GIVING UP THE POST
With More than Two Years Remaining in Her Second Term on the Evesham Council, Pat Hansen Unexpectedly Calls It Quits, Citing an Environment That Had Become ‘Increasingly Difficult to Endure’ Following a Rift Over a Vote to Change Law Firms That Eventually Led to the Dropping of Two Colleagues from the Democratic Ballot
EVESHAM—A “constant lack of communication” that came about following a disagreement 18 months ago between members of the all-Democratic Evesham Council over which law firm should represent the municipality was among the key factors cited by nowformer Councilwoman Patricia “Pat” Hansen as having resulted in her unexpected decision to leave her council post announced at the Aug. 14 meeting of the five-member governing body.
“So that Evesham can grow, and the
town can prosper under fair government, after much thought, I have decided it is time for me to move on,” Hansen announced when it came her turn to deliver a report at the session’s conclusion.
“This is my last council meeting I will be attending, and I am putting in my resignation Friday (Aug. 16).”
Three days later, Hansen’s bio and photo had already been removed from the township’s website, with two of the remaining four council members featured there due to be gone as well when they leave office at years’ end, a result of the local Democratic Committee’s having
failed to endorse them in this year’s primary and their having opted not to challenge that by mounting independent re-election campaigns. Hansen, who had more than two years remaining in her second term, had previously aligned herself with both of those members, Deputy Mayor Ginamarie Espinoza and Eddie Freeman III, in voting to hire the Mount Laurel legal firm of Parker McCay rather than renew a contract with Malamut & Associates favored by Mayor Jaclyn “Jackie” Veasy and Councilwoman Heather Cooper.
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At Long Last, Proposed Communications Tower for Lower Bank Fire Co. Gets Pinelands
Approval
B y D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer
WASHINGTON—Approval has been given at long last by the Pinelands Commission for a “communications tower” in the Lower Bank section of Washington Township following a full-court press by municipal officials to convince the commission to allow such a tower for “emergency communications” purposes given that cellular phone reception in town is very weak to non-existent, with the nearest tower reportedly some 10 miles away, in addition to limited landline and cable capabilities in town.
“The emergency communications tower has received approval from Pinelands,” declared Deputy Mayor Daniel James (who began having dialogue with the commission a couple years ago when he was mayor) during an Aug. 6 Washington Township Committee meeting. As previously reported by the Pine Barrens Tribune , the Pinelands Commission’s Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP), which dictates what can and cannot be built in the Pinelands, and where, includes provisions for communications towers.
According to those provisions, communications towers are a permitted principal use in two of nine designated Land-use Management Areas of the Pinelands, the “Pinelands Regional Growth Area” and a “Pinelands Town.”
Paul Leaken, a spokesman for the Pinelands Commission, previously told this newspaper that the proposed communications tower “is not in the Regional Growth Area and Pinelands Town zones or in a commission-approved comprehensive communication tower plan,” and therefore, “it is only a permitted use if it is demonstrated that it qualifies as accessory to the fire company use on the parcel.”
Chuck Horner, director of Regulatory Programs for the commission, during a commission session on June 14, in pointing to two requests for communications towers in the Pinelands, including the one proposed for Washington, described that such development applications have been
Project to Bring Cellular Phone Reception to Town for ‘Emergency Communications’ Gets OK on Basis Tower is ‘Accessory Use’ to Fire Company, Commission Staff Explains See TOWER/ Page 5
B y D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer
WASHINGTON—The mayor of Washington Township maintained on Aug. 6 his optimism that a planned “tax credit program” to give direct property tax relief to individual township taxpayers to offset a 2023 tax increase caused by the local school board’s budget in closing what was a $473,871 shortfall “will be done,” despite a revelation during the previous month that the “state is fighting us.”
“The ordinance we passed for the tax credit is being held up, as we are having some technical issues with the program,” is the latest way Washington Mayor C. Leigh Gadd, Jr. explained the circumstances, which came during an Aug. 6 Washington Township Committee meeting.
