EPIC FAILURE
SOUTHAMPTON—A multitude of Burlington County voters have expressed sheer outrage after they faced excruciatingly long wait times at polling places throughout Burlington County to vote on Election Day, venues which were reportedly plagued with problems from the get-go, including what the county has since See FAILURE/ Page 11
By Bill B onvie
Staff Writer
cast their ballots in anything resembling a timely manner, and some not at all, was part of a response statement sent out to media and posted on the official county Facebook site by David Levinsky, the public information officer for the county, on the afternoon of the following day.
“The Burlington County Commissioners and the leaders of Burlington County’s major political parties share the same frustrations and concerns of the numerous voters who were upset about the long lines and waits during the 2024 election,” began the statement, which was followed by a stream of indignant replies and postings from affected members of the public. One question that Levinsky’s statement failed to address, however, was just how many of those voters may have been inadvertently disenfranchised by being See MELTDOWN/ Page 5
Photo By Tom Valentino
An extremely long line of voters at a polling site in Medford Township.
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Vol. 8 – No. 47 ♦ The News Leader of the Pines ♦ November 9 - November 15, 2024
By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer
Early Results from Pemberton Show Tight Race for Council with GOP Maintaining Slight Edge;
No Declarations Issued Candidates Not Happy with Breakdown of County’s Voting System, With One Describing Impacts, But Grateful for Voter Participation
By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer
PEMBERTON—Neither the Republicans or Democrats running for three open seats on Pemberton Township Council, as of press time, are declaring victory or conceding the municipal race in light of initial results showing a, so far, tight race with more ballots to be counted over the next several days.
As of press time, Republicans Matthew Bianchini (4,199 votes), Perry Doyle Jr. (4,377 votes) and Harry J. Harper (4,177 votes) maintained a slight edge over their opponents, Democrats Frank Dickey (4,111 votes), Gaye Burton (4,085 votes) and Leslie Kanfer (4,072 votes), but all six were coming away with some 16 percent of the vote.
Amid some taking the early results published by the county and celebrating a victory for the Republican ticket, Joshua Ward, a current GOP councilman, cautioned, “Everyone be careful, there are still provisional ballots out.” (Additionally, Vote-by-Mail ballots cast on Nov. 5 can still be counted if received up to six days past Election Day.)
“At this time, we are still waiting for some of the ballots to come in,” Doyle told this newspaper in an Oct. 6 interview. “So, we obviously are not declaring anything,
but we are very pleased the residents of Pemberton Township have spoken that they appear to want change.”
He added that he was “proud to be a resident” in a “town where residents know what they want and trust those who do their best to deliver.”
Doyle, when asked by this newspaper, given the results are, so far, close, if he was concerned that the problems that plagued polling locations in Burlington County on Nov. 5 might have an impact on the eventual outcome of the municipal election, responded of what occurred, “the residents of Burlington County deserve better.”
He maintained that there are “no excuses” for the “county and township” not being “ready for its residents” to come out and vote, further contending, “everybody knew that this was going to be a big election year, nationwide.”
Burton, when also reached by phone on Nov. 6, and asked whether she was also concerned about any impact the fiasco might have had on the eventual outcome of the municipal election, responded, “That is always a possibility, I guess,” describing that she was simply “disgusted.”
“I am still looking at stuff,” said Burton, a former Democratic council president
See PEMBERTON/ Page 15
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Christmas is
7 WEEKS AWAY!
4 Gestures of Love & Sharing to Brighten
Are you aware of your privileges, such as good health and a good-paying job? Do you want to express your gratitude by bringing comfort to people less fortunate than you this holiday season? Use these four ideas as inspiration.
1. Volunteer. Plenty of organizations need “helping hands” in the run-up to the festive season. You can wrap toys for underprivileged children, cook meals in a community kitchen for financially vulnerable families or collect food for Christmas hampers. You’re spoiled for choice when it comes to getting involved in your area!
2. Visit someone in the hospital. Spending Christmas in the hospital is tough. You could bring a little joy to someone in the hospital by visiting them on December 24 or 25. Bring them a greeting card, a few sweets or a gift. Take advantage of your visit to do an activity with them like walking down the corridor and chatting, playing cards or watching a Christmas movie.
3. Lend a hand. Do you have a few hours to spare in your busy schedule? Use your free time to spread happiness and gratitude around you. For example, you could show your generosity by clearing snow from an older person’s driveway, helping someone with limited mobility put up their outdoor decorations or buying groceries for an exhausted caregiver — the possibilities are endless!
4. Invite someone over for Christmas Eve. For various reasons or circumstances, such as divorce, moving, illness and work, someone in your circle may be spending Christmas alone. Whether it’s a family member, neighbor, colleague or friend, open your arms and home to them. Invite them to celebrate Christmas Eve or Day
the Holidays of the Less Privileged
Giving out warm clothing to people without homes, sponsoring a newcomer family, sending greeting cards to nursing home residents, donating to a worthy cause and more. Whatever your way of giving, don’t hesitate to encourage your loved ones to get in on the action!
with you. Your hospitality is sure to warm their hearts!
No matter how big, acts of mutual aid and solidarity can make all the difference in making Christmas a happy time for those less fortunate. What kind gestures will you make this year?
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(Continued from Page 1)
kept waiting, sometimes for hours, until they finally gave up and went home, either in exasperation or because they were simply unable to remain at their assigned polling places any longer. Also left unanswered was whether that undetermined number of lost votes might have had any effect on the outcome of local races, which can often hinge on a relatively small number of ballots, and how long it will take for the resulting crisis of confidence on the part of many Burlington County voters in the integrity of the system itself to abate at a time when government officials have gone to great lengths to assure the public that it is now a model of stability.
In attempting to explain how Burlington County came to be the only one of New Jersey’s 21 counties where such widespread problems with the voting process were reported, Levinsky noted that “this election saw an extremely high turnout at the polls, ranking it as one of the highest for total voter participation” and acknowledged that “there were challenges from the beginning with varying technical issues at some voting locations at the opening of the polls,” which “ranged from connectivity issues with electronic poll books, to failures with the startup of voting equipment.”
He also explained that it was “the first time that new voting machines, consisting of ballot marking devices and tabulators, were deployed at all polling locations during a general election” and that “many voters have questioned the timing of the decision to switch from the older switchbased machines that had been utilized the previous 25 years.” The latter, he maintained, “had surpassed the end of their useful life and were increasingly likely to malfunction or fail with no way to repair or replace them” and that “the new machines also create a voter-verifiable paper record, which is a significant increase in security that wasn’t present with the old machines.”
In addition, he emphasized that the county superintendent of elections had made “significant training and outreach” on the new machines available for months, including holding tutorials every Saturday at the County Corner Store in the Moorestown Mall and bringing the machines to numerous county events and municipal buildings, as well as making available a video explaining how the new machines function.
But Levinsky admitted that “It is clear that there was an adjustment period for both poll workers and voters that contributed to yesterday’s lines.”
The extent to which that “adjustment period” disrupted the normal routine of voting for county residents was elucidated by two Democratic officials, County Commissioner Balvir Singh, and Lumberton Mayor Gina LaPlaca, and two Republican ones, 8th District Senator Latham Tiver and Assemblyman Michael Torrissi, Jr.
Singh, when contacted by the Pine Barrens Tribune, claimed that “we had people who had been in line from before 8 p.m. who did not get out until past midnight.”
Singh further asserted that he had been called by several individuals to apologize to him for having left without casting ballots (for the Democratic ticket), claiming they really had wanted to do so but had other
responsibilities to attend to, such as having to take care of their kids.
Singh also attested to having received complaints about the situation from a local mayor, as well as a number of disgruntled residents, contending, “We all share the same frustrations and disappointments.”
And the situation, he pointed out, came about in spite of the fact that so many people had voted early this year, which should have substantially reduced the size of the Election Day crowd, but which may also have caused officials to “underestimate the turnout.”
