Pine Barrens Tribune February 15 - February 21, 2025

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609-801-2392 Vol. 9 – No. 7

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The News Leader of the Pines

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February 15 - February 21, 2025

Pemberton Township Mayor Faces Renewed Calls for His Ousting from Elected Office Changes in Council Meeting Room Where Citizen Activists Videotape, Alleged Information Policy Changes Reinvigorate Effort to Recall Him, Spark New Concerns of Retaliation

By Douglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

a veteran volunteer firefighter, that the township was in no jeopardy of losing either fi re or Emergency Medical Service (EMS) protection, as some feared might happen.

PEMBERTON —T he Republ ic an mayor of Pemberton Township is facing renewed calls for his ousting after attendees of a Feb. 5 Pemberton Township Council meeting arrived to find new railing bolted into the floor and a swing door blocking off an area of council chambers that a community activist has used for videotaping the sessions, all while electrical outlets in another location, where a second activist plugs in and sets up equipment to livestream council meetings, were retrofitted with plug protectors.

Additionally, a third com munity ac t i v i s t w ho h e lp e d t o l au n c h a Facebook group titled, “Pemberton Township: A New Beginning” to share, in part, things of community interest, such as community events, and who began the page to coincide with the council changing hands to Republican control i n Janu ar y, al leged that a feature was suddenly disabled on the

See RESPONSE/ Page 6

See MAYOR/ Page 8

A RAPID RESPONSE Photo Provided

One of the fire trucks in the New Gretna Fire Company’s current fleet.

Bass River Township Mayor Rebuts Gripes Aired by Volunteer Fire Company, of Which He Himself Is a Life Member, Over Budget and New Chief’s Ability to Access Special Truck After Enforcing Restrictions on It Dictated by Insurer

By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer

BASS RIVER—An overflow crowd of Bass River Township residents who showed up for a township commission meeting on the evening of Feb. 10, many of whom were there to support the New

Gretna Volunteer Fire Company in the wake of an informational gathering called a week before by its new chief, Patrick Monaghan, to explain financial and policy issues he was having with the municipal government, was assured

by Bass River’s mayor, who is himself

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Heating Problem Fixed at Washington Twp. Municipal Building; Town Urged to Update Its Community Wildfire Protection Plan Discussion Ensues on What Recent Closure of ‘Roads’ in Wharton Forest Will Mean for Firebreaks, and Whether They Can Currently Hold Any Fire

By Douglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

WASHINGTON—A lack of heat that left attendees shiver ing inside the Washington Township Municipal Building during the Washington Township Com m itte e’s Jan. 7 reorgan i zation meeting, prompting the session to be abbreviated, turned out to be the result of an “electrical problem” on Atlantic City Electric’s end, according to Mayor C. Leigh Gadd, Jr. in remarks during the Washington Township Committee’s subsequent Feb. 4 session.

“The electric company told me twice that the problem was ours, and we needed an electrician, and that it definitely was not their equipment,” Gadd said.

However, according to the mayor, someone familiar with electrical components, had observed “they did not even really check the obvious problem out front.”

While Gadd did not detail what the obvious problem was, he declared, “As it turns out, it was their problem.”

Whatever was the cause, Gadd described it also caused a number of “power surges” inside the municipal building.

“I think we got fortunate that with all the power surges, I don’t think we had any permanent damage,” Gadd said. “The heater was having some major problems, off and on, and the generator got a workout. However, it looks like, unless there is something I am not aware of yet, that we got through that unscathed and the problem was eventually fixed.”

During the Feb. 4 committee session, Gadd declared, “It is nice and warm in here.”

Meanwhile, it appeared resident Horace Somes, also involved in the state Forest Fire Service, was looking forward to warmer weather outside, but also forward thinking about potential consequences that it might bring for the upcoming wildfire season, especially given the state remains in an ongoing drought after a record dry fall and the month of January being one of the driest months on record at several state climate sites.

After pointing to the recent deadly and expansive California wildfires that occurred in early January, Somes reminded the committee that the township adopted its Community Wildfire Protection Plan some 10 years ago.

“Not a lot has changed,” maintained Somes of the time since it was last adopted, “but some things do,” in urging the governing body to “keep it current.”

“I believe it is something that is good to keep current, because it does provide for eligibility to state funds, from different sources,” Somes added.

Somes recommended that the township “add two maps” to the plan, including the “new State Forest Fire History Map” that depicts where the “recent large fires occurred here.”

The other map Somes suggested be added to the plan is one showing the state Forest Fire Service’s “initiative of strategic firebreaks.”

“The idea is to break up big blocks of woods, so that if you have a fire, you can hold it in your block,” Somes said.

Somes indicated that the point of adding the maps is that it will indicate the areas of woods that are most prone to wildfires and need firebreaks, citing, for instance, a “Ridge Road break” that is proposed on the initiative map.

“The reality is that the block of woods between Maxwell, Green Bank and Lower Bank has not burned since 1930,” Somes said. “And we know that the longer things go – it is like shaving, the thicker it is. And that is a huge block of woods with a huge fuel load in it.”

Should a fire start there, he added, it would “likely” cross the Wading River, before moving toward Leektown.

“You have to break something into a manageable unit,” Somes said. “That (the Ridge Road firebreak) is a proposal that I made personally, and they have other plans, too.”

Gadd asked Somes about the state Department of Environmental Protection’s recent closure of several “roads” in the Wharton State Forest and whether he believed that might affect things when it comes to having firebreaks, to which Somes replied, “I wouldn’t want to speak for the Forest Fire Service, but my personal opinion is that the roads that they used to use are in no condition to try and hold a fire while they are going” because the vegetation is now “overgrown.”

“And that is a broader question, is it (the state) going to maintain them or not?” said Somes, to which Deputy Mayor Daniel James stated his belief that the state closed them “because they didn’t want to maintain them,” to which Somes added, “I don’t think they can - I don’t think they can stay ahead of that dam,” noting that when he first started working for the state, there was a designated work crew in Green Bank “all summer long” charged with the operation “front-end loaders” and a “grader.”

James, however, in again responded to Somes, recounted that the roads used to be maintained “for many years” back in the day.

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WASHINGTON—A clearly exasperated Washington Township mayor, C. Leigh Gadd, Jr., reported for a second month in a row on Feb. 4 that, “I am not getting any cooperation” from Atlantic County officials regarding the closure of Green Bank Road, which connects the Burlington County community to Atlantic County, including the nearest business district of Egg Harbor City.

Gadd previously detailed that a bridge on Green Bank Road was closed late last year for repairs without purported warning to Washington Township, and then he had been subsequently assured by Atlantic County officials that access would be maintained for emergency-vehicle use, but that it turned out not to be the case because of a large crane being utilized for the project.

Then, Gadd previously maintained, officials observed a sudden work stoppage at the bridge, as well as detour signs having been wrecked by unknown individuals(s).

Follow-up calls, he contended, to Atlantic County, to inquire about the bridge’s status and to have the signage reinstalled, were not returned.

Gadd, when the closure first began in late October, maintained Atlantic County officials had told him that the bridge

would be closed for up to three months, but that the contractor being utilized is known to be ‘“very efficient,”’ and it could only be a two-month closure, dependent on the weather conditions.

