported that sources told it that the complaints lodged against Cioce were allegedly filed by the college’s chief financial officer, who is a purported relative of Singleton, and that Singleton and Malamut are known close friends.
The college’s two largest unions subsequently expressed a vote of no confidence in Wright to continue serving as board chair.
Kennedy, also with strong ties to Democrats, works for a technology
firm, CGI. Cioce purportedly did not recommend to the Board of Trustees last spring that the firm provide IT services to RCBC, and rather recommended a different firm, reportedly setting in motion the pair of complaints he faces.
The Board of Commissioners has repeatedly appointed (without a public explanation as to why) Kennedy as a RCBC Trustee, but as of press time, he has not yet been seated on the Board of Trustees.
But back and forth correspondences obtained by this newspaper last week, through an answered Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request, shed light on the hold up. This newspaper became aware of the correspondences through a news tip from an individual who requested anonymity for this story.
Ashley Buono, solicitor for Burlington County and the Board of Commissioners, wrote, in part, to Cioce earlier this month that Kennedy “signed his oath and same was forwarded to RCBC,” but observed he has not yet been seated.
“The RCBC Board has failed to include Mr. Kennedy in college and board business, nor has it responded to Mr. Kennedy’s request for information, as recently as Jan. 8, 2025,” Buono wrote. “This conduct is troubling, as it appears that there is a willingness and/or intentional effort to preclude and prevent the Commissioner’s appointee from carrying out his lawful duty and service. As I am sure you can appreciate, the appointees are volunteers, without renumeration, and obstructing their service only impedes and discourages their willingness to serve.”
Cioce responded, in part, that Kennedy
was first appointed by the commissioners’ board on Oct. 10, at the recommendation of the then-RCBC Search Committee (members of which are appointed by the commissioners’ board), but that on Oct. 22, he informed Buono that under state statute, the then-committee was “improperly constituted” as ‘“members of the trustee search committee shall not be elected public officials,’” yet there were three on it at the time, Cioce maintained. The second appointment of Kennedy, by the commissioners’ board on Nov. 26 of last year, also followed a recommendation by a “flawed” search committee, Cioce charged, because one of the then-members of the committee was still a public official at the time.
Cioce went on to maintain that Buono, on several occasions upon him raising concerns with her, either partially replied, or did not reply at all, leading him to believe the county attorney was “actively working to resolve Sean Kennedy’s eligibility issues, both legally and officially.”
“In sum, as of this date, Sean Kennedy’s appointment by the Burlington County Commissioners is yet again fatally flawed by virtue of the fact that the trustee search committee that recommended his appointment included an elected official, which is prohibited by N.J.S.A. 18A: 64-8,” Cioce wrote. “In light of the above, it would appear the new properly constituted search committee would need to reconvene, review, and interview applicants and make recommendations to the Burlington County Commissioners.”
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The college president added, “As they do so, it is hoped that consideration will be given to individuals who do not have a conflict of interest, such as that reported by the Pine Barrens Tribune article of Nov. 7, referencing a 2024 RCBC website procurement involving Sean Kennedy.”
Cioce added that “it is incredibly important that RCBC has a robust, independent Board of Trustees that can focus on the governance, growth, and educational mission of the college, on behalf of our students, and have no other agenda or loyalty but to our institution.”
The commissioners’ board appeared to respond to Cioce’s process concerns during its Jan. 22 meeting.
For now a third time, Sean Kennedy was again appointed as a Trustee by the commissioners, this time for a term effective from Jan. 23 through Oct. 31, 2026.
Additionally, Jannine Veasy was appointed for the first time as a Trustee, with her appointment also effective from Jan. 23 through Oct. 31, 2026.
Finally, Patricia Kolodi was appointed as a Trustee, for a term effective from Jan. 23 through Oct. 31, 2025.
The appointment information was provided to this newspaper by County Spokesman David Levinsky, who identified the latest make up of the Search Committee at the time of the appointments as comprising Hillary Chebra, Dennis Culnan, Patrick Progar, Claire Volpe and Nancy Youngkin (while several of the individuals have strong Democratic ties, none in the latest group are active elected officials, with Volpe no longer in her elected position, as of press time).
This newspaper has learned through a search of public records that Veasy is the sister of Democratic Evesham Township Mayor Jacklyn “Jackie” Veasy. Jannine Veasy, also from Evesham, identifies herself on LinkedIn as a technical advisor at Puratos, a manufacturer and supplier of bakery ingredients.