But regarding the question of whether enough machines were provided for the occasion, Singh denied that he and his colleagues on the all-Democratic Board of Commissioners (formerly the Board of Chosen Freeholders) play any part in the activities and decision-making involved in voting, which he said is within the purview of the Board of Elections, a panel chosen by the governor in consultation with both parties.
“We just pay the bills,” maintained Singh, noting that the role of the County Board of Commissioners is that of a Chief Financial Officer.
But Singh added that the consternation created by the malfunctioning voting system, whatever its causes, has resulted in calls by elected officials for “a complete analysis” of what went wrong and how it can be kept from recurring—something on which he thought “everyone is in agreement.”
LaPlaca, in a “heartfelt” message posted on Facebook to her constituents, thanked them for the “incredible patience and persistence you showed yesterday as you waited for hours in unprecedented lines to cast your ballot.” LaPlaca then noted that she herself not only had to wait four hours to vote at her polling place, but “after all that,” she “still had to cast a provisional ballot because of a machine malfunction.”
Then, after expressing her gratitude to “our amazing Municipal Clerk Bobbie Quinn and her staff” who LaPlaca said had “worked tirelessly” and placed many phone calls to the County Board of Elections “asking, and then begging” for more voting machines to be supplied to the township and to the “dedicated poll workers who toiled under incredibly challenging and stressful conditions and did everything they could to get voters processed efficiently and ensure that everyone understood how to cast their vote on brand new machines, with a brand new process, that many were just seeing for the first time yesterday,” LaPlaca addressed the county officials who bore responsibility for the situation.
“The excessive wait times experienced not just by Lumberton voters, but voters all across Burlington County, were absolutely unacceptable,” she admonished them. “As I look around the county at municipal and school board races where candidates are separated by a mere handful of votes, I have to wonder how many voters were discouraged by the long lines or had to leave for work and family obligations, never casting their vote, and potentially affecting the outcome of countless local races.
“The Burlington County Board of Elections owes our voters real answers and accountability for how this was allowed to happen, and how they will prevent it from happening again.”
LaPlaca concluded, “I sincerely hope in the coming days and weeks, we get them (answers).”
In an open Nov. 7 letter to residents, Tiver
and Torrissi, pointing out how Burlington County voters had “experienced long lines at polling places throughout the entire county on Election Day” and “thousands upon thousands of people were forced to wait for many hours to vote,” described what they witnessed as “unacceptable.”
“This cannot be swept under the rug,” they declared. “As your Senator and Assemblyman, we are calling for a formal investigation into the Election Day practices of Burlington County.”
The legislators further charged, “Regardless of intentionality, what happened was voter suppression.”
“We may never know how many thousands of people decided not to vote when faced with four hour-long lines, but every one of them was disenfranchised,” they continued. “The elected Burlington County Democrats, who are in charge of overseeing the process, have publicly blamed historic voter turnout on the multi-hour wait times at nearly every polling location. Unfortunately, the turnout numbers do not match the story they are telling. According to their own data, turnout currently stands at around 60 percent. The past two presidential elections both saw turnout well over 70 percent.
“The true story might very well be a classic case of government mismanagement. A full investigation needs to be conducted, and the people at the top need to be held accountable. Voters deserve to have their questions answered so this doesn't happen again. An investigation should look at whether the new voting machines are too cumbersome, if the county purchased enough machines, and what Burlington County’s turnout was like compared to surrounding counties.”
They further emphasized that, “We deserve to know how many voters were realistically turned away.
When people with disabilities can’t physically stand for hours, when people with children must leave to take care of their kids, when accidents happen due to overcrowding that requires EMS, you have failed the people and their right to vote.
They concluded, “These were all stories shared widely throughout the county, adding, “We all deserve answers.”
When contacted by this newspaper, however, a Board of Elections representative who declined to give her full name would only say she could not answer any questions, which should be referred to “Mr. Levinsky.” The latter, it should be noted, did attempt to directly answer some of the questions put to him by this newspaper (while referring to his press release on others).
For example, when asked, “What official was in charge of the voting process in Burlington County,” he replied, “There is no single official in-charge of elections in Burlington Couty. There are three separate offices responsible for different aspects of the election: the Burlington County Board of Elections, the Burlington County Superintendent of Elections Office and the Burlington County Clerk’s Office. Those offices communicate regularly and work cooperatively.”
He then noted that those offices and their responsibilities are described at the website: https://co.burlington.nj.us/593/ Election-Voter-Services.
In response to the query, “Why was such a slowdown apparently not anticipated, allowing for better preparations to be See MELTDOWN/ Page 6
BID NOTICE
NOTICE TO BIDDERS BOROUGH OF WRIGHTSTOWN COUNTY OF BURLINGTON
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that sealed bids will be received by the Borough Clerk for the Borough of Wrightstown, County of Burlington, State of New Jersey on November 27, 2024, at 11:00 AM prevailing time, at the Wrightstown Borough Hall, 21 Saylors Pond Rd., Wrightstown, NJ 08562, at which time and place bids will be opened and read in public for: Reconstruction of East Main St. and Railroad Ave. The Borough encourages prospective bidders to submit their sealed proposals prior to November 27, 2024, via certified mail or overnight delivery along with requiring a signature. The Borough is not responsible for bids which are sent for delivery and not received by a Borough employee.
Specifications and other bid information may be obtained at Kluk Consultants, LLC, 2 Eastwick Drive, Suite 202, Gibbsboro, NJ 08026. tel. (856) 566-0013, Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00AM and 5:00 PM. Please call prior to arrival.
Copies of specifications may be obtained upon payment of a non-refundable fee of two hundred dollars ($200.00) per set. No digital copies of the specifications are available for purchase. A fifty-dollar ($50.00) fee is required if mailing of the documents is desired or by providing an additional FedEx Account Number. Mailed checks must include a request for documents with the name of the requested solicitation, as well as the Company Name, Mailing Address, Telephone & Facsimile Numbers as well as the Contact Person’s Name and Email Address. Checks shall be made payable to Kluk Consultants.
Subject to the limitations prescribed by the Local Public Contracts Law, N.J.S.A. 40A:111 et seq., the Borough of Wrightstown reserves the right to reject any and all bids, or to waive non- material informalities as may be permitted by law.
Wrightstown Borough or the Engineer reserve the right to make such investigation as it deems necessary to determine the ability of the Bidder to perform the work, and the Bidder shall furnish to the Owner all such information and data for this purpose as the Owner may request, showing that they have satisfactorily completed work of a similar scope and nature as the current Project awarding contract. Please complete the Contractor Questionnaire/Certification form provided within.
The Prevailing Wage Acts, P.L. 1963, C. 150 (N.J.S.A. 34:11-56.25 et seq.), and P.L. 1979, C.303, (N.J.S.A. 34:1B-5.1 et seq.) shall apply to this proposal, and all bidders shall be required to comply with the requirements thereof.
Bidders shall comply with the provisions set forth in P.L. 1975 Chapter 127 regarding affirmative action regulations and P.L. 1977, C. 33, as amended by P.L. 2016, C.43, Statement of Ownership Disclosure. Bidders are required to comply with the requirements of N.J.S.A. 10:5- 31 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 17:27 et seq.
A bid deposit in the form of a certified check, cashier’s check, or bid bond made payable to the Borough of Wrightstown in the amount of ten percent (10%) of the total amount of the bid, but not to exceed $20,000.00, must accompany each proposal as a security, which may be forfeited and retained by the Borough in lieu of its other legal remedies, if a successful bidder’s proposal is accepted by the Borough and they shall fail to execute and return to the Borough the required contract and/or bonds within ten (10) days after delivery of the prepared contract and/or bond form to them by the Borough. A non-mandatory prebid meeting will be held at the Borough Hall 21 Saylors Pond Rd., Wrightstown, NJ 08562, on November 4, 2024, at 11:00 AM. All bidders are encouraged to attend this meeting.