Given the present circumstances, the committee decided to extend the grace period for payment of third quarter taxes in hopes that the matter will get “worked out.”
“Hopefully, we can get a final answer as to what we can and cannot work out with the logistics of our tax bill program so we can get this done and over with,” Gadd declared. “Everybody should see that tax credit refunded.”
Local officials also reported that they are awaiting returned calls from Burlington
County about the status of bridge construction scheduled for County Route 542, which was anticipated to be closed for one year, starting July 8, between Loveland Lane and Leektown Road, but did not provide much more detail on why it posed a concern.
However, resident Horace Somes later described during public comment that “all construction signage has now been removed” for the Ives Branch Bridge, which carries traffic on County Route 542 over the Wading River. Somes also noted that “material sheathing and pilings that were stockpiled” at the nearby county yard for the project “are being removed.”
“Apparently, there will be re-engineering for a precast monolithic crossing with a raceway channel,” Somes maintained.
However, David Levinsky, a county spokesman, told this newspaper on Aug. 20 that “the work was postponed after the county learned that New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) regulations would require construction to be delayed until the fall.”
He recognized that “work to replace the Route 542 bridge was originally scheduled to begin in early July and detour signs were put in place by a contractor in anticipation of the start of construction,” but noted
See CREDIT/ Page 7
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Shamong Twp. Mayor Meets with Police in Regard to Allegations
Over Woodgate Dr. Disturbances, Off-Road Vehicles at Murphy's Pit
Mayor Braces Residents for $690 Rise in Taxes Between Town, Schools, County, But Stresses Municipal Taxes Are Only Increasing by $12 on Average Home
B y D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer
SHAMONG—Purported problems in two areas of Shamong Township are something that has drawn the interest of authorities, Mayor Michael Di Croce acknowledged during an Aug. 6 Shamong Township Committee meeting.
Di Croce reported that he recently had a meeting with one of the lieutenants of the Red Lion Barracks of the New Jersey State Police to discuss two properties that were the source of complaints at a preceding Shamong committee session –Woodgate Drive (where ATVs and other off-road vehicles are alleged to originate, among other things) and Murphy’s Pit (where ATVs and off-road vehicles are allegedly being driven illegally).
“Violation notices are pending,” said Di Croce of the three issues. “Others are in the investigation stage.”
The mayor noted that while he is a “big property rights guy” and “if someone makes an accusation against you, we are going to make sure you get all the rights and privileges you are afforded under the Constitution,” local officials “will, at the same time, make sure lives aren’t getting disrupted.”
A resident of Woodgate Drive returned to the Aug. 6 meeting to report that the situation there has since gotten “worse” to the point that “15 people have now banded together.”
“You now have people chasing people down the street, threatening altercations,” the man maintained. “… It is turning into a mob situation. Things are changing rapidly on Woodgate Drive, and it is not for the better.”
The man maintained that what is happening on his street is “not what I picture” for Shamong.
“Just dial 911,” the mayor advised the man should he see anything on his street of further concern. “They (the state police) are aware of what is going on and we are just waiting for them to take action.”
Di Croce maintained he has been “out there a couple times” now, before
urging the public to come forward with any video surveillance or information that might be “helpful” to investigators.
“I understand a lot of cars are coming and going,” said the mayor of the situation.
Di Croce, when later asked by this newspaper to elaborate on the nature of the purported problem, responded, there is allegedly “unusually high traffic” coming and going from the property in question.
Another man attending the Shamong committee’s Aug. 6 session described that the “problems continue” at Murphy’s Pit with “ATVS and other vehicles.” The off-road vehicle operators are “now using Atsion Road” to access the pit, the man explained, and in the process of doing so, are riding “up and down the street.”