(In Evesham, the township council there had just voted this month to return Malamut & Associates into the solicitor’s post after three then-Democratic councilmembers who were on the council had led the charge in January 2023 for the removal of Malamut in favor of the Parker McCay law firm, which, upon success, had led to a nearly two-year political upheaval.
One of those Democratic councilmembers resigned last year, while the two others decided not seek re-election.)
Kolodi is a retired teacher, who was previously profiled back in 2014 by another media outlet as a Democratic councilwoman from Delran Township. It does not appear that she is still serving in that capacity, however.
In addition to a dispute over how to fill the vacancies on the college’s Board of Trustees, this newspaper has learned that Cioce is not intending to recommend to the Board of Trustees that it continue utilizing the services of Malamut & Associates as college solicitor.
Word of this purported decision apparently reached Attorney Malamut, which led to him writing a lengthy email to the Trustees and Cioce on the early evening of Jan. 14, obtained by this newspaper through the answered OPRA request.
Attorney Malamut, in sending the email, described he was sending it as a “blind carbon-copy” email to safeguard against “potential violation of the New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act.”
“There are several important legal matters requiring board attention and participation,” is how Attorney Malamut characterized the situation at hand.
He then describes that “our firm has completed the first year of a two-year professional appointment,” before charging the “college president and executive staff have ceased all communications with our firm’s attorneys, including those related to labor law matters, contractual matters, and day-to-day matters involving committees and other items on which we were previously engaged and advising.”
“It is important to note that we were appointed by way of a two-year contract, which was subject to extension at the end of the first contract year, in November 2024,” Attorney Malamut emphasized.
Attorney Malamut then recognizes that the Board of Trustees “is required by law to conduct an annual reorganization meeting during the month of November,” before maintaining it is at “that time we would have expected the board to take action to extend our contract for an additional year.”
Attorney Malamut, in his email, insists his firm is the “solicitor for the college.”
“We continue to serve the college in our capacity, as solicitor, because we take our role and our obligations seriously, and we remain committed to providing sound legal advice and counsel to the Board of Trustees, who hires all staff and agents for the college, pursuant to N.J.S.A 18A:3B6(h),” Attorney Malamut maintained.
Attorney Malamut further contended that “as it relates to our service to the college as solicitor, we are aware that the college executive staff advised the board and its relevant committees that it should take no action on an extension of our existing contract with the college, and further that the college should publish an advertisement for the receipt of proposals from law firms to serve as solicitor.”
He added “we are also aware that the college executive staff has in fact published that advertisement for proposals, and further, that the executive staff has not contacted our firm to advise us that proposals for legal services are due.”
“To our knowledge, the Board of Trustees has not authorized an advertisement, for the receipt of proposals, from law firms in this matter,” Attorney Malamut charged. Cioce, in a reply email, called Attorney Malamut’s Jan. 14 emailed assertions “completely inaccurate.”
“Mr. Malamut’s assertion that he has a ‘two-year contract’ as ‘solicitor of the college’ (and continues in that capacity currently) is incorrect, and must now be addressed so that none of you are deceived,” wrote Cioce two days later, on Jan. 16, to the Trustees.
Cioce called on the Trustees to review the “2023 RCBC Resolution and Contract previously approved by this board,” which the college president maintained is “crystal clear that the term was for ONE YEAR and expired on 12/31/2024.”
“A one-year renewal term is identified in the contract as an OPTION that is not selfexecuting, but requires mutual agreement, which obviously did not occur by Dec. 31, 2024,” Cioce wrote. “The contract further states that it ‘shall terminate one year from the effective date hereof,’ which was Jan. 1, 2025. Therefore, the contract expired by its own terms, and the Malamut firm does not continue to serve as the college’s solicitor.”
Cioce went on to describe to the Trustees that “you should already be aware” that a “competitive procurement is underway to secure a Solicitor of Record, for the college, based upon the full support of the Finance and Facilities Committee in November, and reaffirmed at Tuesday’s committee meeting.”
“Any unsolicited and unstructured engagement can also lead to procedural irregularities,” Cioce declared. “Accordingly, any outreach, from any prospective vendor (including Mr. Malamut or any member of his firm) to any member of this board, would be improper and could lead to disqualification of that vendor and potential ethical charges
against the vendor as well.”
Notably, Attorney Malamut’s email turned over to this newspaper had a heading, “Attorney-Client Privileged Communication,” which is typically begrudgingly released, if at all, by governmental agencies.
Cioce addressed this as well in his email to the Trustees, writing, “Importantly –and contrary to the subject line of Mr. Malamut’s email – because the Malamut firm is no longer the college’s solicitor, there is no ‘attorney-client privilege’ protecting communications with members of that firm, as it relates to his contract or lack thereof.”