RCBC’s Faculty and Support Staff Associations Both Pass ‘Vote of No Confidence’ in Board of Trustees President
Democrats Retain Control of Evesham Township Council with Apparent Victories by Three Newly Chosen Candidates
By Bill B onvie Staff Writer
Scheme Involving Vendor
‘Joint Position’ Arises Out of Acrimonious October Meeting That Saw College President Subject of Calls for Investigation Amid His Alleged Challenging of Purported Nepotism in Hiring
By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer
MOUNT LAUREL—The fallout is beginning to take shape in the wake of a Pine Barrens Tribune report about an acrimonious Rowan College at Burlington County (RCBC) Board of Trustees meeting on Oct. 22 that saw College President Dr. Michael A. Cioce purportedly trying to fend off calls for an “investigation” into a pair of complaints reportedly initiated upon him for having pushed back on an alleged nepotism in hiring scheme.
The Pine Barrens Tribune has learned that both the Faculty Association and Support Staff associations of the college have both passed a “vote of no confidence” in Board President Dr. Anthony Wright, “effective immediately.”
This newspaper reported last week that Cioce clashed with Wright, an appointee of the all-Democratic Burlington County Board of Commissioners and an assistant commissioner for the New Jersey Department of Education, in addition to two attorneys providing the college with legal counsel, Kelly Grant and Evan Crook, both of the Malamut law firm based in Cherry Hill.
The complaints were allegedly filed, according to sources, by the college’s chief financial officer, Kevin Kerfoot, who is reported to be the brother-inlaw of powerful Democratic 7th District Senator Troy Singleton, and that Singleton has purported ties to attorney Adam S. Malamut, managing partner of Malamut Law, a known supporter of Democrats.
Cioce’s executive assistant, Jeanne Paulsen, in this newspaper’s previous published report, indicated there was an alleged falling out after Cioce would not go along with Malamut attempting to “exert” control over the college, including his purported request to have a website firm retained, whose director of consulting services has apparent ties to some of the state’s highestranking Democrats (and who was also just recently appointed to the trustees board by the Board of Commissioners).
Wright initially tried to have a resolution passed at the Oct. 22 board session to have Cioce investigated by the Weiner Law group, with allegations subsequently aired that that law group is conflicted in taking up the matter with an attorney there purportedly close to Malamut.
Additionally, when Cioce went to publicly respond to the allegations and raise objections not only to the attempted use of Weiner Law, but also what he claimed was a non-traditional process being utilized for his RICE (employment) hearing that was called to order on Oct. 22, Wright initially tried cutting him short, maintaining he had the authority to censor the college president.
Ultimately Cioce was successful in speaking, and later, when Paulsen publicly excoriated Wright for his actions and made mention to the alleged connection
to Malamut in the matter, the chair of the Board of Trustees appeared to lose his temper and threaten her job, declaring that he hoped she is “vested.” Wright, at that moment, also denied having been in touch with Esquire Malamut.
Wright ultimately ended up agreeing to having another firm take up the investigation into the college president after his board colleagues would not go along with the request for Weiner Law to conduct the investigation, though several of the board members noted, however, that because there are active complaints against the college president, they are obligated to investigate them.
In issuing the “joint position” of the Faculty and Support Staff associations, memorialized in a Nov. 5 email obtained by this newspaper, William Whitfield, a mathematics professor at the college and president of the Faculty Association, contended that the “actions of Dr. Anthony C. Wright during the Board of Trustees meeting on Oct. 22, 2024, are in violation of Board Policy.”
He then cited the following alleged policy violations, to include:
Board Policy 913 - Civility, with him noting that it states ‘“Civility Policy is created to ensure that all [employees] … are treated with dignity and respect, regardless of status, rank, title or position.’”
Board Policy 917 - Code of Ethics for College Trustees, Standard 4, with him pointing out that it states ‘“No Trustee shall knowingly act in any way that might reasonably be expected to create an impression or suspicion among the public having knowledge of the Trustee’s acts, that she/he may be engaged in conduct violative of her/his trust as a public official.’”
Whitfield also pointed to state statute N.J.S.A. 10:4-6, or the “Senator Byron M. Baer Open Public Meetings Act,” which “acknowledges that ‘secrecy in public affairs undermines the faith of the public in government.’”
“Statements made by Trustees during the Oct. 22 board meeting give the impression that not all board members had knowledge of the issues that were discussed,” charged Whitfield in his correspondence, sent to Cioce and copied to Paulsen, among others.
Wright could not be reached for comment on the vote of no confidence development, as of press time, and messages this newspaper previously left with Singleton, Malamut and Kerfoot about the allegations they face have yet to be returned as of press time.
According to a source, the Faculty Association represents about 65 full-time faculty (classroom instructors), while the Support Staff Association is separate, representing 95 non-academic staffers. Meanwhile, this newspaper reported last week that Paulsen’s husband, Glenn, is a former Burlington County Republican
EVESHAM—Democrats managed to retain total control of the Evesham Township Council on Nov. 5 despite an intraparty shakeup that caused two incumbents to decide not to seek reelection prior to the primary and a third, who was allied with them, to remove herself from the council, creating a third vacancy that the local GOP hoped to take advantage of.
Emerging as victorious new four-year members of this largest Burlington County municipality’s governing body were Democrats Joseph Fisicaro, Jr. with 13,378 votes and Christian Smith, with 12,909 votes, holding off a challenge from former Republican Councilman Robert DiEnna and Thomas DeMarsey, who chalked up 10,542 votes and 10,625 votes, respectively.
Fisicaro and Smith will replace current Democratic council members Ginamarie Espinoza and Eddie Freeman III in January.
Another Democratic candidate, Dr. Krystal Hunter, already serving in an acting capacity on the council after replacing former Councilwoman Patricia
MELTDOWN
made (e.g., providing chairs and other amenities for voters, especially older ones, who might have to wait for a considerable period of time for their turn)?” Levinsky responded that county elections officials had anticipated that the 2024 general election would be a high-turnout affair and planned accordingly.
“But the combination of massive voter turnout, technical issues during the opening and the natural adjustment to new machines all contributed to create the long lines and waits,” he contended, adding that the County Commissioners “support the bipartisan call for a review of election procedures to identify improvements to ensure the excessive waits and lines do not occur again.”
Asked whether there were any indications in early voting that this sort of logjam would occur, the county spokesman replied that while “there was strong turnout during early voting with hour-plus long waits at some locations during peak voting hours, it was “nothing like what some voters experienced on Election Day,” further adding, “the early voting turnout did not provide any indicator or warning that there would be excessive lines or waits” on the latter occasion.
“Pat” Hansen, who resigned in the middle of her second term, defeated Republican challenger Keith Roman, 13,013 to 10,719 votes. She will now serve out the remainder of Hansen’s four-year term.
Both Espinosa and Freeman decided not to run on the Democratic ticket after turmoil ensued over their having voted in favor of replacing the Malamut law firm with Parker-McCay, which is owed by Philip Norcross, the brother of just re-elected First District Congressman Donald Norcross and Democratic power broker George Norcross. Both of the latter have since been indicted on corruption charges.
Fisicaro is a history and government teacher at his alma mater, Cherokee High School. Smith is a former fire commissioner and a senior audio/visual and video teleconferencing systems administrator at American Water.
Hunter is the holder of a PhD in Business Data Science from New Jersey Institute of Technology and an MBA from Rutgers Graduate School of Management. She currently works as a biostatistician at a local health system, in addition to serving as an associate professor at a local medical school.
where due to the excessive lines and waits, the polling locations remained open until every voter in line as of 9 p.m. had voted.” (That has been disputed by various voters [see separate story].)