“I h ave b e e n m a d e aw a r e t h at apparently, now, Atlantic County is saying it is not going to be completed until May, which could not be more opposite from what they told me initially, when they were contacted,” revealed Gadd during a Feb. 4 Washington Township Committee meeting. “I have made numerous calls, including three calls between yesterday and today to two different people, and all told, probably seven calls. And I still have not received a call back. I want to try to find out what the status is!”

Gadd further declared that “most days when I look down there, they are not even working” on the bridge, except that he “surprisingly” observed work crews there on the morning of the latest committee session.

And despite Atlantic County officials having reportedly promised access for emergency-vehicle use, “the road remains completely blocked,” Gadd asserted.

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Medford Lakes Seeks $200K Grant to Better Ballinger Lake Park, Including by Adding Walking Trail from Borough Hall, Fishing Pier Proposal Leads Resident to Raise Need for Playground Improvements, Former Borough Councilman to Decry Park Project Is ‘Waste of Money’

By Douglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

MEDFORD LAKES —A decision

by Medford Lakes Borough Council to apply to the New Jersey Department of C om mu n it y A f fa i r s ( DCA) for a $20 0,0 0 0 g rant to “c onstr uct an accessible walking path and fishing pier” at Ballinger Lake Park in Medford Lakes resulted in several inquiries at a January pair of council sessions, as well as a broader discussion about the need for improvements to playgrounds that are in the borough, but not necessarily are borough responsibility.

Former Borough Councilman Joseph Aromando III described that he was “really disappointed” with the action item appearing on council’s Jan. 8 agenda, declaring, “I try to make it a point to come to these meetings and I never really heard anything discussed” about any plans for Ballinger Lake.

“Before we do anything, we should put this stuff on the Internet,” Aromando declared. “We should put it online.

We should show people what the plans are. I just can’t believe that you have something here and it has never been talked about in a public meeting. How could that be?”

Aromando recounted that the “last time” council “did something like this” for Ballinger Lake Park, the borough “got a table with three chairs and a nice stone sidewalk, for a lot of money.”

“It really hasn’t served a purpose in my estimation,” Aromando maintained.

“And now we are going to do something else. And I think it is wrong to pursue these things without letting the public know everything that is going to happen, before you actually go and get the money and do this.”

But Borough Manager Dr. Robert Burton contended that the funding is part of a “two-phase approach,” with the first phase of the project having already been carried out.

“So, all of the design work and all that was discussed when we did the first round, and the bids came in very high, so we said, alright, well, we’ll hold off and we’ll put that in (the fishing dock) for the second round,” Burton added.

It was a while back, according to Burton, that the first phase of improvements to Ballinger Lake were acted upon, because, “they didn’t have, I believe, for the last two years, (open) applications for park grants.”

“So, they brought it back,” Burton explained. “So, we are basically putting in for it again, for Phase II, which is that pier.”

While Mayor William Fields appeared satisfied with the borough manager’s explanation, Aromando shouted out, “$200,000 for a pier?!”

Burton asked that the shouting cease until a second public comment portion of the meeting, with Fields retorting, “There is more to it than just a pier!”

Immediately following the exchange, council voted 4-0 to approve of the

borough applying for the grant, with Councilman Matthew Bailey abstaining.

Aromando subsequently lashed out during the second public comment period, declaring of the “$200,000 project” that it is “such a waste of money!”

“People in this town have been fishing from that other platform for years!” said Aromando in appearing to raise his voice. “We don't need another platform!”

It caused Fields to ask Aromando to “go on to your next topic, please,” however, Aromando moved to sit down, decrying, “They do what they want, whatever they want, and it is to your satisfaction, all of you!”

“A free pass and a blank check!” concluded Aromando.

Resident Corey Landante, meanwhile, asked, “Where is this park?”

Burton answered it is “out front,” or adjacent to the Borough Hall property, and that the “borough owns the property” with it deemed “basically a pocket park.”

“So, there is pavement out here with a picnic table,” Burton explained. “And the original plan was to have that go down right outside the parking lot, into kind of the toe of Ballinger Lake. And an observation deck would be put out there, so that way you can look down the distance of the lake.”

Landante said he was “bringing this up” because “I have been fighting tooth and nail for our kids to have better playgrounds in this town,” contending the borough has “deplorable playgrounds for a town that has pretty high taxes and a lot of kids.”

“Our kids really have nowhere to play with playgrounds,” Landante maintained.

“I have been fighting the school. I have been fighting with the (Medford Lakes) Colony (Club). And I will probably be fighting long past my kids even wanting to play on a playground! But I will continue to do it for the kids in the town!”

Landante noted he doesn’t know how many playgrounds the borough “actually has their hands on,” but he wants to raise the idea of investing in the borough’s playgrounds as “fruit for thought, for creativity.”

“We have got to consider something for the kids,” Landante said. “And I get the fishing pier. It is great because they really can’t fish off the docks at the other lake, so it is wonderful if they are allowed to fish off that observation dock, which is a good compromise there. But I just want to throw it out there to have discussions in the back room: What could we do for playgrounds for the kids?”

Burton responded the borough “really doesn’t have any” playgrounds, rather there is an “interesting dynamic” in which the Colony “has the recreational space.”

B u r t o n r e c a l l e d t h e b o r ou g h’s participation in the Community Action Program in the early 2000s and having met Fields for the first time “doing the playground at Wilson Field,” which was made possible through “donations and Colony budget See GRANT/ Page 7

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES ♦ Page 3

Pemberton Borough Council Open to Request to Add Lieutenant to Pemboro Police’s Ranks; Mayor Appears to be Against Proposal

By Douglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

PEMBERTON BOROUGH —T he Pemberton Borough Police Department reportedly would like to add a lieutenant to its ranks, and while the Pemberton Borough Council appears at least open to the idea, Mayor Bonnie Haines appears to be against it.

And while Haines says it is ultimately up to the council to decide, as she “does not get to vote” on any action item unless there is a tie to break, several councilmembers openly acknowledge that they need to learn more about the proposed responsibilities of any such position, and that it would require some form of compensation, of which they have not yet settled on.

“Well, you know how I feel,” declared Haines, when the council liaison to the police department, Councilman Benjamin “Ben” Bernacki, raised what he maintained had been recommended to him.

Haines continued, “It seems a little redundant to have seven police officers, and three of them would have rank (only two do now), but that is my personal opinion.”

The police department is currently led by Police Chief Ed Hunter and Sgt. Timothy Poss.

According to Bernacki, the majority of responsibilities that any lieutenant would undertake “are responsibilities for the chief himself” right now.

However, the chief, Bernacki indicated, is

now finding it necessary to offload some of his responsibilities to a lieutenant because of “new protocols” that are “more timeconsuming” than “previously was the case.”

Bernacki described that policing has become “an ever-changing landscape” in which there is “more stuff” being put on the administrative team’s “plate, monthly.”

Additionally, Bernacki indicated that “spreading out these responsibilities” now “would be beneficial” because Hunter “has had a very long career,” and this would be “preparing the department, for a possible transition later on down the road, for leadership.”

When Councilwoman Melissa Tettemer asked, “Isn’t there an administrative position already?”, Bernacki replied, “There is some assistance, but the chief and I think this would be more beneficial, having it structured this way.”

Ber nack i then urged h is council colleagues to individually take advantage of an “open-door policy” that Hunter has in place if “they would like to discuss it more.” “ H e wo u l d g l a d l y d i s c u s s t h e responsibilities, and kind of the reason for the request,” declared Bernacki, to which Haines snapped, “Is this not the reason for the request, these 19 items?”