Attorney Malamut, in his email to the board and Cioce, also pressed for Kennedy to be seated, writing, “we understand that he has executed his oath of office on Dec. 2, 2024, and is ready to serve as a board member.”
“We also understand this information was communicated to the college executive staff at that time,” Attorney Malamut wrote. “Nevertheless, the college executive staff has not communicated with Mr. Kennedy with respect to his appointment to the board, a situation which we believe is inappropriate and must not continue. Mr. Kennedy should begin his service on the board immediately.”
In also recognizing the resignations of Hatcher and Reed, Attorney Malamut, who claimed to not have been informed of them by college executive staff, wrote, “the board is not fully constituted consistent with the requirements of N.J.S.A 18A:64A-8, which states, in part, ‘[f]or each county college there shall be a board of trustees, consisting of the county superintendent of schools and 10 persons, eight of whom shall be appointed by the appointing authority of the county with the advice and consent of the board of chosen freeholders, at least two of whom shall be women… .”
“Until the county’s search committee makes appropriate recommendations to the county commissioners, and the county commissioners make appointments to the board, and bring the board’s membership into compliance with the board’s enabling statute, the board should refrain from acting on matters that have been presented to the current board members,” Malamut contended.
Cioce responded to that latter claim by copying the Trustees on the exchanges between him and Buono.
Bids for “Solicitor of Record” for RCBC were to be unsealed and read on Jan. 30, just after this newspaper’s press time.
Fire Injures Owner of House Destroyed in Pemberton Inferno
PEMBERTON—A large two-story farmhouse on Stocktons Bridge Road in Pemberton Township burnt down to the ground on Jan. 25, with its owner reportedly suffering some burns during the mishap.
According to Pemberton Township Fire Chief Craig Augustoni, a fire call was received from a passerby, who had observed smoke, around 12:34 p.m.
“From what I understand, something happened to the owner’s cellphone, and he could not call it in,” said Augustoni in believing the inferno started earlier than when the first call came in to dispatch.
Augustoni told this newspaper, “The building was fully involved when we got there.”
Additionally, he said, fireworks inside the home “were going off while fighting the fire,” which gave firefighters “a little concern.”
Firefighters required use of water
tenders during the incident, causing the chief to designate it a two-alarm fire. While the fire was put under control at 1:49 p.m., firefighters did not clear the scene until around 6 p.m., Augustoni said.
“The owner of house did get burns to his face,” the fire chief reported, adding that the man was treated and released from Virtua Memorial Hospital in Mount Holly.
The destroyed home was built in 1993, the chief revealed. Other buildings on the farm “are good” the chief said.
The cause of the fire, according to Augustoni, is under investigation by the county and state fire marshals.
This was the second fire in less than 12 hours in Pemberton Township on Jan. 25, with the Pemberton Township Volunteer Fire Department up to 81 calls for the month, as of press time, per information relayed by Augustoni.
Service Garage Near Famed Bass River Restaurant Becomes Fully Engulfed in Flames, Eatery OK and Open for Business
BASS RIVER—A service garage in Bass River Township reportedly became fully engulfed in flames during a Jan. 25 inferno.
According to New Jersey State Police Spokesman Sgt. Jeffrey Lebron, Troopers responded to the structure fire on Route 9 at around 4:09 p.m.
“Upon the Trooper’s arrival, the garage was fully engulfed,” he said. “No injuries were reported.”
Eyewitnesses said the blaze occurred in a garage near Allen’s Clam Bar.
“Thank you to the New Gretna Fire Department, State Police, and all the first responders that put out the garage fire near Allen’s so quickly,” the establishment
later shared on social media. “We are so grateful to you all! To any customers who were dining at Allen’s Clam Bar during this, we sincerely apologize! We are open for business and, as always, are excited to serve all our locals!”
A New Gretna Volunteer Fire Company spokesperson told this newspaper that “limited information is available due to it being an ongoing investigation,” but that “it was a motorcycle that burned inside a garage near Allen’s Clam Bar restaurant.”
Lebron told this newspaper the cause of the fire remains under investigation, and no additional information is available at this time.
Garage of Medford Home Catches Fire, But Quickly Extinguished
MEDFORD—A garage of a home on West Delaware Trail in Medford Township caught on fire during the late morning hours of Jan. 21.
According to a press release from the Medford Township Police Department, a residential structure fire was reported around 11:20 a.m.
“Upon arrival, the garage of the residence was on fire, and the two residents were already evacuated,” police reported.