“New Jersey law spells out the procedures for requesting a recount,” he added. But when specifically asked if ballots could somehow still be counted if voters couldn’t stay at their polling place, Levinsky replied, “I am not aware of any mechanism for voters who came to a polling place and whatever reason decided to leave.”
The question of whether “anyone will be held accountable for this situation, and if so, what sort of disciplinary action will be taken against them” was one he declined to answer, noting that “the county does not comment or discuss personnel.”
Also unanswered was a query on whether this newspaper would be given the opportunity to interview local election officials, such as Superintendent of Elections Dawn Marie Addiego, a former Republican-turned-Democratic state senator from the 8th Legislative district.
“Election officials are still focused on ensuring that all ballots are processed and properly counted and reported, and also that election equipment is secured and stored,” he replied.
As for whether there might be any sort of attempt to recount votes “that were lost as a result of people simply giving up and going home after being forced to wait for hours, particularly in local races where a small number of ballots might have made all the difference,” Levinsky pointed out that “Burlington County voters had the opportunity to participate in the 2024 General Election in a number of ways: via vote-by-mail ballots, a nineday early voting period and Election Day voting at their regular polling locations,
The impact of the imbroglio, however (which made at least one Philadelphia TV station’s Election Night coverage) was reflected in a somewhat unusual “Joint Statement from Burlington County Democratic and Republican Party Chairs (Matthew Riggins and Sean Earlen, respectively) on 2024 Polling Delays,” which called on both the county superintendent and Board of Elections “to conduct an internal analysis of voting processes and procedures” that resulted in the “excessive delays” at polling locations.
“This analysis,” the statement said,
(Continued from Page 5) See MELTDOWN/ Page 13
Democrats ‘Confident’ Democratic Assemblyman Herb Conaway, Elected as Rep. Kim’s Successor to 3rd Congressional District Seat; Mohan Concedes, But Wants Accountability for BurlCo Voting Issues
• Conaway, a Physician, is Ahead of Cardiologist Rival Rajesh Mohan, and in Speech, Gives Positions on Economy, Democracy, and Abortion
• Mohan Says His Campaign Received ‘Numerous’ Complaints from BurlCo Voters That They Couldn’t Wait in Long Lines to Vote for Him
• Two-Term Congressman Kim Declared Senator-elect After Defeating GOP Hotelier Bashaw, Becoming First Korean-American U.S. Senator
• Donald J. Trump Elected as 47th President of U.S., to Become the First President Since Grover Cleveland to Serve Two Non-Consecutive Terms
By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer
MOUNT LAUREL—As of press time on Nov. 7, Democratic 7th District state Assemblyman Dr. Herb Conaway, Jr., also the director of the Burlington County Health Department, was 28,292 votes ahead of his Republican rival, Dr. Rajesh Mohan, an interventional cardiologist, in the race for the Third Congressional District seat being vacated by Democratic Rep. Andy Kim, the latter who was announced as the next senator-elect from New Jersey following the Nov. 5 General Election. While other media outlets had called the race for Conaway, as of press time, only 83 percent of the vote was in as of 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 7 from the congressional district that spans Burlington, Mercer and Monmouth counties.
Conaway had 190,238 votes compared to Mohan’s 161,946.
“Based on the results from mail-in ballots, early votes and the historic turnout we saw today, while we are not prepared to officially call the race yet, we are confident when the race is called, we will have just elected ‘Congressman’ Herb Conaway,” declared Burlington County Democratic County Chairman Matthew Riggins to roaring cheers and applause at a gathering held inside The Westin in Mount Laurel.
Mohan, on the morning of Nov. 7, told this newspaper in a phone interview that he “graciously” has conceded the race and does not want to “sound like a sore loser, because he is not,” however, “there has to
be accountability where it needs to be had” for the voting issues reported in Burlington County (see separate stories), with him telling this newspaper that his campaign received “numerous” verbal complaints, emails and messages from would-be voters that they wanted to vote for his candidacy, but simply “could not stand in line for two to four hours.” He pointed to the results for the congressional seat up for grabs showing a “close race,” with a Republican having been the most competitive in years.
When Conaway took to the microphone on Election Night, he quipped, “Well, it’s been a good day.”
Conaway, in raising the “massive turnout and delay” in voting seen at polling places throughout Burlington County, declared, “What we can say is that our fellow citizens here in Burlington County were very much invested in the democracy, and they wanted to make sure they voted, and they overwhelmed the system here today.”
“They are still in line!” he asserted, in putting a sharp point on that during the early evening of Nov. 5. “And that is because they wanted to have their say. They understand how precious a vote is.”
He went on to maintain that “a vote” is “an act of love for your democracy, for citizenship, for your community, and for the larger community, certainly when you think about that we are having a national election.”
Mohan, however, in the Nov. 7 interview with this newspaper, described that “our campaign got emails from voters who could not wait anymore” in line “who wanted
Democratic 7th District state Assemblyman Dr. Herb Conaway, Jr., also the director of the Burlington County Health Department, delivers remarks after Burlington County Democratic County Chairman Matthew Riggins refers to him as “Congressman” and says he is confident in him being victorious in the race for the Third Congressional District.
to vote for me” and “we actually have communications from them.”
“Unfortunately, they obviously were concerned that they were disenfranchised - quite a few voters,” Mohan said. “You saw a margin between me and Conaway that was significantly less than the previous elections, so every vote counts.”
Mohan, in again stressing that “we will accept whatever the outcome is, and I already have” in pointing to a concession statement emailed to the press, at the same time declared, “absolutely we want an investigation” into what happened in Burlington County, calling it “unconscionable such few voting machines were available for voters at voting locations.”
“Because if you compare it to other counties, the other counties almost had twice the number of voting machines available,” Mohan said. “That was incompetence and poor planning, compared to other counties.”
Mohan is from Monmouth County, and told this newspaper that after that county had some long lines during the first weekend of early voting (not to the scale of what happened in Burlington County), that particular county “increased the number
of machines in real time.”
“So, they planned well, and executed well in Monmouth County,” said Mohan, pointing out that he did much better than expected there, including getting a lot of cross-party votes.
Whoever is responsible for the breakdown in Burlington County, Mohan told this newspaper, “should be replaced.”
“That is accountability,” he added. “They knew elections were going to happen many, many months in advance, and to just to have less voting machines doesn’t make any sense. It made it so difficult for voters to exercise their constitutional right. Some people simply could not stand in line for two to four hours, they could not wait in line.”
Mohan believes that many who simply were unable to remain in line, “I believe would have voted for me.”
“It is a shame, and the people responsible for this have to be held accountable and should no longer be in their jobs,” Mohan declared. “I accept it (defeat) graciously, but there has to be accountability where it needs to be had.”
Conaway, in his Election Night speech, told
Photo By Andrew King
Dems Running for County Commissioner Easily Sweep Race, with Director Hopson Re-elected, Burrell to Represent Gen Z
Burlington County Board of Commissioners Director Dr.
and her running mate, Tyler Burrell (right), currently council president for Delran Township and also the board president of the Burlington County Institute of Technology and Special Services District, celebrate a victory on Nov. 5 in Mount Laurel after being re-elected and elected, respectively, to the commissioners’ board.
By D ouglas D. M elegari
Staff Writer
MOUNT LAUREL—Democratic Burlington County Board of Commissioners Director Dr. Felicia Hopson and her running mate, Tyler Burrell, currently council president for Delran Township and also the board president of the Burlington County Institute of Technology and Special Services District, have easily defeated their Republican challengers on Nov. 5, Johnathan Duff, an insurance administrator, and Nick Pawlyzyn, a New Hanover Township Committeeman.
With an estimated 87 percent of districts reporting in the county as of press time on Nov. 6, Hopson garnered 117,314 votes, followed by Burrell with 117,304 votes, compared to Duff who got 87,682 votes and Pawlyzyn who garnered 84,928 votes.