“I saw officers pulling out and looking for them,” the man said, noting that the operators of the off-road vehicles appeared on the street after the officers already passed by. “It is now becoming a transportation challenge as well.”
During the preceding meeting, officials discussed possibly approaching the landowner to see if that person would be willing to sell the property to a prospective solar developer for the site, and to discuss having him take possible action to include preventing access to the property in the interim, though officials recognized the challenges of securing the property until any development occurs.
“I did reach out to the landowner,” Township Administrator and Clerk Susan Onorato reported. “He is not home yet, in the hospital, and said he would get back to me. He is aware of it and said nobody has permission to ride out there. We will get that buttoned up.”
Di Croce later told this newspaper that on a recent weekend after the Aug. 6 meeting, he observed three kids riding two-stroke motorcycles on the property, and rather than calling the police and taking the chance that those trespassing
See ALLEGATIONS/ Page 5
Pemberton Council Refuses to Clear Mayor’s Zoning Board Appointee Until He Acts on Outstanding Agriculture Advisory Committee Seat
Mayor Pressed Multiple Times by Council for Answers as to Why He Isn’t Filling AAC Post, But He Only Says He Hasn’t Arrived at Decision, Causing GOP Colleague to Allege Its ‘Retaliation’; Mayor Says AAC Has Quorum, Zoning Board Has ‘Dire Need’
B y D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer
PEMBERTON—Another standoff has unfolded involving an intended appointee of Pemberton Township Republican Mayor Jack Tompkins (the third standoff of his tenure), this one over an individual he would have liked to have appointed to the township Zoning Board.
Serving as a point of contention this time around is that a couple of individuals have reportedly been presented to the mayor to fill a remaining vacancy on the newly-created Agriculture Advisory Committee (AAC), with a decision pending for several months now.
And with the creation of the board an important, bi-partisan achievement of Republican Councilmen Dan Dewey and Joshua Ward, the lack of action has left Dewey to declare it is “more retaliation” on the part of the mayor (with the two GOP councilmen having challenged the mayor, their one-time running mate, as of late, in addition to having called on him to resign amid the findings of a council-ordered investigation looking into complaints of harassment and retaliation).
“I still have the complaint that I have had for the last several months,” said Dewey during an Aug. 7 Pemberton Township Council session when a resolution, already having previously been tabled, was heard again that would have confirmed the mayor’s sought appointment to the township Zoning Board. “The mayor has had the applications for the AAC, which is pretty important for the town. It was supposed to be started in 2009, according to the Master Plan, and it wasn’t started until we got it started this year.”
Dewey added that “we need the members” appointed to the committee, before further asserting, “I think it should be acted on before we make other appointments.”
Democratic Councilwoman Elisabeth McCartney queried Tompkins as to why there is a delay in appointing prospective members to the AAC, asserting, “I don’t understand why.”
Tompkins replied he is “looking at three openings on the zoning board,” describing the need to fill the vacancies on it as “dire.”
“We are basically down to where we don’t have a quorum to conduct business,” Tompkins added. “So, if you want to put an addition on to your house or do something like that, it is not going to happen because you have to go through the zoning board.”
Tompkins warned that by council not agreeing to his appointment, it risks “hampering” what residents and businesses would like to do to improve their facilities.
“I am trying to appoint people to a land use board that is very important to this town,” Tompkins declared. “And it is being denied because of whatever reason.”
McCartney, however, returned to the AAC and the outstanding appointments on the committee, with her pointing to applications valid “since April.”
“We have one (a committee), mam,” said Tompkins of having already made enough appointments for there to be an AAC, and when McCartney questioned whether the seats on it were completely filled, the mayor responded, “We have 3 of 5 (or 4 of 5) [seats filled], which makes it complete.”
Dewey retorted, “I don’t know what the problem is,” alleging the mayor had told him a few months prior to the meeting that with regard to the applications for the AAC post, “‘I haven’t gotten to it yet.’”