It led Bernacki to reply, “they are,” but that Hunter is willing to go “more indepth,” but prefers to do so “privately.”

See PROPOSAL/ Page 9

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LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

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Pemboro Decides Against Flashing Crosswalk System Over Cost Council Decides to Seek $150K Grant for Fieldhouse, Track Improvements, But Second Grant Opportunity Causes It to Consider Canoe House’s Future

By Douglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

PEMBERTON BOROUGH—It has been decided by Pemberton Borough Council to not move forward with any flashing beacon crosswalk system in the vicinity of Hanover and Elizabeth streets in the municipality, despite a number of prior requests for pedestrian safety improvements in the area.

The results of a traffic study initiated in 2023, at the request of Councilwoman Melissa Tettemer, arrived “about two weeks ago” from the county, according to Jan. 21 council meeting remarks by Tettemer.

“They did a study at the various crosswalks along Hanover and Elizabeth streets,” Tettemer reported. “And during the five- day p er iod, they said that approximately 14 people used them.”

That apparently low figure drew surprise from Councilwoman Diane Fanucci, who asserted, “That’s all?”

While Tettemer recognized she had the same initial reaction, Tettemer also pointed out the study was done in both June and July of 2023.

It led Fanucci to point out “school was out” for the summer when the study was performed.

“They really should have done a study also during school days, because there would be so many more people using those crosswalks,” Fanucci declared. “So, that is not a valid study, in my opinion.”

Tettemer, however, said that the borough was given the option by the county of having a flashing beacon crosswalk system installed, but that it would cost about $80,000, in which the borough would be responsible for paying half, in addition to running electric service to it.

Haines recognized the study is “probably not” valid given it was not done when school was in session, but declared, “They are not coming out to do it again! It took them a year-and-a-half to do that one.”

When Fanucci suggested the borough could at least ask the county to redo the study, Tettemer recognized that while “they can come back out to get the numbers that we think are true,” at some $40,000 cost to the borough to install the signal, “we are not going to be able to afford to do it anyway.”

Tettemer, in recognizing, however, “I have seen a lot of people walking” in the area, said she has since conferred with Mayor Bonnie Haines regarding the matter, and “Mayor Haines did suggest those little yellow people (crosswalk traffic control signs) that maybe we could put in the middle of the road, at the crosswalks.”

Haines said the borough “will look into the little people.”

The meeting commenced with council authorizing the municipality to seek $150,000 in grant funding from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to rehabilitate classrooms in the Harold C. Griffin Fieldhouse (named after the former borough mayor) and to install a new running/walking track.

According to Haines, “we had originally

said that we were going to replace the material on the track with rubberized material,” but the borough has since learned it would cost upwards of $300,000.

The cost revelation led Fanucci to gasp.

“We are just going to have it redone with the same material that it is already made (out of),” said Haines of a change in plans.

When Fanucci said she “didn’t think anything is wrong with the material” there now, Haines replied the existing material is a “little labor intensive, whereas the rubberized material wouldn’t be,” but then the mayor quipped, “It is a lot of labor for $300,000!”

As for the classroom improvements, Councilman Benjamin “Ben” Bernacki asked if “both” classrooms would be included, to which the mayor replied, “Yes, and the bathrooms.”

“And that was $98,000 and change,” added Haines, to which Fanucci declared, “That is not bad.”

The project also includes restriping for pickleball, as well as adding a net, “which is inexpensive,” according to Haines.

Council then moved on to discuss possible projects for a second grant opportunity through the Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program.

According to Haines, eligible projects include any construction of on-road and off-road trail facilities for pedestrians, bicycles, and other non-motor i zed transportation; converting abandoned railroad corridors for trails; constructing scenic turnouts, overlooks, and viewing areas; preserving historic structures or rehabbing historic transportation facilities; as well as a whole host of environmental mitigation and stormwater management activities.

While Haines was open to ideas from the council, to which some members gave their inputs, she declared, “We need to decide what we want to do with the Canoe House, or it is going to be in the creek” and it “won’t matter what you do behind it” because “it is falling apart.”

Frog Canoe and Kayak Rentals currently occupies the building, Fanucci pointed out in noting that the business owner had wanted to buy the building previously, but according to Haines, “It is municipal property – so it has to be auctioned.”

“Do we want to auction it?” Haines asked. “Do we want to get rid of it? Or do we want to fix it?”

When Fanucci suggested she was open to having the business owner take ownership of the facility, Haines contended “it is the oldest structure in Pemberton Borough.”

But Fanucci said the business owner is “very amenable to ideas,” and letting someone else have the building would be the “least of the evils.”

“I think, personally, we don’t want to be, as a town, responsible for maintaining that building in perpetuity,” Fenster declared. “You know, we get a grant this year. Twenty years from now, we’ll need to do more work on it.”

Perhaps the borough could come up See CROSSWALK/ Page 15

Saturday, February 15, 2025

Evesham Accepts New DCA Affordable Housing Obligation of 220 New Units and Refurbishment of 111 Existing Ones Township Announces Awarding of Grant Sought in Previous Year for New ADA-Compliant Van to Serve Seniors, Disabled Residents

By Bill Bonvie

to build new units;

Staff Writer

EVESHAM—Evesham Township’s affordable housing obligation over the next 10 years, as determined by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), is 220 new construction units and 111 existing units to be rehabilitated, quotas that have not been challenged by the municipality, according to Public Information Officer Zane Clark.

While other interested parties have a deadline of Feb. 28, under state law, to challenge a municipality’s Fair Share Need, Clark told the Pine Barrens Tribune that “by adopting the DCA’s findings, a municipality’s determination of present and prospective Fair Share Need is granted a presumption of validity in any challenge initiated through the program outlined in the Fair Housing Act.” “I think Evesham can handle this,” Mayor Jacklyn “Jackie” Veasy told consultant Christopher Dochney, of CME Associates, a firm hired by the township to help guide it through the compliance process, following a brief presentation he made to the Evesham Township Council at its Jan. 22 meeting.

“I think with your expertise, as well as our staff, we can do this.”

Evesham has been found to be compliant with the state’s Fair Share Housing Act during the prior three rounds, Dochney noted, and now has a number of options for meeting its current obligations, which include: • Arrange for a developer to build market rate housing and set aside a certain percentage, usually around 15 or 20 units, which are designated and deed restricted for low and moderate income households; • Have a specialty developer come in and build 100 percent affordable units, either in the form of townhouses or apartment buildings; • Extend the affordability designation of older units that have expired after 40 years by convincing the owner to sign new deed restrictions, which would probably allow the township to meet the affordability credit without needing

• Provide “supportive needs housing” for developmentally disabled adults, such as a group home, which would qualify for credit; or • Use surplus credits left over from the last round of affordable housing to cover some of its current obligation.

Whatever course of action the municipality chooses, it has until June to have its plan adapted, which means it should have a proposal ready to present to the Planning Board by April or May, Dochney said.

In commenting on a resolution passed unanimously by the council establishing the township’s fourth round of present and prospective need for such housing under the act, Veasy stressed the importance of ensuring that the people who are going to be living in such housing “are not excluded from the center of the community,“ but are rather a part of it.

A lso weig h i ng i n on the matter, Councilwoman Heather Cooper she felt “honored and privileged to be part of this opportunity to move Evesham forward,” declaring that “we collectively as leaders have a responsibility to make sure communities hold their economic value and also offer affordable housing to everyone” and to ensure the township is an “accessible neighborhood.”