“We did it!” declared Hopson at a victory celebration held at The Westin in Mount Laurel.
The room of supporters, Hopson maintained, “represents the important relationships that we have built in the last six years that I have been in office.”
“And this room is full of diversity,” Hopson declared. “This room feels inclusive. This room feels and looks like Burlington County. And that is what matters.”
Hopson thanked Commissioner Dan O’Connell for his service, who will be leaving his term on Dec. 31, with Burrell to be his successor.
“We could not have done it without you,” Hopson exclaimed. “The dynamic
of our board - the diversity of our board has been intentional. And it is to make sure that we provide services to our residents; we keep our county rates down.
“And we always make sure that everyone understands that we are here for them. And we are willing to talk to youwhether the conversation is bad, whether the conversation is good - we are here for you. And that is what our commissioner board represents entirely.”
Hopson also had a message for “all of the Gen Z’s that are truly engaged in this political process”: “We now have a true representative in Tyler Burrell. He is going to our room with me.”
Burrell, a labor law attorney, was first elected to public office at the age of 19 in 2016, and is now 27 years old.
“It makes me emotional to think about when I first made that decision to run, and where I am at now, and the opportunity I have to serve,” Burrell declared.
He maintained that he and Hopson “do this because we care.”
“And public service is one of the best callings I think we could possibly have,” Burrell said. “We have the privilege each and every day to impact the lives of thousands of people.”
It is a privilege, he maintained, “that we take very seriously.”
Burrell concluded that “we are going to keep making sure that Burlington County is an affordable place for everybody to live, and that we are going to make sure it is diverse to represent the interests of everybody, including my generation who now have a seat at the table.”
Photo By Andrew King
Democratic
Felicia Hopson (left)
Tabernacle Hires Former Medford Manager/Clerk Burger for Positions of Township Administrator, Clerk and CFO
Burger to Work 28 Hours Per Week in Deal Causing ‘Termination’ of Agreement for Administrator/Clerk Services from Woodland, But Change in Not Seeking Full-Time Worker Causes Controversy
By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer
TABERNACLE—Former Medford
Township Manager and Clerk Kathy Burger is coming out of retirement, which lasted nearly a year, and is scheduled to serve as Tabernacle Township’s new municipal administrator and clerk beginning Dec. 2.
The Tabernacle Township Committee voted 3-1 to appoint Burger to the posts during its Oct. 28 session, an action that also “terminated” a shared services agreement Tabernacle had for administrator and clerk services with Woodland Township.
It essentially means that Maryalice Brown’s service to the township, given she is Woodland’s municipal administrator and clerk, is coming to an end.
Burger, a Tabernacle resident who worked for Medford Township for 36 years, and from 2015 to 2023 as its township manager, as previously reported by this newspaper, publicly had challenged processes during a Sept. 9 committee session that fell under the purview of Brown, a 32-year employee of Woodland Township.
On Aug. 26, following a very rocky several months over a Tabernacle Town Hall debacle and ensuing lawsuit and fallout, Tabernacle Mayor Noble McNaughton announced the Tabernacle Committee’s intention to hire a “full-time administrator/clerk.”
And that is where Burger’s appointment drew some controversy on Oct. 28.
According to a resolution memorializing Burger’s three-year appointment in Tabernacle, a copy of which was provided in advance to the public, Burger is being appointed “part-time, 30 hours a week” with an annual salary of $125,000.
And in a pronouncement from McNaughton, which ultimately saw the resolution amended, the number of hours to be worked by Burger was decreased to 28 hours per week.
“I thought you originally started this process because you wanted a fulltime administrator, but you are hiring a part-time person,” said Tabernacle Committeeman Mark Hartman. “So, this doesn’t make sense why we are doing this.”
McNaughton’s response was that, “We are going from 16 hours (provided by Brown) to 28 hours (provided by Burger).”
“And of the group that interviewed, this was the best choice,” McNaughton added. The same resolution appointing Burger to the Tabernacle administrator and clerk positions also appointed Burger to a three-year term as municipal chief financial officer (CFO), with the document confirming that current Chief Financial Officer Rodney Haines had rendered his “resignation.”
“I don’t understand why we are giving a person three positions,” Hartman asserted. “Who is checking up on the
CFO if you are making a CFO position all one person?”
McNaughton responded that Burger’s appointment as municipal CFO is “only temporary until we can find one.”
(Burger, as previously reported by this newspaper, was first hired by Medford in October 1987 as a cashier in its Tax Office, and then was transferred to the Finance Office, before obtaining her Certified Municipal Finance Officer Certification from the Rutgers Center for Local Government Services, at which time she was appointed as Medford’s CFO in 2005, serving in that capacity until August 2015, when she was promoted as Medford’s manager.)
Hartman also questioned whether Burger would be provided with a pension and healthcare benefits. McNaughton responded that those things would be addressed in a contract that is pending approval.
It led Brown to declare, “Ms. Burger hasn’t reached out to either myself or Mr. Burns (William Burns, Tabernacle solicitor) about the contract yet.”
McNaughton then snapped, “It will be done at the next meeting.”
Hartman cast the lone opposing vote in appointing Burger, with McNaughton joined in the affirmative by Tabernacle Deputy Mayor Joe Barton and Tabernacle Committeeman William Sprague, Jr.
Tabernacle Committeeman Samuel “Sammy” Moore was absent.
“Maryalice has been doing a wonderful job for us,” Hartman contended. “And I think Maryalice is getting the (short) end of the stick here.”
Local Transparency Advocate and resident Fran Brooks, during public comment, however, blasted Hartman over audits purportedly not being submitted on time, or at all, declaring, “You, Mr. Hartman, who think that she should stay around, that is fine, you have every right to express your opinion, but you, as a committeeperson, should have been observant, making observations about the fact that we had no audit done for 2022.”
Brooks maintained of Brown, “She was hired as an administrator, and an administrator does the oversight on all of these activities.”
“So, it is pretty offensive to hear your comment and the fact that she should be staying around, because it is a good thing she is not!” Brooks declared.
The 2022 audit of the township, Brooks claimed, had gotten approved only at the Oct. 28 session, with Brooks charging, “It is only 16 months late!”
“It should have been adopted in June of 2023!” Brooks added. “And by the way, the 2023 audit was due June 2024. And still, there is no sign of that audit. It doesn’t exist. That one doesn’t exist.”
It led Brown to snap, “The whole
Pemberton Historic Trust, Browns Mills Improvement Association, Among Others, Call for ‘Very Historic’ Sycamore Hall to be ‘Saved’ Former Bank Building Overlooking Mirror Lake Was Purchased in March, But Charges That Construction
Is Delayed Give Rise to Concern of Council to the Point Routine Alcohol License Transfer Is Tabled to ‘Slow’ Things
By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer
PEMBERTON—Calls are growing, including from two key community-based organizations, for Pemberton Township officials to “save” and “preserve” what has been referred to as the “very historic” Sycamore Hall, or commonly known as the yellow bank building that sits atop a hill overlooking Mirror Lake in the Browns Mills section of the municipality.
The property was purchased from the township by Before and After Properties, LLC, a firm listed as based in nearby New Egypt (Plumsted Township), on March 22, 2024, according to Interim Business Administrator Paula Cozzarelli.
Tax records show that the parcel was sold to the entity for $250,000.
Previously, Before and After Properties was designated back in August 2023 as the conditional redeveloper for the site.
The designation had followed a presentation in which the proprietors of the enterprise, Tyrone and Kerry Gillon, discussed their intent to renovate the second and third floors of the building, turning them into “luxury” or “highend,” but “affordable” apartments. The downstairs of the lakefront facility, they said, would be transformed into an indoor lounge and café, with there also being a proposed gift shop.