“The Medford Township Fire Department extinguished the fire with the assistance of the Medford Lakes, Evesham, Mount Laurel, Lumberton, Voorhees, Tabernacle, Shamong, Vincentown and Hampton Lakes Fire Departments.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Medford Township Fire Marshal and the Medford Township Police Department Criminal Investigation Bureau.
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Wright “may leave us no alternative but to institute enforcement procedures.”
“We would like to avoid that at all costs,” Dasti declared.
However, according to the source close to Wright, the correspondence only further infuriated Wright, who already maintained his First Amendment rights have been violated by Dasti’s initial ask to not contact elected officials, with Wright apparently subsequently taking steps to inform those around him that he was “not required” to tell Brown she was being recorded because “New Jersey is a one party state” and he “was the party.” Wright, as became apparent in various other correspondences provided to this newspaper, continued on reaching out to at least Republican Council President Joshua Ward.
One such apparent text message provided to this newspaper by sources included Wright having informed the council president that he had gone broke.
“Please do something, sir,” Wright pleaded with Ward, before asking him to visit his LinkedIn page. “I hope we are on the same team, sir … I believe we are Service to the People!”
“Good day,” Wright continued. “It is about to go LOUD!!!”
This newspaper, in the wake of the Jan. 1 incident, reported extensively on what a source close to Wright had described as a number of alleged serious concerns that Wright had come to develop, to include the
whereabouts of monies for the township’s Sewer Division, formerly the Pemberton Township Municipal Utilities Authority (PTMUA), following a tour of the facility last month that allegedly had revealed items to the business administrator that were in a deteriorated condition.
In a Jan. 15 council meeting appearance, Wright claimed he has since been in contact with the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.
Visible on his LinkedIn page in the hours after he apparently sent Ward the message, was a thread he responded to, writing, “After I see the detectives today, and regain access to my finance system, I’ll let you know what PTWP (an apparent abbreviation for Pemberton Township) pays our MUA plant workers … worth every penny.”
“They have a ***** job,” Wright continued. “Their regional union president recently told me they are very satisfied with their contract since the MUA was dissolved. The question I keep running into is … where did all the unrestricted fund balance go?!”
Then, in apparently publicly responding to Dasti’s Jan. 21 letter, wrote, “I challenge you to institute ‘enforcement procedures.’”
“You are playing checkers Gerry (sic),” Wright added. “I’m at CHECK. My conflicted legal friend … .”
And then, as he suggested on Jan. 15, Wright said he would be in touch with “council’s conflict attorney.”
Wright then reportedly sent a barrage of text messages out (which he apparently gave permission to be shared with this reporter as well), which ended up in the hands of not only this newspaper, but reportedly at least two councilmembers.
“Despite our warnings and instructions, I am advised that you continue to try to contact township employees,” wrote Dasti in yet another Certified Mail letter dated Jan. 24. “In addition, you have been trying to contact me with my cellphone. You are immediately instructed not to continue to do that anymore.”
Dasti went on to charge, “You are not a township employee,” and that Wright was “justifiably terminated.”
“Under the circumstances, since the date of your termination, to me, it appears that the mayor made the right decision,” Dasti declared.
The township attorney then warned Wright, despite in his proceeding Jan. 21 letter inviting Wright to contact him with any questions, “If you continue to try to contact township employees or me, we will have no other alternative but to file a complaint of harassment with the Police Department.”
“Be guided accordingly,” concluded Dasti in copying the letter to Township Clerk Amy Cosnoski and Tompkins.
In an email copied to this newspaper, Wright responded in directly pleading his case to Ward, telling the council president, “I tried very hard to be low profile and assist u (sic), sir.”
“I have a First Amendment Right to call whomever I choose,” Wright declared. “And (to) record without telling anyone in NJ … one party state.”
The email contains numerous apparent typographical errors, but Wright goes on to indicate the involvement of “bud guns,” presumably to mean the big guns, warning of Joint Insurance Fund (JIF) settlements to follow that “will cover less and less,”
but yet “the residents will pay the price.”
Wright also claims he is working with “state officials” and the “county prosecutors” in the “best interests” of the “residents of Pemberton Township,” and that he has contacted various media outlets who are “all in the loop now.”
“But due to the harm that the mayor has cost me, the township is now involved because of your lawyer (sic),” concluded Wright, who initially had only publicly threatened to sue the mayor personally. “ … I will file a harassment complaint against both Jerry and the mirror for her Mickey Mouse annex (sic).”