In other business, Acting Township Manager Kevin Rijs announced that just as the township had been working on getting a grant for a new ADA-compliant van for transporting seniors and disabled individuals, it was notified that such a grant sought during a prior year had finally been awarded.

The new van will replace the one currently in use, Clark subsequently told the Pine Barrens Tribune.

In her report to the council, Monica Vandenberg, supervisor of Senior, Veteran and Disability Services, noted that her department was “thrilled” with the award, which will enable it to keep the program going, noting that it runs Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., providing See HOUSING/ Page 15

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LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES ♦ Page 5

Pemberton’s First Cannabis Dispensary Has Grand Opening

By Jenn Lucas Staff Writer

PEMBERTON—A new family-owned business, the first of its kind in the township, opened its doors last week with a mission to help people feel better and become an active part of the community.

Aurum Botanics, the township’s first cannabis dispensary, owned by husband and wife team Stacey and Aaron Marks, opened Feb. 5 on Fort Dix Road, after two years of getting approvals, renovating a building and sourcing unique products.

Carrying a wide variety of cannabis products, available in many different forms across all price points from producers whose products may not be found at other dispensaries, is what sets Aurum apart, said Niko, the store’s general manager.

Bringing 15 years of experience with him, he said, he wants to highlight family owned and smaller producers and offer products that are perfect for his patrons.

“We want people to be happy to make a purchase here and want to work with them to find what is best suited for them,” he said.

According to Stacey Marks, there is a product that could appeal to anyone, from athletes and active folks to people with pain to those who just want to sleep, but can’t.

“We want to change the narrative and help people live their best self,” she said.

“We offer alternative wellness and a holistic approach to give people different ways to improve their lives. Our staff is very knowledgeable about the variety of products and variety of ways to consume them, and will match people with what will work best for their needs.”

One of the reasons the couple opened the business is, according to Stacey

Marks, because she learned first-hand how cannabis can improve a way of life, so she is not just an owner, but also an advocate.

As an avid runner for 30 years, when she heard a product could improve her stamina, she said she had to give it a try.

When it not only delivered extra energy to her when running, but also helped her muscle recovery, leaving her with less aches and pains, she said she was sold.

In addition she said, cannabis has helped ease her stomach issues and improved her sleep.

“Those nights when I’d have a slice of pizza too late, and my IBS would flare up, have been reduced because I found a product from [one of the companies we carry] in a pill form, that stops that and helps me sleep better,” she said.

Bringing a dispensary to Pemberton wasn’t just something the Marks wanted.

Support came from Pemberton officials on the Planning and Zoning Boards, as well as from three now-former council people –Donovan Gardner, Paul Detrick and Elisabeth McCartney.

According to Gardner, it was a longstanding goal of the trio to bring the revenue the cannabis industry generates to their neighborhood.

“I always say, ‘Why take our money and spend it out of town?’” Gardner said.

“The revenue is good and will help the township out.”

Gardner added this one business will generate the revenue of several others put together.

Pemberton Mayor Jack K. Tompkins, who recognized he didn’t have much to do with the opening, said he is pleased with the transformation of the building,

Photo By Jenn Lucas

Owner Stacey Marks cuts the ribbon to officially open Aurum Botanics, the first cannabis dispensary in Pemberton. formerly Jamison’s Bar and Grill and said there is a “good buzz” around town regarding the business.

“I saw the way this building was years ago,” he said. “I’m truly amazed at the transfor mation of the building and everything around it. Outside is beautiful and when you come inside, it is spectacular.”

Since the town offered so much support to the Marks, they said they are looking forward to giving back to the place that

was so welcoming to them.

“We are very excited to be part of the community and hopefully bring a positive aspect to this product.” said Aaron, while Stacey added, “We want to be active in community events and participate in anything we can. We also look forward to meeting the other area businesses and maybe doing things with them as well.”

Aurum Botanics is at 6 Fort Dix Road, and accepts cash and debit cards.

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♦

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

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Page 6

HO-H

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WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

Saturday, February 15, 2025

Here Comes Santa Claus’ Winner!

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

ShopRite of Medford Co-store Director Chris Rutter (left) presents the winner of the Pine Barrens Tribune’s 2024 Christmas Coloring Contest, sponsored by ShopRite of Medford and Zallie Family Markets, Juniper Bungard, 8, of Tabernacle, with her movie gift basket prize. Bungard was joined by members of her family.

RESPONSE

(Continued from Page 1) “I can assure the town you will have fire coverage and EMS, period,” declared Mayor William “Rick” Adams at the conclusion of a public comment session that began with the presentation of a petition, reportedly bearing 82 signatures, written by Ashley Cramer, a township resident who admitted to having “never been a fan” of the volunteer department.

“They know I don’t fully support them, unfortunately,” Cramer asserted after summing up the concerns that Monaghan and other ranking members of the company had voiced the previous week about funding of the department and the chief having immediate access to his specially outfitted truck in emergency situations. “But at the end of the day, what is right is right and what is wrong is wrong.

And this town needs a fire company.”

She fu r ther contende d that “the proposed budget of $30,000 does not even cover the requirements of the state such as apparatus service, equipment testing, and turnout gear,” warning that “without the proper funding, gear, or testing, the fire company may not be able to remain open.”

The petition signers, Cramer said, were thus requesting that the commissioners allocate $50,000 to cover the necessary state requirements, as in previous years, and noted that “the fire company itself will continue to cover everything over that budget, including utilities and maintenance, through donations, and fundraising efforts.”

She also characterized the chief’s truck as being “essential when responding to calls” due to the important communication

equipment and gear it contains, and claimed that the chief not having it readily available results in delayed response time.

Adams, however, who is a life member of the fire company but who chose not to attend the meeting at the firehouse (although his wife, Bonnie, did), had some points of his own to make at the commission meeting in regard to those matters, which he further clarified in response to questions from the Pine Barrens Tribune in a phone interview the day following the commission meeting.

Concerning the roughly $16,000 difference between the budget request made by the company and the amount the township has reportedly allocated for its needs, totaling roughly $30,000, there is the matter of a new fire engine costing between $500,000 and $600,000 that the mayor said the township is now responsible for paying off to the tune of about $80,000 a year, and that was not discussed at the firefighters’ informal forum.

Adams also maintained that he had not only gone “strictly by the average amount budgeted for the department” over the past three years, but had actually increased it, not counting some extra money given to the department during the pandemic when its fund-raising efforts were curtailed.

“So, there were no actual budget cuts,” he said.

In addition, he contended, there was the matter of audits for the department covering the past two years (Adams having only taken office at the end of last May), which “according to our attorney, we’re entitled to,” and that might have enabled the fire company to move forward to possibly having a “better budget in 2026,” but which he said its officials had declined to provide him with “on two different occasions.”

Adams, in fact, raised this point at the

commission meeting with Monaghan.

“I asked you for certain documents, and you refused to give them to me,” he chided the fire chief. “Is that correct?”

Monaghan replied that he had doubts about the legality of the mayor’s request, and upon investigating, found that the fire reports are regulated by FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) and “we are not allowed to hand those over.”

“Once those reports are submitted to FEMA, you can OPRA request them through FEMA and they’ll send you a redacted copy of it, because there is private information on there that once they are handed over to you, they become public record, and it is not supposed to be made public,” he maintained.