The proposal for 1 Clubhouse Road, which received unanimous support from Pemberton Township Council at the time, was to also include an outdoor beer and wine garden, as well as improvements to nearby lake access for recreational activities.
But, so far, no activity to redevelop the parcel has been observed by onlookers, and with time, some members of council have soured on the proposal. And now the council wants to look at the “contract” in place to see if the terms of the agreement have been violated by the purported delay.
The Gillons, however, in a statement sent to this newspaper just before its Nov.
7 press time, indicated that they still intend to redevelop the site, pointing to one change from the original plan in that the second and third floors “will house a bed and breakfast.”
“One of the things that happened shortly after they took possession of the property is that one of the principal investors, and one of the people who was going to do a lot of their renovating, was in a car accident and passed away as a result of that car accident,” ultimately revealed Mayor Jack Tompkins amid pressure for the township to preserve the property, which was heard during three September and October sessions of council.
The purported accident, he maintained, occurred a couple weeks after the sale transaction.
“So that may have slowed them down a little bit,” Tompkins said.
Council, however, has now asked on Oct. 16 for the administration to arrange for the Gillons to appear before the public body to discuss the reasons for the delay.
“We feel it is extremely important that the building be saved,” declared Sherry Scull, of the Pemberton Township Historic Trust, during an Oct. 2 council session. “We don't want to see it burn down, fall down, or be destroyed.”
Scull pointed out that the building “has gone through several uses,” including serving as a residence for a former Pemberton Township Clerk, Kay Stull, following 1920s prohibition, and when her original home that she had in town “burnt down.”
“They moved into Sycamore Hall, and she had 30 residents go with her that were there for tuberculosis,” Scull recounted. According to Scull, Stull “would throw huge parties” at the residence and “many people would come when it was no longer a sanatorium for tuberculosis.” The local historian also remembered that “many dances” were held in the building.
Photo By Douglas D. Melegari
Sycamore Hall.
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maintained were “technical issues at the opening of polls,” and ultimately appeared to become overwhelmed given the turnout.
Hundreds of voters have taken to social media to describe that it took two to four hours to vote, with many describing that there were simply an inadequate number of machines at their polling places.
“Incompetence by the dunces from the county,” one man charged on a Nextdoor community forum.
One voter observed of their precinct that “the Burlington County Board of Elections has only two voting machines for thousands of citizens to vote” and that “there are normally six or eight.”
Another described of their polling place, “there are only two voting booths,” a number which “seems about four too short for the number of residents coming to this station.”
In responding to a social media posting from Burlington County acknowledging the technical issues at the polls, one voter replied by describing that there was only “one voting machine” at her polling facility and that it took her “four hours and two minutes” to get through the line there.
“They finally rolled in another machine at the 3-hour 30-minute mark,” the voter claimed.
That voter wasn’t alone in providing such accounts.
Another woman replied to the county’s posting that at her polling place, “five districts vote and there were five machines, which she maintained, “are about four machines short.”
“This is a disgrace,” the voter declared. “Workers are doing a good job, just not enough machines.”
“It would have helped to have more than two machines for my location,” another voter replied. “I am angry.”
Even in highly-populated Mount Laurel, one voter declared of the situation there, “one machine is insane!”
But the problems just didn’t extend to the highly-populated sections of the county, but in the Pinelands communities as well.
“Three-hour wait in Southampton,” one woman observed. “Only two machines for a community with over 4,000 people. The county could have warned us and recommended early voting due to lack of machines. Last time I voted, it only took 10 minutes.”
The situation at one point was so chaotic at a polling place in Southampton – the Vincent firehouse, the fire company urged visitors to “please be courteous to our wonderful
neighbors by not blocking them in, parking in front of their mailboxes, or in their yards.”
“Please also be kind to our volunteer firefighters who are taking time out of their day to assist you with the at times chaotic parking situation,” it was added.
The fire company recommended that people seek parking as far away as the Red Lion Recreation Complex (a good five-minute walking distance away from the polling place), but as one person responded, “Some people are elderly and have health issues and cannot walk that far nor wait in a long line.”
“We apologize, but the fire company has nothing to do with the voting system,” the fire company responded. “Any complaints should be forwarded to the county and/or township. Again, we apologize for the situation.”
One woman simply took to social media by early evening to ask, “Anyone know how long the line is now in Vincentown for voting?”
“I have been there three times and can’t wait in those long lines,” she added, only to be told, “It is two hours no matter what time you go,” and to “Bring a chair.”
Another voter, also from Southampton,
in a different forum, described having had to return to their polling place several times to see if a line there had eased, only to find that it had not.
“I tried at 1:30 p.m. and again at 4:20 p.m.,” the voter said. “The parking lot is full and the line is long. I have never had trouble in the past. I was in and out. Apparently, there are only two voting machines, which apparently is a problem. I hope I get to vote before the polls close!”
In the Country Lakes section of Pemberton Township, a voter there wrote in a social media posting, “Two voting machines in Country Lakes – line is down the street.” Those in charge, they maintained, “should have made sure there were at least four machines.”
“Very underprepared as usual,” the voter claimed.
Reportedly exacerbating the problem is what this newspaper previously reported –for the first time during a General Election, the county was implementing new voting machines, which it had previously debuted for early voting.
A voter in the LeisureTowne section of Southampton reported having attempted to vote at Settlers Hall on three separate occasions, only to find a “two plus hour wait.”
“An election employee said that the machines were new, and people had trouble using them,” he recounted. “I asked where else could I go to vote, and there is nowhere ... I guess a mail-in ballot is for the next election.”
Yet another voter observed, “There were people in front of me who were confused with the print outs by taking them out of the printer before it printed the second time. It took a lot of time holding up the line.”
One individual also concurred “the new voting process is what is slowing it down, a lot of people are used to the old mechanical choosing and clicking ‘Cast Vote.’”
“Everything changed with a giant touch screen, printing your ballot and feeding it into the tabulator,” the individual added. “It is more secure, but it is why the lines are long. The elderly, along with anyone who is not really tech savvy may take longer, by no fault of their own either.”
Photo By Douglas D. Melegari
A line of voters extending beyond the Race Street Bridge in Southampton Township, after the official closing of polls, waiting to vote at the Vincent Firehouse polling facility.
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That individual, while recognizing the need for a “secure voting process,” also recognized that “not everyone is a tech wiz,” and that there is a “need to streamline this, somehow.”
One person summarized, “the new voting machines are the bottleneck in the whole process!”
On multiple social media forums, given the extremely long lines, eyewitnesses reported observing elderly and disabled people struggling to remain in line. Some observed voters simply giving up.
Questions surfaced about why there had been purportedly no accommodations made for such voters.
“I can only stand for short periods of time, and I walk with a cane,” one voter wrote. “There were many people in line with canes. It would be helpful to have seating along the way, but there was none.”
One person observed that a 95-year-old couple from Medford Lakes had to stand in line for an extended amount of time, promising to call a local television station to report what she saw as a travesty.
“Some people cannot wait in line for that long, whether it is because they have to work, or they are physically not able to,” another woman wrote to the county. “Something needs to change for day of voting in the future.”
There were also online reports that voters tried to have someone hold their place in line, but were informed that was not permitted. At the Vincent firehouse, some reported that kindness kicked in, “allowing disabled voters (those who cannot wait in line standing for 2 plus hours) to cut ahead or help them out.”
And in anticipation that turnout might be used as an excuse, one voter proclaimed, “I don’t care if every single citizen comes out to vote, if you have to wait for hours, regardless of what time you show up, there is something very wrong.”
newspaper has since learned of claims that several polling sites had turned away voters who came back, unaware of the ruling. One person took to social media describing that poll workers simply dismissed what voters were telling them as “fake news” and “misinformation.”
And in at least one instance, one municipality had already informed this newspaper that they had tabulated the vote by 8:30 p.m. This newspaper also learned from that municipality that they had been told by the president of the Burlington County Clerk’s Association, that according to the County Board of Elections, “we are to close at 8 p.m.”