It led Tompkins to assert, “I don’t know how to answer you!”
Dewey then began to press Tompkins as to why a member of the zoning board had resigned, to which the mayor
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Current rules dictate that any vacancy that might occur in a municipal governmental body outside of 70 days prior to an election must be included on the ballot. That means Evesham voters will be asked to vote for candidates put up by both major parties to serve out the two years still left in Hansen’s term, and both parties can get to select their own — a process that could conceivably put Evesham back under Republican majority control by the beginning of 2025. In the meantime, the township Democratic Committee has the option of submitting three names of candidates who could be potential acting replacements for Hansen to serve in her former council post until January, one of whom could also be that of the party’s’ choice to fill the seat on the ballot for two more years after that.
Hansen, a retired human resources official for Amtrak who served as liaison between company management and more than 6,000 union employees and was also a five-term president of the 3,200-member Transportation Communications Union covering the Philadelphia-Washington, D.C. area, decided to throw in the towel on her township council service due to what she termed a ”particularly challenging” situation and an environment that had “become increasingly difficult to endure” since that initial split in the Democratic ranks.
After expressing her gratitude to various individuals, including officials, residents and volunteers “who have made a huge impression on me and have led me in the right direction since I first took office,” Hansen proceeded to describe the conditions that had prompted her to leave before her second term was anywhere near being up.
“On our council we don’t always agree, nor should we,” she declared. “It is in debating our differences that we have represented our town with the tough decisions we have to make. Democracy thrives on the convergence of diverse opinions, fostering collective decision-making where all voices are heard and respected.
“I want to believe each one of us are here because, we all want to make a difference,” she maintained. “Our common passion for the town, is in putting Evesham before politics. That is what should unite us.”
But “unfortunately,” she contended, “our local democratic process has seen
some erosion, with differing viewpoints not always being considered,“ and “a constant lack of communication has hindered our ability to be the best representatives for the residents of our town in our elected capacity.”
Not only had “this disconnect,” as she referred to it, “created a division that prevents us from collectively being at our best,” but “I often felt that my opinions were disregarded when they did not align with those of a few council members.”
“I also learned that my opinions regarding the town were often set aside, and the town manager (Rob Corrales, who has since moved on) was instructed to not prioritize the actions that I believe would have been good for our community,” Hansen added.
In concluding her resignation announcement, Hansen said it was her “sincere hope that whomever is chosen to fill this seat as I depart is treated with respect, fairness and much more trust and transparency than was afforded me.”
She added that it had been “a tremendous privilege and honor to serve on this council,” and that she “truly believed she was leaving the township “in a better place than it was when I was first elected.”
In a subsequent phone interview with the Pine Barrens Tribune , Hansen said her motivation in originally seeking a seat on the council was “to give back to the community,” which she considered a “terrific” place to live and wanted to help in ensuring it stayed that way. But she said she eventually learned how acting on such good intentions wasn’t necessarily the best way to get along with colleagues who held different views on what was best for the township and its residents, all of which came to a head in the January 2023 reorganization meeting when it came time to re-evaluate the municipality’s legal representation.
In that instance, she said she, along with Espinoza and Freeman, had all separately evaluated the services Evasham was receiving, which she said was ”no big thing” and decided that the two attorneys called in to replace Primitivo Cruz, who had left the Malamut law firm, weren’t nearly as responsive on matters brought to their attention, and that a change seemed in order.
“As I was going over resumes, Parker McKay’s seemed so professional that to me, there was no contest,” a judgment call she said both Espinoza and Freeman also made. That conclusion, she said,
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posing a “challenge for staff” given the agency’s existing rules.
But ultimately, on July 16, according to a letter issued by Horner, the commission found that the proposed “construction of a 150-foot-high local communication facility tower and equipment compound accessory to an existing fire company,” as proposed by the applicant, Valore, LLC, is “consistent” with the commission’s regulations, and therefore, “approvals/permits may take effect.”