The chief added that some of the other material Adams had requested was ”on the executive side, and I don’t oversee that or handle that.”

But the mayor countered, “I can tell you any document, audits, anything like that, that I ask you for, you have to give it to the township,” a point he asked Solicitor Joanne O’Connor to confirm, which she did by asserting that “the fire company is under the supervision and control of the township because there are tax dollars that are being sent to you guys.”

Monaghan responded that “the money we have over there is strictly donation money,” not the township’s money,” and when told by the solicitor that the township wants to see where that money is going, countered that, “We offered for the fire commissioner (Jane Allen) to look it over.”

When Allen noted that she had been allowed to look over such information, just not to take it with her, the chief concurred that, “We have no problem opening the books

for them to look at,” but “we just didn’t know if we should be handing over copies of it.”

Despite Adams’ contention that the firefighters’ share of the township economic pie was more than fair, however, the mayor did note in his subsequent conversation with this newspaper that he might be willing to show some financial flexibility by perhaps finding a way to transfer extra money from another fund should the fire company find itself in a financial crisis.

“But it has got to be a need and not a want,” is how he put it when such a contingency came up at the meeting.

But while indicating he might be somewhat willing to bend on the budget, the mayor made it clear he wouldn’t budge when it came to the use of the chief’s truck, which Monaghan’s predecessor, Tom Wetmore, had been allowed to take home and keep with him, an advantage some residents felt could make a critical difference in the chief’s ability to respond expeditiously to an emergency.

Asked during the subsequent phone interview with this newspaper about why that practice had suddenly been halted when Monaghan took command of the fire company a month before, Adams explained that he himself had ordered the change after taking the opportunity to perform due diligence on the township’s damage and liability coverage under the state-sponsored Joint Insurance Fund (JIF).

Allowing the chief to keep the truck parked at his residence, he claimed, or to drive it while doing local errands, was a clear violation of the terms of the JIF policy, despite the rule’s not having been enforced by the township’s previous mayor, Deborah Buzby-Cope, and See RESPONSE/ Page 7

Saturday, February 15, 2025

RESPONSE

AD HOTLINE: (609) 801-2392 or ADS@PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

(Continued from Page 6) as such, could result in denial of any damage or injury claim that might result from an accident occurring during such unauthorized use, and expose the township to substantial liability in the process.

That policy, he noted, “was in effect long before I came into office.”

Despite Adams’ adamancy about the importance of following the insurer’s terms, not everyone at the meeting seemed convinced that the rule couldn’t somehow be bent to allow the chief to have his truck on hand when minutes in response time might spell the difference between life and death, especially with EMS calls.

One resident, Jeanne Bransky, a nurse, cited the example of her uncle who had a seizure and “probably would not be with us right now” had it not been for the ability of emergency personnel to reach him immediately.

“They had the response time with the truck; it wasn't sitting at the firehouse,” she said. “You have to be able to be there when you can get there with the truck, not wait to come here, pick it up and then go there.

You’ve got to think about the response time. You are saving people's lives. It might be 10 minutes, five minutes.

Of particular concern, she maintained, is any emergency involving a child. Under such circumstances, she asked, “Are we going to wait 10 minutes to come here and pick up a truck?”

“That makes no sense whatsoever,” Bransky declared. “We need to get there as fast as we can and efficiently. You need to think about what is good for them, not what is good for us.”

Bransky added, “I see this every day.”

“That time matters,” she continued.

“You might not think five minutes makes a difference. It does. So that is something that you need to push forward.”

At another point in what had become a freewheeling debate of sorts between Adams and the leaders of the fire company, the mayor took the occasion to invoke the more than two decades that he himself had worked together with them while in various posts, including that of president, vice president, captain, lieutenant and safety officer.

“So, the fire company can’t blow the smoke to me,” Adams declared.

He then reminded Wetmore, “We fought fires together, Tom, and everybody’s got

each other’s back.”

The former chief concurred, noting that there had been “times that we have butted heads and then there has been times that we have gotten along,” to which the mayor responded, “And getting along is the best times. I think we should get along. It's better for everybody.

“Now, in saying all that to clear the air, anything you’ve wanted so far, I've approved. Is that correct?, Adams asked the company’s current officers.

“Absolutely,” responded Monaghan.

“And I did make it very clear last week that you did tell us if we got to the point where we needed something, and there was no money available, you would find it, and you would never tell us no.”

When the mayor responded that “this shouldn't even have gotten this far,” the chief replied, “Correct.”

Adams then cited an example of “something I do have a problem with”— the purchasing of new protective gear for the firefighters, which is custom-fitted to an individual and is thus apt to be a wasted expenditure should that person subsequently decide to leave (which is why recruits attending firefighting school are compelled to don used gear until they actually graduate).

“So, now you have somebody who goes to fire school, and then they quit,” Adams said. “Now, that gear doesn’t fit them, and is sitting in the closet over there.”

The mayor noted, “That is thousands of dollars,” which he indicated is why “you need to pay attention to who is going into your fire department.”

Adams then asserted, “There are some problems over there – you know it, I know it. We’ll get through it. But don’t throw this stuff out there that the commissioners, and the mayor don’t know what (they are) doing. I know what I’m doing.”

When the leaders of the fire company protested that no one had said such a thing, Adams told them to “look on your Facebook, and I’m going to end it at that.”

He added that “Louis Berg (Commissioner Louis Bourguignon, a holdover from the previous administration who is a current and lifetime member of the fire company, and who recused himself from the meeting) and I know what is going on, and we will work with you.”

Also present at the commission meeting were two uniformed State Troopers, rather than the usual one, although the controversies involved never reached the level of confrontation.

WANTED!

ARTERY

(Continued from Page 2) exception of the ones at the base of the bridge,” not “where they used to be.”

At Lover’s Lane, he observed, “they are pushed off to the side,” while near where Burlington County Routes 563 and 542 come together, “they are gone,” with the “pieces that remain laying on the grass by the liquor store,” according to the mayor.

“I have gone as far up the chain as I currently can, but I will be calling every day this week, and eventually they will call me back when they are tired of hearing from me!” asserted an evidently fed-up mayor.

“But unfortunately, I have no answer as to how it went from December-ish to May!” Since the road closure began, residents

GRANT

(Continued from Page 3) because it was on Colony property.”

That playground, Burton recounted, “was in really bad shape,” and so, “we put in that whole new playground, the new basketball courts, and the whole nine yards,” but it was more of a Colony project.

Burton’s advice was for Landante to take his concerns to the Medford Lakes Athletic Association (MLAA), “because we did that in the past and it was really successful,” but Landante responded, “I don’t know what the relationship with the borough and the Colony could be with using grant funds, I guess, is what I am

AUTHORIZED DEALER

getting at” given the Colony is a “private” organization.

Burton, who also suggested Landante might want to join the board “to say ‘this is my project, and I want to see it through and get it done,’” acknowledged it is “tough there,” but that “it is why the MLAA did it before.”

Fields declared, “I can’t tell you of an area that we would have, as far as a park,” believing the “Colony and schools have most of that area.”

“I can’t think of one area that we would have,” Fields contended.

Landante concluded, “I just hate seeing our kids bussed out of town to play, as opposed to playing here with the playground and the Pines,” to which Fields declared, “I agree with you.”