This newspaper subsequently responded to Levinsky that voters were reporting being turned away and at least one polling site had closed shop, and asked him how the word of the voting extension had been disseminated to polling locations, but it was a question in an 8:49 p.m. phone call to this newspaper that he did not have any immediate answers to.
In the case of the municipality that had tabulated the votes, the clerk there (who learned of the judge’s ruling from this newspaper) claimed no one had returned to vote in their town.
Others questioned what would have happened if there was inclement weather on Election Day, and voters were forced to stand out in the elements.
As the polls neared closing, Burlington County tried assuring voters that if they were in line by 8 p.m., they could vote.
“Burlington County officials need to be held accountable,” one woman responded back. “There are not enough voting machines in the municipalities and you implemented a process that is not quick or efficient.”
And it was so bad, area municipalities reported having in some cases to close roads for safety of voters or call in law enforcement to control traffic, including in Medford Lakes, where one person reported in a different forum, “I arrived at 2 p.m. and finally voted at 5 p.m.”
“Three hours it took,” the voter maintained. “Something’s wrong with that picture and the line is even longer now than it was then.”
Some readers told this newspaper that it took as long as six hours to vote, including in Eastampton Township. Others said they didn’t get to cast their ballots until 1:30 a.m. on the day following “Election Day.”
This newspaper received complaints about long lines from voters in even the most sparsely populated county towns of Bass River and Shamong.
At 7:34 p.m. on Nov. 5, Attorney General Matt Platkin filed a lawsuit to extend voting hours by one hour to 9 p.m. in Burlington County, and to make paper ballots available to voters in the county.
“We will continue to fight to ensure that all voters can participate in this election,” he declared.
But that became a tall order – with the judge not starting the hearing until 14 minutes after the closing time had passed, and not ruling until reportedly 8:36 p.m. that the polls are to stay open until 9 p.m., and that voters can vote if they are in line by 9 p.m.
Burlington County Spokesman David Levinsky did not put out word of the judge’s decision to the press until 8:44 p.m., which was a pronouncement that came in the form of an email.
Some, in response to news reports, reportedly then returned to their polling locations in Burlington County, but this
The Pine Barrens Tribune, in observing the situation at the Vincent firehouse, found that by evening, State Troopers had used their troop cars to block all the motor vehicle access points to Race Street, or the road leading up to the polling location and associated parking lot. This newspaper observed at least three State Troopers having had to respond to the situation at the Vincent firehouse.
The blockade apparently was made because of a serious public safety situation that had developed, with the parking lot by the firehouse, as well as elsewhere in the village, filling beyond capacity, with a sheer number of voters lined up beyond the Race Street Bridge.
In the case of one of our reporters who attempted to get his elderly father to the polls in time for the 8 p.m. closing time (after his father had tried three previous times on his own, unsuccessfully, to vote earlier in the day, unable to walk a considerable distance or stand in line for hours, and had become extremely discouraged that he might not be able to exercise his right to vote), one of the Troopers standing guard at the intersection of Race and Main streets would not allow any motor vehicle access to get one closer to the polling station for a drop-off.
The Trooper ultimately agreed to allow access, but then never moved his troop car as he said he would do, with the situation appearing chaotic. The reporter’s father –determined to vote, ended up struggling to make it to the polling place on foot, becoming one of the last voters in line, but having to walk more than a quarter-mile to check-in, and then having to walk back a ways to reach the back of the line extending past the bridge.
The reporter’s father, who could not recall ever having to wait in line in previous Southampton elections, almost gave up, struggling amid the circumstances, but thanks to the efforts of the volunteer members of the fire company, was provided a chair (which he moved every so often as the line only crawled forward) that enabled him to make it through to vote – casting his ballot after 11:15 p.m. on Nov. 5.
The Vincent Fire Company was observed making the best of a surreal situation –using its rescue engine, for instance, to provide lighting for those standing in line in what otherwise was a poorly lit area. Additionally, the fire company loaded cases
Photo By Douglas D. Melegari
State Police blocking vehicle access to Race Street, where a polling site was located.
Photo By Douglas D. Melegari
Bottled water on the back of a pickup truck made for sale to voters waiting in long lines in Southampton Township.
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of water on the back of one of its pickup trucks and made multiple announcements over a loudspeaker that bottled water was for sale for $1.
Their efforts to try to make voters comfortable cannot be overstated here, but still, this newspaper observed the struggles of those who rely on walking devices, including one woman who was forced to walk uphill in the middle of Race Street, to Main Street, after voting, given the lack of parking close to the polling station and the police blockade, using a walker.
It was around 9:15 p.m. when the state police was observed lifting the blockade in downtown Vincentown.
The blockade, however, left many questions as to just how many voters, particularly those who are elderly or disabled, simply weren’t able to vote because
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“should include recommendations to improve service and efficiencies for future elections and should be completed and made available to the public by Jan. 30, 2025.”
Also weighing in was former Evesham Township Republican Councilman Robert DiEnna, one of the unsuccessful GOP candidates for three open council seats in the Nov. 5 election, who when contacted by this newspaper, questioned why “the taxpayers have paid millions and millions of dollars to employ this new system” which he described as being “cumbersome” and having “more steps” when “the old system was very simple and efficient.”
The confusion caused by having voters, especially older ones, try to understand a new technology at a time of heavier-thanusual voting, DiEnna maintained, raises the questions of “who designed this system, how many bidders were there on this new equipment, how many different processes were considered, and was it change for the sake of change or was there any research
ISSUES
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his supporters that it is “important to work hard, bear your burdens lightly, and try to be a force for good in the world that you inhabit.”
“Try to take care of one another,” the 27year legislator declared, maintaining it was something he has always tried to maintain throughout his public service. “If somebody has got a problem, try to lift them up. And always, always, always be helpful.”
Conaway vowed that if in fact he is elected to Congress, he would “raise my hand once again in defense of our Constitution, and our liberties, and our democracy.”
“And, I am proud of you for helping me to do that,” he said.
Conaway also appeared to credit the “people who care about students, and science, and government” and “veteran’s groups that were concerned about our national security and that our veterans were honored” in helping him to mount what looked to be a successful campaign bid.
He then took a swipe at former GOP president Donald J. Trump, who was
of the lack of appropriate access to the polling location.
In Medford Township, a Pine Barrens Tribune photojournalist spoke with a male voter who emerged from voting, describing he waited 3 hours and 40 minutes to vote. He said that “machines were breaking, printers running out of ink.”
Similar accounts of “the printers ran out of ink and paper,” with people still in line, subsequently appeared in a Medford area social media forum, including from one voter who described that because of the printer and ink problems, voters waiting in line had even been instructed by a poll worker that they might have to go home and mail their paper ballots, only to be directed to not do so moments later. It is unclear what the final instruction was that they had been given.
Additionally, the Pine Barrens Tribune learned of an eyewitness account from Mansfield Township describing that a voter waiting in line was reportedly injured after
See FAILURE/ Page 14
and study that went into making the voting procedure more secure and more efficient?”
In his press release, Levinsky noted that a total of 560 ballot marking devices were deployed during this year’s election, well exceeding the 520 voting machines used by the county during the 2016 General Election, which was the last presidential election year where voting machines were the primary method of casting ballots.
“The number of machines deployed at each polling location was based on recommendations from the county’s voting machine vendor and input from the bipartisan Board of Elections and municipal clerks,” he added. “If additional machines or other changes are needed to ensure smoother elections, the county is committed to making those improvements.”
But while Burlington County has roughly three quarters the population of neighboring Ocean County, according to 2020 Census figures, the latter, is listed on a state voting equipment inventory, updated in October, as having a total of 1,029 machines, including 73 for early voting, Also, the machines used in the two counties are from different
re-elected to a second term Nov. 5, after defeating current Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
Trump, who had lost a presidential bid to Joe Biden in 2020, will become the first president to serve two, non-consecutive terms since Grover Cleveland.