The only condition put on the project is that “development, including clearing and land disturbance, shall be located at least 300 feet from wetlands.”
“The communications tower in Washington Township was approved as an accessory use to, and is located on the same lot as, the Lower Bank Volunteer Fire Company,” Joel M. Mott, the principal Public Programs Specialist for the commission, told this newspaper. “The commission sent a letter on July 16, 2024, allowing a November 2023 township waiver of site plan approval and a 2024 township construction permit to take effect.”
The key word of that statement is “accessory use,” which given Leaken’s past comments on the issue means the proposed development is a permitted use, versus had the project been proposing the tower as a principal use.
“It was approved as a typical private development application in accordance with the township’s and commission’s regulations,” Mott emphasized. “The township approved the communications tower as an accessory use to the fire company. Then the commission reviewed the township’s approval for consistency with the applicable regulations, and after the review, issued a letter indicating that the township approval could take effect.”
The approval from the commission is a major victory for James and the Washington committee in their quest for a communications tower, with James having even previously attended a December 2022 commission meeting to make a public appeal for the allowance of one.
“My power went out for four hours two weeks ago and I came to the realization that the only way that I could communicate with somebody is to go down to the river,” said James, a resident of Lower Bank, who apparently had to go to the riverfront of the Mullica River, which is wide open with little obstruction, to pick up any kind of cell service. “Otherwise, you couldn’t call me, and I couldn’t get a hold of anybody at my house.
This is happening more frequently anymore.”
James is not only the deputy mayor of the municipality, who just with that position alone would need to be able to receive real-time communications in the event of an emergency, but is also a veteran volunteer firefighter for the Lower Bank Volunteer Fire Company.
“We have an application with your folks for a cell tower,” said James to the commission in December 2022. “As much as I hate technology, our power went out recently and there was no communication for half of the town. And when it comes to emergency services, if someone paged us out, or if we had a fire or accident on our roads, we wouldn’t have been able to respond.”
James emphasized to the commission that the county’s current paging system is “borderline useless” to local first responders, but that what “works really well” for first responder organizations in the county is “911 E,” which he explained works off a “cellphone system.”
“We need to be able to communicate with emergency services,” James previously told the commissioners. “The big draw to our town is the Wharton State Forest, which has 800,000 visitors a year, and when you get into Batsto, you can’t call up emergency services. I don’t know what is needed to comply, but any consideration is appreciated.”
At the time, Susan R. Grogan, then acting executive director of the commission, but now the director, acknowledged there are “emergency authorizations in the CMP” at the commission’s disposal to satisfy public safety needs, should the commission arrive at the conclusion a proposed development doesn’t qualify otherwise under the agency’s rules – but in this case, they were ultimately not needed.
The process to get a communications tower in the primary population center of Washington began with a group of residents forming a coalition to educate the community about their benefits, and then approaching the governing body, before seeking out potential firms that build such towers.
It was announced in early 2021 that a cell tower “lease has been signed with the fire department,” with a Feb. 25, 2022, legal notice stating that “Public Participation Valore, LLC, proposes the construction of a monopole-style telecommunications tower within a 80 foot by 80 foot lease area at 3 Fire House Lane, Washington Township, Burlington County, NJ,” (the site plan has since been revised slightly) with the physical address for the Lower Bank Fire Company 3 Fire House Lane.
It has not yet been said when construction of the tower is expected to commence, despite commission approval having now been granted, as well as the issuance of a construction permit by the state Department of Community Affairs on behalf of Washington Township.
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repeated twice, “He resigned!”
McCartney, appearing stunned, shook her head, all while Dewey accused the mayor “of playing games.”
“That is what I feel like we are doing – is playing games with this,” said McCartney to applause from the audience. “And things are being held up and I don’t get it! So, why can’t we complete the AAC? It may not seem important, but advisory has experience with agriculture in town.”