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and officials have complained about the condition of the only available detour route, Lower Bank Road, also known locally as “Two-Mile Stretch,” which traverses through marshland in also connecting the Burlington County community to Atlantic County.

Last month, a resident complained there was a pothole “good enough to swallow a tire” on the road.

“They are well aware, and they were down there patching,” Gadd observed. “But that patch is just flying right out of the potholes.

I came that way, on my way home from work tonight, and it is just perfume on a pig!”

Gadd maintained Atlantic County officials previously advised “that road is slated for repaving in 2025,” before declaring, “whether that is accurate or not remains to be seen.”

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Page 8

♦

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

MAYOR

(Continued from Page 1) Pemberton Recreation page allowing the group to share the township Recreation Department’s postings, following a phone call to that department in which she was purportedly denied information about upcoming functions.

Mayor Jack Tompk i ns has fac e d numerous allegations of retaliation over the past two years, and the latest purported events led several to believe it was just more purported behavior along those lines.

Alex Costa, a 21-year-old community activist who has been very vocal of late about the chaos involving the business administrator position, and who caught on video, as previously reported by this newspaper, what was said during a con frontation between Tompk ins and Richard “Richie” E. Wright, Jr., at the administration desk during a Jan. 1 council reorganization meeting, was observed being told something by the mayor during a subsequent Jan. 15 session, with Costa later revealing he was asked to relocate his video equipment away from the administration desk.

C o s t a h a s b e e n s e t t i ng u p h i s equipment in the right-back corner of council chambers, or what appeared to be simply a public area, with there even being a table where attendees could pick up a meeting agenda.

And sometimes, when the meeting room s e at i ng is fi l le d to c apa c it y, attendees stand in the corner to still partake in the proceedings.

Ultimately, Costa refused on Jan. 15 to comply with Tompkins’ purported request to move his camera and tripod. He also responded publicly that night to what was a private ask by the mayor.

“I know you don’t want me to have the camera over there to record … or not to record the meeting,” said Costa in pointing to the mayor, before suggesting the mayor didn’t want to have “your side conversations” recorded.

“But if you want to have conversations that are private, you have to step to the side,” Costa told the mayor. “There is no expectation of privacy in public.”

Costa further maintained that he records the council meetings “for you guys and everyone behind me” because “some people are just not able to make the meeting.” (The township does not live

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM stream or videotape its meetings, though it promised to do so by the Feb. 5 session, but the effort was apparently delayed.)

“I don't make a single penny off of it,” Costa declared.

Tompkins simply stared ahead at Costa and offered no public response.

The community activist, on the evening of Jan. 15, also called for claims pertaining to Wr ig ht’s exp er ienc e as busi ness ad m i n istrator, pr ior to the mayor reportedly terminating Wright, to be investigated. (Wright’s status is in dispute as state law appears to require any firing of the business administrator to have the consent of council.)

But by the following meeting on Feb. 5, with the new railing and swing door in place, Costa could no longer access what is his normal recording position (at least without willing to risk any potential consequences should he go beyond the railing or swing door).

“That wall over there is destructive and represents tyranny for me to record in that position over there,” Costa told the Pemberton Council, in the mayor’s presence. “Tear it down, please. This is the ‘council's room,’ not the ‘mayor's room.’”

Costa added, “continue to let him bully you and push you, but that wall over there is unacceptable!”

The plug protectors reportedly appeared in the area where community activist Vicky Adams is known to set up her equipment to live stream the meetings.

Adams’ camera angle caught the entire dispute between Wright and Tompkins on tape, which subsequently allowed it to be reported out in the press.

Additionally, Adams unsuccessfully led a recall effort against the mayor last year when a council-ordered investigation, released back on April 26, 2024, outlined a number of alleged instances of sexual harassment and retaliation by the mayor.

More recently, Adams has argued that the council can take action to remove the mayor from office.

“Why, out of the whole room, are the outlets that I have used for the electrical, for videotaping, now have plugs on them – locks?” asked Adams of the mayor, noting she was told by an official they were ordered installed by administration. “I would like to know why those particular plugs are locked, and none of the other ones are. To me, that just feels like it is picking on somebody.”

Tompkins did not answer initially, but Adams soon returned to the topic,

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Photo By Alex Costa

A new railing and swing door installed in an area where Community Activist Alex Costa videotapes Pemberton Township Council meetings. asking, “Mr. Mayor, why did you have the electrical outlets covered up?”

“They are all going to be covered up,” Tompkins replied. “We just ran out of them. We have to put some more on order.”

Tompkins quietly uttered it was a “decision that was made,” but it led both Adams and resident Michelle Forman to press the mayor as to “Why?!” and who exactly made the decision in administration.

“It was me,” the mayor admitted of who made the call to cover the outlets.

But Adams and Forman pressed for an answer as to why, to which Tompkins responded, “I just want them covered up.”

“You think as the mayor, because you want something, that it can be done?!”

Adams asked. “You are not a leader, sir! You are a child playing a game, and you need to grow up! I am tired of you destroying this town, and everything these people (on the council) want to do in this town!”

Republican Councilman Harry Harper, in pointing out that everyone in the room See MAYOR/ Page 11

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PROPOSAL

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(Continued from Page 3) Council President Terry Jerome noted that the list of items is “very technical” and “it is not stuff that is necessarily in layman’s terms.”

“If there are questions or things that aren’t in clear understanding, there should probably be a direct conversation with the chief, one-on-one, as opportunities present themselves,” Jerome declared.

“Not as a group, in other words. We can’t do it as a group.”

Bernacki reiterated “it would just be beneficial to have more than one person be able to handle these situations and responsibilities.”

Councilwoman Diane Fanucci stated her belief “that it is a good idea to transition someone because the chief will be retiring probably in a few years.”

“I don’t know how old he is, or how many years of service he has, but if someone directly in rank under him starts to undertake some of his duties, then when they become him, so to speak, then they will be that much more experienced,” Fanucci declared.

Haines, however, shot back, “We have a sergeant’s position, so why wouldn’t that be a transitional position?”, to which Fanucci responded it was something Bernacki “would have to answer.”

Fanucci noted she did not know how much money was left remaining in the police department’s budget to support any lieutenant position, but suggested “maybe we could utilize that as a stipend of some sort, if we do enact this new rank.”

When Fanucci indicated a stipend would not have a significant impact on the budget and could be a “win-win,” Haines pointed out, “The stipend has to come out of the budget.”

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As of now, Jerome said he is “not opposed to this,” but is also “not clear” that this is “what we need to do right now.”

“My biggest concern sitting on the council is if we do proceed with this, how do we handle this budgetarily?” Jerome said.

“And that has always been the toughest nut to crack here in the borough. So, if we move forward in an affirmative manner, I would prefer not to say, ‘Well, sooner rather than later,’ ‘We don’t have to do it,’ ‘We can do it’ or ‘We may not do it.’ If we are going to proceed with this, we should have the foundation for funding this position.”

Jerome added “there needs to be some direct communication from the chief, whether that be one-on-one, or whether he comes here and speaks to us directly.”

“I think that there is a lot of stuff on here that is very technical, things that we don’t necessarily have an understanding of what they are, and what the ramifications of those positions are,” Jerome concluded.

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But Bernacki suggested, “Making this position, right now, doesn’t mean that it has to be utilized immediately.”

“It just gives us options in the future, and also, I believe that there could be some flexibility on how we were to compensate for the position,” Bernacki said. “For example, maybe flextime.”