The email sent to Ward by Wright (who also claimed to be needing to initiate bankruptcy proceedings) also contains a message chain indicating that Dasti’s third letter was forwarded to Rick Richardella, Local Assistance Bureau Chief for the state Department of Community Affairs (DCA).
It is known that the DCA has played a greater role in Pemberton because of its Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) designation that has been in place since May 23, 1996.
“The township (is) gonna (sic) look really bad, and I said bring it Jerry, bring it – charge me, go ahead, harm me more,” Wright declared.
This newspaper also received a screenshot of a text message, from the source close to Wright, that Wright reportedly had sent to a party labeled “Detective DF” on an iPhone (this newspaper could not independently verify the labeled contact is an actual detective) with Dasti’s third letter showing as “delivered” to that person.
Fire in Vincentown Village Dwelling Contained to Single Room
SOUTHAMPTON—A house fire in the Vincentown Village section of Southampton Township on Jan. 27 was “held to the room of origin,” fire officials reported.
According to the Vincent Fire Company, crews responded to a fire call that was received around 6:02 p.m., and upon arrival, found “a fire in the rear of the dwelling.”
Burlington County dispatch records show the blaze broke out at 129 Main Street.
“Engine 1712 arrived and stretched a
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reconstructed building, she said.
The K-8 district currently has three schools, known as School #1, School #2 and School #3. The superintendent also spoke of the need to “move the thirdgrade students back to School #1, which is developmentally appropriate, because it is a primary grade.”
The relocation, she said, will also make room for the preschool program, with hopes to give the preschool area its separate entrance to enhance security.
Geibel, who is a relatively new superintendent of the district, recognized that a solar field installed many years back has been a “bone of contention.” The referendum, she said, would fund its removal to make way for additional athletic fields.
“As you can see from the design, we are looking to put in a turf field, track, pickleball court, and volleyball court, and also slight lighting out there to help complement some of the rec programs that we have here in the district, and just to offer, you know, another avenue for our students to have athletics,” Geibel said. “So, it kind of compiles everything.”
The referendum, she added, would also fund general improvements to the school’s athletic facilities.
Ronald Heston, a former member of the Southampton Board of Education and current mayor of the township, asked, “What is the reason for removing the solar panels, aside from the fact you want a sports complex?”
“To be honest with you, that is the mystery,” Geibel answered. “We pay $8,100 a month for our solar panels, and we don’t see a discount in our electric. We are working with solicitors right now to find out what cost savings that was to the district, if any. It has been sold to
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think that is something the community would like to see, too.”
Adding that “there is no liability if there is some kind of waiver,” Carns said such an apology “would mean a lot to us” and “would bring closure to this.”
“We can move on, we can give my mom something and get on with it, and all get
hose line to the fire room and quickly extinguished the fire, holding it to the room of origin,” the fire company reported. “Tender 1716 and Utility 1718 arrived and assisted with ventilation and overhaul.”
An undetermined number of cats were apparently residing inside the dwelling, but the Vincent Fire Company reported that its members “located the cats still in the residence and were able to turn the pets over to the homeowners.”
multiple solar companies. They are very hard to chase down. (It is) very hard to know if they are even compliant with the contract that they initially gave us, so even at the cost that we know it is going to be to get out of that contract, it is still cheaper than continuing the next five years at $8,100 a month.”
More than half of the $14,124,526 proposal, or $8,875,106, was initially deemed eligible by the state for up to a 40 percent state aid reimbursement, according to Geibel.
The local school district initially remarked that there would be a “zero percent tax increase” resulting from the referendum, however, according to Geibel, following a state review, it learned in recent days that of the possible 40 percent, the state will only be providing aid of 34 percent, or what amounts to about $3.5 million in state aid.
The unanticipated 6 percent that the local school district will now have to account for, Geibel acknowledged, will be made up through taxes, equating to “$29 annually, which is less than $3 a month” on the average assessed home of $190,000.
She called the proposed tax increase “minimal.”
The proposed monthly tax increase of just $3 a month on the average assessed home, is one of two points she emphasized, the other being that the district would forfeit the $3.5 million in state aid should the referendum fail to pass, and then the district would still likely have to pursue the upgrades.
“Without doing the referendum, we are not eligible for the $3.5 million that we are getting back in state aid,” the superintendent pointed out. “And so, you are only eligible when you do a bond referendum. So, it is really money left on the table that your taxpayers are paying into. And by doing a bond referendum, we are able to capture that money.”
along again,” Carns maintained.