As McCartney called the situation ridiculous, Dewey interjected it was “retaliation – that is all it is!”
Democratic Council President Paul Detrick pressed Tompkins as to whether he is “satisfied with the threemember AAC” and to reveal whether he intends to appoint anymore individuals to the committee.
“We have a four-member advisory board of five, and it is a legal advisory committee now,” Tompkins answered.
When Detrick yet again asked Tompkins whether he is satisfied with a four-member board or whether he has any intention of filling it out to the maximum of five members, the mayor answered, “I haven’t reached a decision yet,” causing jeers and moans to be expressed by the audience.
McCartney explained the reason there are calls for a fifth member to be appointed to the AAC is that in the event of a conflict, any tie-breaking vote can be broken.
“I don’t see that to be a very complicated thing,” McCartney said.
ALLEGATIONS
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would leave by the time the cops arrived, he took an opportunity to speak to the children and asked them to leave, to which they reportedly complied.
The Aug. 6 meeting began with a warning of a different kind to residents that their property taxes will be rising by “closer to $700 extra” on the average assessed home of $310,000, thanks primarily to an increase in regional school district, local school district and
Detrick pointed out that for the purposes of the Aug. 7 session, the mayor did not submit any individuals for appointment to the AAC, and only one for the zoning board, before asking how the body wished to proceed. It tabled the mayor’s zoning board appointment (to a council session scheduled for Aug. 21), unanimously, with McCartney declaring the “residents are in the middle of it – this is ridiculous” and Dewey asserting, “This is B.S. – they don’t care.”
During the quibbling, Tompkins got Township Solicitor Andrew “Andy” Bayer to confirm a township mayor can make appointments to the Planning Board without needing the consent of council, and as soon as the vote to table the appointment of “Ms. Carr” to the zoning board had occurred, Tompkins told the council to “withdraw” her nomination for the zoning board slot, before subsequently appointing her to the planning board.
Meanwhile, Bayer clarified for council that although there are six people currently appointed to the zoning board, and five people constitute a quorum, there are business items such as use-variance applications that require seven members to be present, or a “super majority.”
“Legally, it could hamper the processing of use-variance applications,” Bayer said. “For the typical homeowner things, five is a quorum and three votes could pass them. But the bigger issue is with respect to use-variance applications and a depleted board.”
But the audience applauded when the mayor’s zoning board appointment was tabled. The Aug. 21 session was to occur after this newspaper’s press time.
county taxes.
Specifically, according to Onorato, the 2024-25 tax rate for Shamong is going up to 3.202 cents, which means the average home will pay $9,947 in total taxes, or “representing a $690 increase over last year, which represents 7.33 percent.”
“As you can imagine, I am not happy,” declared Di Croce in response to the revelation. “Taxes for Shamong (strictly the local purpose tax) are going up $12 for the entire year.”
The mayor advised residents that they “have to stick together” and “be aware, prepared.”
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which prevailed on a 3-2 vote, has since been borne out by the quality of the service provided by Chris Orlando, the solicitor brought in by the Parker McKay firm (which had been used by the previous Republican administration) to serve the needs of the township, and who she maintained “has been doing a really great job.”
Her opening remarks to the council also included special thanks to Orlando “for the exceptional legal support you’ve provided over the past year, “ crediting his “quick responsiveness” for not only having “saved us a substantial amount of money—$125,000—in your first year alone, but also given us confidence in our legal affairs” and for “remarkable” availability during and after business hours.
“It’s clear that you go above and beyond for your clients,” she told him. (It should perhaps also be noted, however, that the CEO of Parker-McKay, Philip Norcross, is now facing first-degree racketeering charges, along with his political powerbroker brother George and four other defendants, the result of a year-long investigation by the state Office of Public Integrity and Accountability. All have pleaded not guilty.)