Bernacki called the compensation possibilities Fanucci raised “doable.”

“I think that going forward, if nothing more, it gives the borough options in the future, for its leadership roles,” declared Bernacki of creating the position.

Councilman Steven Fenster asserted the council “should strongly consider” creating the position, but “not necessarily staffing it right away.” By having it on the books, he maintained, “we could do it sooner or later.”

“It could be next month, or it could be three years from now, but at some point, we would have that capability of doing it,” Fenster added.

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Page 10 ♦

OPINION

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Pine Barrens Tribune

HOW TO SEND ITEMS TO THE EDITOR: letters@pinebarrenstribune.com, please type "letter" in the subject line.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR ‘Sanctuary State Policies Are Disqualifying,’ Says Torrissi Every single public official who wants to represent the great State of New Jersey should be on record of where they stand on Sanctuary State policies.

With nearly a million illegal immigrants in New Jersey, we are taking tax money out of the pockets of state residents and putting peoples’ safety at risk.

We are depressing local wages, paying enormous fees to house and feed these people, and taking resources away from our own citizens.

What we are seeing is a death sentence to work i ng class p eople who are struggling to get by.

Since 2019, Governor Phil Murphy has declared New Jersey a “Sanctuary State,” which means state officials will not cooperate with Federal Immigration

and Custom Enforcement officers when it comes to detaining illegal immigrants.

Governor Murphy has taken it a step forward recently, saying he would “fight to the death” against President Donald Trump’s illegal immigration enforcement policies.

Thankfully, this is the last year Governor Murphy will be able to enforce his anti-New Jersey resident “Sanctuary State” policies, but we cannot be saddled with this again.

Supporting a pro-criminal policy like “Sanctuary States” should be disqualifying for any governor or state legislator candidate.

If you support breaking federal law so you can harm legal residents, speak up, so we can vote you out.

– Assemblyman Michael Torrissi, Jr. Representing 8th Legislative District Hammonton, New Jersey

Saturday, February 15, 2025

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Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

We welcome letters to the editor. Please submit them to: news@pinebarrenstribune.com with your name, address, and telephone number. Letters become property of the newspaper and cannot be returned. Letters may be subject to editing, and shortened for space considerations. All letters should be 500 words or less.

ANSWERS ON PAGE 13

DOWN

ACROSS

'LOW VISION' ALBINISM

DIABETES

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OPTIC

SPECIALIST

BLINDNESS

EYES

MACULA

OPTOMETRIST

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SENSITIVITY ANSWERS ON PAGE 13

1. Racquet sport group (abbr.)

4. Norse god of thunder 8. Russian industrial city 10. What’s good for the __ 11. Round-ish shape 12. Baltimore MLBer 13. French modernist painter 15. Burned with water

1. Type of bomb 2. Polynesian island country 3. Heavenly body 4. Hard workers 5. Covered 6. Johns Hopkins Hospital founder 7. Plant of the grass family 9. Island person of the Bering Sea 10. Storehouse 12. Scarlet-flowered desert shrub 14. A pituitary hormone 15. Female sibling 17. Monetary unit of Afghanistan 19. Empowering 20. Space station 23. Disorder 24. State of fuss 25. Footwear for babies 26. Nuclear reactor (abbr.)

16. Intestinal issue tourist destination 27. Droves 17. Take the lead 34. More expansive 28. Affirmative 18. Prove oneself worthy 35. Alert 21. None 36. Popular boots Doc __ 29. Male parent 30. Utter obscenities 22. Tax collector 37. Showings 31. Type of verse 23. Swiss river 38. Conclusion 32. Unpleasant person 24. Gymnast Raisman 39. Share a common 33. One who settles down boundary 25. Baby’s dining 34. Founder of sourceaccessory 40. Shooting sport based history 26. Canadian beer 41. Popular side dish distributor 42. Global energy firm 36. A way to snarl 27. Iconic American 43. Chronicles (abbr.)

ANSWERS ON PAGE 13

Saturday, February 15, 2025

MAYOR

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(Continued from Page 8) is over the age 18, declared, “There is no chance of anybody sticking their finger in an electric socket.”

“I see no reason to have locks on these electrical outlets,” Harper declared. “You are just doing that to spite the residents, and I don’t think you should do that.”

Harper received loud applause, while shouts of, “Grow up!” apparently aimed at the mayor, and “Who paid for them?

T he t axpayers!” cou ld b e heard i n council chambers.

(A v ideot ap e on how to u s e the plug protectors claims that they can be removed by adults through a twostep process, apparently unbeknownst to those encountering them for the first time, but it is unclear what the consequences would be, if any, should a member of the public remove them from the outlets.)

Adams said she was of the understanding the “fence,” as she called it, was put in “for security reasons,” but maintained “there was no reason it had to go that way,” noting “that whole area is where the table and people stood.”

Debra Skipper, the co-administrator of the Facebook group titled, “Pemberton Township: A New Beginning,” described that they post “a calendar and it tells you all the different events in town,” and so she contacted Pemberton Recreation, in a bid to share the department’s events for the community. “‘I’m sor r y, we c an not g ive you anything,”’ alleged Skipper of the reply she received over the phone. “‘We have be en i nstr ucted by the mayor that everything has to go through him, any contact or anything.”

T hen, ac cordi ng to Sk ipp er, she attempted to share an event listed on Pemberton Recreation’s Facebook page, but “it is blocked.”

“So, you can’t even share anything from the recreation committee now,” Skipper contended. “Two weeks ago, before I made a phone call, you could.”

Tompkins is currently in litigation with the head of the Recreation Department, Nichole Pittman, whose suit led to the council-ordered investigation, describing that the mayor has allegedly retaliated since he unsuccessfully tried to remove the Pittman from her director role.

Additionally, Tompkins has been, at times, at odds with the Republican members of the council, whom Skipper worked to have elected.

Harper asked the mayor if he “knew anything” about “stuff being blocked” on the Internet.

“I mean, there should be no reason why a resident or a businessperson can’t freely get information from any of our departments,” Harper declared. “Is that correct?”

Tompkins responded that there are “possible manning problems, issues right now” and that the department is “short-staffed.”

“I don’t know why they wouldn’t be able to give out information,” the mayor maintained.

Har p er pre ss e d Tompk i ns i f the depar t ment’s of fic ials “are fre e to g ive i n for mation to re sident s and businesspeople,” to which the mayor

replied, “We do get paid by taxpayer dollars, so we do serve the people that come into our facilities.”

T h i s n e w s p ap e r w e nt o nt o t h e Recreation Department’s Facebook page and found that the content appeared to be shareable, as of press time, but that the department has now “limited who can comment” on its posts.

However, at least one Pemberton resident reported not being able to see the posting that was attempted to be shared in the Pemberton group.

It i s u ncle a r whet he r a c c e s s or commenting was limited to certain groups or individuals.

Nevertheless, all of this led Adams to declare of the council, “You guys need to get this guy out of this office!”

“He is destroying our town!” Adams declared. “Noth ing but negative is happening here because of him and the people that he has hired and put in place here. OK, nobody here wants us to continue (with this). We want a town that we can be proud of! We want a town that can stand behind their mayor and say we support them! I don’t care if they are a Democrat, Republican, or independent.

“I want to be able to support that mayor because I know they are doing the best for our town! I can’t do this with this mayor. I see this mayor, I walk the other way. I find out he is involved in the event, and I don’t even go!