When he then asked Prime whether that was something that could be done, the solicitor responded, “Brian, I am not going to comment on that,” to which Carns replied, “Fair enough. Council, will you look into it and let us know? Appreciate it, Thank you.”
Mayor Erik Rebstock then thanked Carns for the apology.
Later in the session, David Carns, Brian’s brother, came up to congratulate
One-Alarm Fire Displaces Residents of Sunbury Village Duplex
PEMBERTON—A fire that broke out Jan. 25 inside a duplex in Pemberton Township reportedly displaced those living in both units.
According to Fire Chief Craig Augustoni, a fire call came in around 4 a.m. from 216 Norcross Lane, located in the Sunbury Village section of the municipality.
When firefighters arrived on scene, two rooms were involved in flames, the chief reported. Firefighters, he noted, got the one-alarm fire under control in about 38 minutes.
Geibel appeared to be acutely aware that the LeisureTowne retirement community in Southampton, which accounts for most of the township’s population with its 2,500 homes and is the single largest voting bloc in the township, has a history of either making or breaking past school referendums.
“I did a little bit of research with your tax office, and looked at the homes in LeisureTowne,” Geibel told the Southampton committee. “They average at a tax ratable of $85,000 to $235,000. So, it is less than $5 for every household in the LeisureTowne community.”
That led to a follow-up question from Committeeman James F. Young, Sr., who asked, “When you say $5 per LeisureTowne resident, is that per quarter or per year?”
“It would be monthly, per home,” responded Geibel, noting “we broke it down into the smallest denominator.”
Given that “we know that is a big part of our constituents who will be voting,” said Geibel of LeisureTowne, “we want to be transparent and accountable for the statements that we made.”
“Unfortunately, we have to come back and say there is a slight increase, but it is a total project that is a little over $14 million in referendum projects,” Geibel said.
The superintendent said she planned on making a presentation to the LeisureTowne Board of Trustees, in addition to the second one she has made to the Southampton committee in recent months, which occurred on Jan. 21.
Among some of the key takeaways Geibel indicated she wanted voters to be aware of is “it has been quite some time since the township school district has gone out for a referendum” with the “last one over 10 years ago.”
“And we are in a position now to go out to make some desperately needed upgrades,” the superintendent said. “Our funding is a little different than most, and
Rebstock and the two other new council members, Deputy Mayor Michael Czyzyk and Bethany Milk, and to say he had hoped to address Watson.
But instead, he asked Prime if he still believed “enhanced penalties were justifiable” against “an 82-year-old longtime resident of Medford.”
When the solicitor replied that his remarks at the time were merely intended to answer a question that one of the Carns brothers had posed about penalties and
Those in the 216 Norcross Lane part of the duplex were displaced and assisted by the Red Cross, Augustoni said.
However, he said those at 218 Norcross Lane were also “taken care of” by the Red Cross after they “did not want to stay there because of the smell of smoke.”
The cause of the fire, according to Augustoni, is under investigation by the county and state fire marshals.
Augustoni described that firefighters battled the blaze while the air temperature outdoors was around 8 degrees.
school funding is very different from township funding. We don’t really hold a surplus.”
Another point she wanted to get across is “it would take us 20 years in our annual budget to accomplish what we can do through this bond referendum.”
Among “some of the advantages of us doing this at this time,” Geibel declared, is “we are able to lock in an interest rate under 4 percent.”
“It will take us two years to complete – two summers to complete the work,” she added. “So, there’ll be a good chunk of money sitting in the account, gaining interest. And as a board, we plan to resubmit that back down to the debt – the interest that is made on these projects. The other benefits to financially doing it now – and this is through research of other referendums that have gone out, they typically are over a year or two-year span before they go out to referendum, which also puts their estimates out of date – is right now, our estimates are in real time because the referendum is in March.”
As a result, she contended, the referendum features “projects we can bank on” in which “there won’t be a ton of inflation” and “construction costs won’t go up.”
One last point Geibel wanted to make to local voters is that the Southampton District is “below the tax levy” and “even with this referendum, we still will be below” it.
Southampton Township voters are being asked to attend a “town hall meeting” at the School #3 Media Center on Feb. 12, at 6:30 p.m., to learn more about the referendum and ask any questions about it of the local Board of Education.
“Bring any questions there, and we are more than glad to address any concerns you may have,” said School Board President Jeff Hicks.
that he had not asked for anything in that regard, David Carns then asked Councilwoman Donna Symons, who he said had “stood behind this $10,000 fine,” whether she still believed “that this was the right thing to do.”
“No comment, David,” Symons answered.
“You’re out of comments, too,” David Carns replied, adding, “I got to tell you the energy here is a lot better. You guys have a good night.”