But both Mayor Veasy and Cooper saw no reason to switch law firms in January 2023, believing it would result in unnecessary complications, resulting in a very public fracture of the seemingly united council that widened to the point where Espinoza and Freeman, whose terms were due to expire at the end of this year, were voted by the Evesham Township Democratic Committee off this year’s primary ballot back in February, a result of “a large majority of the members losing faith in the incumbents,” according to a statement by Committee Chair Phil Warren. They were eventually be replaced by two new candidates, Joseph Fisicaro and Christian Smith, who will be running in November’s general election against Republicans Robert DiEnna, a former member of the council, and Thomas DeMarsey.
Hansen, however, offered a different perspective on the treatment her two colleagues received.
“I didn’t think what happened to Gina and Eddie was fair, she told this newspaper,” indicating that it was a primary contributor to her disappointment and disillusionment with the system that eventually prompted her to give up her post. “It seems that no matter how hard you work, politics takes their own way.”
Hansen added that if one doesn’t “go along to get along,” being shown the door as they were, is a likely outcome.
“I’ve never been a political person,” she added. “This was all new to me.”
DiEnna, with whom she had worked during her first two years on the council, when contacted by this newspaper for a response to Hansen’s resignation, said he was sorry to hear about it.
“She always did her due diligence and was a good teammate and over time we developed, not just a good professional relationship, but we worked hard to pick friendship over partisanship,” he declared.
He further contended that both Freeman and Esopinoza had “also distinguished themselves in making decisions based on what they thought was good for the community, rather than furthering their own political ambitions for personal or professional gain.”
Hansen had given no prior indication of her intent to resign from the council other than informing Mayor Veasy of her decision just before the start of the meeting.
Cooper, whose report immediately followed hers on the agenda, began by thanking Hansen for her service “and the commitment that you’ve given all these years.”
“I’m surprised, but I’m eternally grateful for the foundation you laid, and you are leaving the town better than you found it,” she told the departing council member.
Veasy, by contrast, waited until the end of her report to acknowledge Hansen’s resignation, saying she wanted “to end my comments this evening by thanking Councilman Hansen for your service to our community,” as well as for “always advocating what you advocate for and continuing to challenge myself and the rest of the council and the rest of the community to think about things in new ways.”
The mayor also alluded to their six years together on the council as having been “fun, I guess you could say” with “ups and downs and lots of changes, but a lot of very good things,” telling Hansen that her “promotion of shopping local and supporting local business will never be forgotten, as well as a lot of other efforts you’ve worked on here in the community.” The mayor added that she was looking forward to “spending time outside of council” with Hansen, although the latter told this newspaper that her regular interactions with Veasy to discuss council business had pretty much ended after the 2023 reorganization meeting.
In addition to Orlando, Hansen extended expressions of appreciation to the late municipal clerk Mary Lou Bergh, whose “compassion and insights” she said had been “instrumental in helping me understand what our council could truly accomplish” and who she was “very fortunate to have as a guiding light,” and to Director of Community Affairs Monica Vandenberg, whose “assistance, knowledge and networking skills have been invaluable in ensuring that many projects were completed successfully,’ and Acting Township Manager Lavon Phillips, whose efforts in handling the union contracts and completing the two open budgets she said “have been greatly appreciated,” along with his dedication and leadership that she credited with having “significantly improved staff morale to a level we haven’t seen in years.”
Hansen reserved her closing remarks for the residents of the township, to whom she said she was “extraordinarily grateful for the privilege you have bestowed on me in being on council these past few years” and urged them to “shop, eat, drink and support local.”
Corrections and Amplifications
In a story in the previous edition about Burlington County’s 2024 budget, it incorrectly stated the Farmland and Open Space Preservation Tax went up by 3.5 cents per $100. It went up (1 cent) from 2.5 cents to 3.5 cents per $100. However, it is still accurate that the overall impact of the new increase “is expected to generate about $20.2 million to fund farmland and open space preservation, parks and trails improvements, and many park programs.”