Adams, after pointing to a number of different claims resulting from the mayor’s alleged actions, pointed out her first recall petition failed back in August (the number of registered voters required to sign it is a tall order, at some 5,000) and that she has to wait six months before attempting to try again, but vowed, “I will be starting it again.”

Forman, who made new mistreatment allegations involving Tompkins during the preceding Jan. 15 session, declared during this latest session in response to Adams, “I will be the first one to sign it, by the way!”

Forman then “thanked” Tompkins for having “timed” what appeared to be only her at the previous session (even though it is the township clerk’s role), during her critical remarks about a township experience and him, “because now I clearly see your true colors.”

After doing so, Forman, who used the phrase “hit the road, Jack,” pressed Harper if he “knows anybody in this township” who “represents the residents, is polite, courteous, is a loyal husband to his wife, is a loyal member of the society and goes to every meeting on the face of this Earth.”

“Because, the reason we are spinning our wheels is because we can’t just say, ‘Get rid of him,”’ Forman charged. “We need to say, who else can be mayor?

Nobody is telling any of us who else can run for mayor. I have no idea who else is going to be able to run for mayor. You can’t just say, ‘We've got to get rid of him.’ We need somebody who is going to stand up and be mayor. Do you know anybody like that, Harry, who wants to be mayor?”

Harper responded, “I know there are a few people who are interested in the job, but Jack still has two years to go, yet.”

“We can’t do anything about that right now,” added Harper, to which Forman

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES ♦ Page 11

pointed out that the council could back the second recall petition effort Adams is now planning.

Republican Councilman Perry Doyle, in recognizing that Adams was “quite forceful” with her position that the mayor needs to go and is “not happy with the mayor,” told her, “You have to understand there was an election process.”

“Hear me out, please,” Doyle said.

“So, whether you want to agree with me or disagree with me, you have to listen to it. … This is not the same as buying a car. If you buy a car, you don’t like it three months later, you take it back, you get rid of it and you get another one. OK, he was elected to a four-year term. OK, so it is a process.”

Adams again vowed, in response to Doyle, “There will be another recall petition in the future, if he is not gone by the time my six months are up,” noting she had previously voted for Tompkins.

Valerie Roohr, a local farmer who previously contended Tompkins had allegedly made some sort of off-putting comment at her farmstand, followed Costa, Adams, Forman and Skipper, contending she hoped there would be no “repercussions for the things I am about to say.”

She then detailed how she had first met Tompkins at Doyle’s house for campaign event and “my first impression was he was kind, honest and respectable.”

“I want you to be the man that I thought you were,” Roohr declared. “I want you to be the man that I supported. I believe you were that man that day, but you have

become something else that we are not sure who you are, and you are not who we voted for, because that man isn’t here today.

“I loved and respected what you stood for. … The petty things that you are doing to disrupt the community, such as the plugs in the wall, the gate things that you put up, the games that you are playing with the Agricultural Committee … I respect you as a vet and a mayor, but respect is something that you earn. It is not something that we just give you.

“And as a vet, I just give you that, because that is just something within me that I have a lot of pride in our military.

And for you to do that is very courageous and very brave. And I am going to thank you for that, regardless. But as a mayor, you stood up and said you were going to be one kind of a person, and you are not being that person. I plead with you to make yourself the mayor that we could be proud of again. With the lawsuits against you, whether you are innocent or not, it doesn’t matter to me.

You could be a better person instead of a bitter person. You could change who you are today, then being the person you were yesterday. We have two more years with you, possibly, and you can make it better. We don’t have to stay where we are with you.

“I want you to be the man that we respect again, regardless of what is going on in the background and what you did or did not do, with what you are being accused of. It doesn’t matter. You could change who you are today, and be the person who we thought you were.”

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CROSSWALK (Continued from Page 4)

with an arrangement, Fenster suggested, where if the building is in “pr ivate hands,” there would be “caveats that it had to be maintained historically, and it would be the owner’s responsibility to do so.”

After Borough Solicitor David Serlin suggested a lot of buildings are deemed historic by people, but really aren’t, and the borough engineer recalled a study having been done evaluating which buildings in the borough are historic, it was decided to have the engineer pull the study to determine if the Canoe House

HOUSING

(Continued from Page 4) free transport to stores within the township, like ShopRite and Walmart, on different days by appointment to eligible residents.

On another such matter, when a resolution was passed authorizing an application to the DCA for a local recreation improvement grant for Heathrow Park, Veasy thanked Rich Kerr, superintendent of Parks and Open

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is in fact considered a historic structure.

Council President Terry Jerome noted, “If we were going to do any work to it, this would be a perfect opportunity, should we be awarded something like this,” to which Haines declared, “Yeah, this grant is tailor-made for that, it seems.”

In regard to an “alternate” proposal shou ld the c ou nc i l de c ide agai nst rehabilitating the Canoe House, Haines declared, “It has been suggested that we redo the sidewalks on Hanover and Elizabeth streets.”

Haines revealed there had been an initial discussion to redo them with brick, but the mayor added, “I don’t think I am in favor of that.”

“I don’t live on either Hanover or

Elizabeth, but if I did, I wouldn’t like that idea,” added Haines, to which Jerome added, “Brick has not held well.”

Haines suggested “stamped concrete maybe to look like brick” would be “an alternative.” But then the mayor once again asked about whether council was inclined to seek the monies for the Canoe House instead, “and the area behind it,” to which Bernacki replied, “I’d prefer the Canoe House and the area behind it, but it (the sidewalk work) would be another option, if it is viable for this grant.”

It was noted any sidewalk work would require tree removal work, which it was said the county would be responsible for performing. But Fenster warned it app eared the g rant was se ek i ng

environmentally friendly projects, and questioned whether tree removal would fit that bill.

Jerome made the last contribution to the discussion by noting that efforts are already underway by the county to extend a trail in the area through town, adding, “we could potentially very easily … probably apply and get funding that would at least improve our portion of the trail, and extend a bike trail or a multi-use trail, basically behind the Burger King, down to where the trail eventually will come onto the Pemberton Bypass.”

Haines, in concluding the discussion, declared, “And we’ll meet back here next month, same time, same place, and we’ll talk about it again.”

Space, for having worked with a resident who had reached out to the township with recommendations for improving the park and for “looking for a grant to get it done.”

“When I came here, we were severely lacking in ADA accessibility to our parks, and that has been one of my drives – to change that so between the inclusive playground at Evesboro Downs, and all the ADA stuff, we are trying to get done at the Black Run Preserve and this one at Heathrow,” Kerr asserted during his

monthly report, adding, I’m stoked.”

In other business, two resolutions regarding Class 5 licensing for cannabis businesses were unanimously adopted, one granting a new license to Quality Roots Evesham, LLC, and the other renewing a license for Floro Evesham, LLC. Those brought the total number of licensed cannabis establishments in the township to four out of a possible five, according to Clark.

During the public comment period, John Volpa, who was a local environmental

commissioner for 17 years, a founder of the Black Run Preserve and former chair of its support group, came forward “as a private citizen” to offer a number of comments, including a warning that vigilance be maintained in regard to the danger of wildfires in a township that is “75 percent in the Pine Barrens” and to recommend that whoever is hired as a new township manager be “a certified planner in land use and development, particularly with experience in Pinelands’ rules and regulations.”

Page 16 ♦

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