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“some of the guys are going to have to drive their own cars” to training sessions “because we don’t have vehicles to take them over.” It is also posing issues with coverages on training nights, he described.
“And also, it is kind of scary, as a township resident, that I don’t have enough vehicles to take the people to the calls that we need to, to help people in need,” Mitchell declared.
This has not been Mitchell’s first rodeo with the township committee. He has, over the last several years, approached the governing body a number of times in pleading for funding.
And, in March 2023, during a Southampton Township Committee Budget Workshop Meeting, then-mayor Michael Mikulski (who has since resigned to become a Superior Court judge) had acknowledged there was a serious problem with aging fire equipment belonging to not only the Vincent Fire Company, but also the Southampton-based Hampton Lakes Fire Company.
“We should also talk about fire trucks,” declared Mikulski in March 2023. “I went back and looked at the report (referencing a recent study of both township fire companies and their apparatuses, said to have been performed by former firefighters), and we are already behind on the next truck. And it is just going to be a never-ending cycle.”
Through a process of elimination
of sorts, the governing body and then-township administrator/clerk
Kathleen D. Hoffman had arrived at the conclusion, that outside of a new engine recently delivered to the Hampton Lakes Volunteer Fire Company, the township’s (second) newest piece of fire apparatus is a fire engine that was purchased back around 2013.
“I think that is the only piece of equipment not 20 or 25 years old,” said Mikulski at the time, followed by a discussion that ensued that the NFPA’s standard was not being met by either fire company.
It was at that meeting that Committeeman William Raftery revealed a behind-the-scenes discussion that was taking place to potentially create “one entity” to ensure the “coordination of their efforts across the divisions,” and to also reduce the number of fire trucks that the township would need to help purchase.
But this newspaper’s coverage of a possible consolidation sparked immediate backlash, and the subject was never broached publicly again.
Mitchell, last year, had come to the governing body for assistance in purchasing new hose that a grant he secured was partially funding, and at that time, Raftery had expressed his desire to see “cooperation” between the two companies, but notably stayed away from any suggestion of a possible merger. However, the Southampton committee, with a history of being frugal and not wanting to raise the local purpose tax beyond a penny or two, and which has
bragged in the past about not raising it for five years, apparently has not acted over the past two years, since Mikulski’s revelation, to financially assist its fire companies to the point that it helps them get into compliance with the NFPA vehicle useful life standard.
And despite the potential liability, as well as risks to the community that come with a continuing reliance on aging equipment, or not having working fire equipment, there did not appear to be any great sense of urgency during the committee’s Jan. 21 session to immediately take action to rectify the situation, or even schedule emergency meetings.
“So, capital budget talks will most likely not begin until the end of February, or the beginning of March,” responded current Township Administrator Brandon Umba.
When Mitchell suggested he was not only looking at acquiring new fire trucks, which he said can currently cost upwards of $1.3 million and have a potential wait time of three years to get delivered, but also potentially refurbished ones, Umba responded that the township would likely have to go out to bid for any fire vehicles, including used ones, because any purchase would likely surpass a $44,000 bid threshold.
It was revealed earlier that Southampton’s chief financial officer and QPA, Kinjal Patel, had recently resigned, with Umba pointing out her resignation has left the township currently without a Qualified Purchasing Agent (QPA), which has meant that Southampton, for the moment, is not entitled to enjoy a lower
bid threshold of $17,000.
“So, that is the challenges that we are at right now,” Umba declared.
The township administrator went on to describe that the “committee has directed me to come up with a three-to-five-year capital plan.”
“That is something that we need to have – a longer-range plan on what we are planning to do within the town, as we manage our debt service,” Umba said. “So, it is something that needs to be discussed. I have gotten the regular departments, within town hall, to get me their capital budgetary needs. I have not been able to sit down with both fire departments, and the EMS, to go over their capital needs just yet.”
Umba said he anticipated those sit-down meetings to begin sometime in February.
Newly-appointed Southampton Mayor
Ronald Heston maintained what was raised “sounded like a positive option, for further consideration,” and that he hopes the chief realizes that.
Mitchell described having heard the committee over the last several years and that, “I’m trying to make it work for everybody, to get something done –however that looks.”
All of this comes as the nation currently grips with the recent tragedy of the Los Angeles Wildfires, including the Eaton Fire and Palisades Fire, which have killed some 28 people and destroyed an estimated 16,100 structures, since Jan. 7, in California, according to KNBC-TV, the Los Angeles NBC television affiliate.
See FLEET/ Page 13
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“I am not talking about like pot smell at a concert or something like that,” she said. “This has been described as a skunky odor that permeates (the area) for a large distance.”
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Among all the comments made by residents on this topic, only one—from Zachary Wilson of North Main Street, was in favor of giving Justus some leverage.
Noting (as Justus did) how two-thirds of local residents had voted to pass the original cannabis referendum, he pointed
out. “That means nearly seven out of 10 wanted that to be legal in New Jersey, and presumably a decent portion of them wanted us, as a town, to get the benefits of that new industry.
“We are letting all of that money slip out to our neighboring towns,” declared Wilson, who blamed “failure to expand and make a dispassionate review of this industry” for “letting those tax dollars slip out the door” over successive years.
Wilson then asked council, “Are you willing to look at 10 people today and tell seven of them you don’t care, we are not even going to look at it?”, before asserting, “I don’t think you want to do that, or at least most of you don't want to do that. I would ask you to reconsider your staunch position on that.”
FLEET
(Continued from Page 10)
The wildfires were fueled by an extreme Santa Ana windstorm, but a number of media outlets, including the Los Angeles Time s, have reported extensively on how officials there were warned of a failing water system a number of times prior to the infernos, but fixes never happened.
During the height of the infernos, reservoirs were observed empty, and in some cases, firefighters had either run out of water to douse flames, with hydrants reported to have run dry, or they had to work with extremely limited water pressures, especially in the foothills.
According to the Los Angeles Times, “red tape, budget shortfalls and government inaction repeatedly stymied plans for water system improvements,” with the newspaper finding that “many projects on a list of about three dozen ‘highestpriority’ upgrades, compiled by county officials in 2013, have yet to break ground in communities devastated by the fires.”
Additionally, it has been reported by CNN that Los Angeles had implemented a $17.4 million cut to the city fire
department’s budget, which included reductions in overtime staffing, just prior to what has now become Los Angeles’ most devastating fire in the city’s history. And a fire official for the city went on record to describe that the city fire department had been underfunded for at least a decade.
Following the Southampton committee’s Jan. 21 meeting, this newspaper asked Umba (only in the Southampton job for about the past five months and about to go through his first budget cycle with the Southampton governing body) if what was described by Mitchell, and the apparent delay to replace the aging equipment, has any shades of what happened in Los Angeles.
He sent this newspaper a two-paragraph statement.
“As a third-generation volunteer firefighter, I take very seriously the request of our volunteer fire departments, most especially when it comes to the equipment they need to do their job,” Umba wrote. “Just a month ago, the Southampton Township Committee voted to support the $15,000 match to the grant Vincent Fire Company secured for replacing all of their firefighting hose. In addition, we supply $50,000 annually to each fire department within the township to purchase the
equipment that they need. So, I full heartedly disagree with the statement that no investments are being made to the fire companies. Additionally, I am sure that if you play back other township committee meetings, you will find that the fire chief of Vincent Fire Company has always stated that the township has worked with him to secure whatever funding he needs in order for his department to properly protect and serve the township.
“As it relates to the request to purchase a replacement fire engine, which was received at the township committee meeting Tuesday night from Vincent Fire Company, this normally takes time for developing the specs for the truck, which could take several meetings to accomplish. As the chief stated, these purchases normally take two years from start to finish. Normally, in this case, a fire department usually needs to form a truck committee to build out specs for the truck, (get the) funding secured and the fire engine then takes time to be built. We could also buy used, as stated in the meeting, however NJ Finance Laws make that fairly difficult to do. In our capital plan, which we are developing currently, we have assigned funds to purchase equipment for our various departments,
which include the fire departments. I know I am new to my role with Southampton Township, but rest assured that I will do everything in my power to ensure all our departments have what they need to protect and service our residents and visitors of our town.”
Mitchell, during the Jan. 21 committee proceedings, noted he has been “working relentlessly over the past two years to try to come up with some solutions for you guys that not only make financial sense, but also make sense in moving forward with the change of the world.”
“We don’t necessarily need three big, giant, huge semi-truck type fire (engines),” Mitchell said. “Technology has changed. We can do more with different types of vehicles.”
A short time after Mitchell spoke of his hope that he will be able to sit down with Southampton officials to go over what he came up with as far as vehicle replacement possibilities, and Umba spoke of the upcoming capital budget meetings and five-year plan preparation,” Raftery declared, “To what Chief Mitchell has said, I think it is time, that in this year’s budget, we allocate and deal with the needs and the promises that we have made to the Vincent Fire Department.”
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