“We had a president who called people ‘suckers’ for giving the last measure of devotion in defense of liberty, in defense of democracy,” Conaway charged. “Because he forgot that the United States is the essential nation in a world dependent democracy, here at home, and abroad.”
At the time of his remarks, Conaway maintained his optimism that “you’re going to hear from women right straight across this nation” who will “make sure we get a woman in the White House,” and while it drew cheers, that of course, did not pan out with the election of Trump, who was on target to have swept the battleground states of the Electoral College and was even holding a lead in the popular vote, in what some pundits characterized as the greatest Republican victory nationally since 1984.
In fact, the presidential election results for New Jersey are much closer than any polling
manufacturers, Burlington County using ImageCast BMD machines manufactured by Dominion, while Ocean County is among 15 of the state’s 21 counties utilizing Express Vote models.
Burlington County’s having settled on the Dominion voting machines was one of the points of contention raised by members of the public, well over 100 of whom voiced their outrage on the County official Facebook page, some giving vent to suspicions that there was an ulterior motive involved.
“Lines were longer because the machines are slower,” claimed Shamong resident Bob Ritter. ”It took me six minutes once I stepped in the booth to complete both steps. … It just took a long time between screens and to print. We took a huge step backwards. How did the county not see this coming or was it intentional to keep people from voting (which it absolutely did just that)?”
Another post from a resident expressed similar sentiments.
“This has NOTHING to do with voter turnout,” it said.
He then went on to claim “those (turnout) numbers are not that high.”
“This has to do with an absolutely inexcusable decision to move to new machines,” the person declared. “… All it did was prevent some folks from staying in line and that is a disgrace.”
Other commentators blamed election officials for not having provided nearly enough machines to accommodate the numbers of voters in this election.
“Every member of the Board of Elections should be forced to resign,” declared one of the commentators, Michelle GalvanoPerez. “How could you be surprised at a large turnout for a presidential election? The machines were not the problem, the LACK of machines was the problem. Even poll workers couldn’t understand why this election had 1/2-1/3 the number of machines than in previous years of nonpresidential elections. It felt deliberate as well.”
Christine Seaman Tomlin, called it “the absolute worst voting experience I have ever had.”
“I was distrustful to begin with and the hot mess of yesterday did not help,” Tomlin added. “I absolutely will not vote by mail,
See MELTDOWN/ Page 14
had, with there only being a 4-point spread between Trump and Harris, as of press time.
The economy was reportedly one of the top issues in this year’s election, with
Photo By Douglas D. Melegari
A Vincent Fire rescue engine being used to light an otherwise poorly lit area where voters waited in line outside up through 11:15 p.m. to vote.
exit polls showing a majority of voters in the U.S. feel it is on the wrong track, but Conaway maintained of his view on the
See ISSUES/ Page 15
Photo By Andrew King
Democratic Senator-elect Andy Kim mingles with supporters at the DoubleTree by Hilton Cherry Hill, saying he chose to speak at the hotel because “37 years ago, my family and I lived out of this hotel for several weeks when we first moved to New Jersey.”
FAILURE
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falling off a curb. An eyewitness described that an ambulance responded due to the voter having “hurt her face and knees.” It is unclear whether the victim was brought to an area hospital or was ever able to cast her ballot.
Voters had very strong words for those in charge in Burlington County, which they put on the county’s social media page, among them, “Epic failure on the county’s part,” “I have to say the BOE really screwed this up,” “The County and Board of Elections should feel ashamed of themselves. Time to fire and re-hire everyone involved,” and “The county screwed it up big time.”
“Burlington County should be ashamed of itself,” one man added. “Three to four hours to vote is ridiculous. I feel so bad for all of the seniors who are having a hard time with this wait, and I have seen many leave and I doubt they will come back.”
Another man, in pointing to the new voting
MELTDOWN
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early voting, etc. It is my belief that this was orchestrated and intentional chaos to discourage voters and force mail-in ballots for future elections. Mail-in ballots are easier to perpetrate fraud and take the people’s voice away.”
In regard to those aforementioned ballots that were never cast, Delran resident Maryrose Mangan asked, “What about all the seniors who couldn’t stand for four hours and were unable to vote???
HIRES
(Continued from Page 10)
committee was made aware – repeatedly – that the audit was not done.”
Still, Burger’s part-time appointment drew “questions” from resident Cuyler Vena, also president of the Tabernacle Rescue Squad (TRS).
“Over the past couple of months, I think that one of your largest concerns, and the residents’ concerns, is the lack of time that the staff has had with an administrator and clerk,” he said. “But you just hired one and reduced the hours to 28 for three positions, instead of two positions.”
McNaughton, however, maintained
machines, called what happened an “absolute disgrace,” before maintaining that in his view, “the voting process went backwards.”
Another voter, in a separate forum, declared, “If you’re angry about the time it takes to vote you should know who is responsible,” before pointing out that “Democrat Superintendent of Elections Dawn Addiego (609-265-5111) is responsible for the new machines and their implementation in a Presidential Election Year,” and further contending, “The-all Democrat Burlington County Commissioners Board (609-265-5020) is responsible for the funding and purchase of the machines.”
“I truly hope that the County Board of Elections performs a review on the process and plans better for the future,” one voter concluded. “In the past, the longest we waited to vote was 15 minutes. Today, I waited three hours in Delran. We must do better.”
The Pine Barrens Tribune asked many questions of Levinsky for this story – please see separate story with what the county acknowledged was an “unacceptable”
See FAILURE/ Page 17
Are you counting their votes??”
In reply, Betty Nelms Borges asserted that “this is the first time I couldn’t vote since I was 21. Very, very upset. Early voting was impossible, too.”
On that same topic, a Facebook post from a user named Cor Ash calls it “appalling that someone actually called the Burlington County board officials and one of your workers had the audacity to laugh at this woman who wanted to complain how her elderly neighbor (80 btw) couldn’t vote/wait in line.” The worker, she alleges, responded, ‘“Well he should have voted earlier, and he now
that there is an actual increase in hours. It led Vena to press for a “breakdown” of the hours to be spent between the three positions awarded to Burger, to which the mayor maintained the positions would “operate simultaneously.”
“I work as an auditor, and I just don’t think that is very right for a CFO and an administrator to be in the same position,”
Vena declared.
McNaughton again maintained that Burger serving as CFO is a “temporary position,” but Vena pointed out that, “the resolution says nothing about it being a temporary position.”
“I just want to make sure that the residents are not going to be on the hook for $125,000, for the three positions for
knows better for next time!’”
Still another, Charlene Wurtenberger, comments, “Simple math. Not rocket science. You failed us and need to take responsibility,” prompting Anne Smith to ask, “Charlene Wurtenberger can you imagine how many people were denied their right yesterday? I would love to see a poll asking if you or anyone you know was unable to vote. We are not talking about 15 people here. This is an enormous amount of people who literally lost their right and this idiot group can’t even offer as much as an apology. Or fix it and make it right and let these people vote. It doesn't matter the
three years,” Vena asserted.
Vena also inquired whether anyone applied “that has the certifications and wanted the full-time position.”
“Yes,” the mayor acknowledged.
Vena called the Tabernacle committee passing over those candidates who were willing to work in the township offices “eight hours a day” a decision that is “very disheartening,” especially in light of a full-time worker being “what the residents have come to you and said multiple times” that they wanted, in addition to it being “your biggest concern that there wasn’t enough time being spent in the top position.”
Vena also inquired whether the Tabernacle deputy clerk position
outcome at this point.”
“Voting is our right, it is not a privilege,” Smith adds. “This county silenced so many people, it is a joke and it is clear that they have no intentions of fixing anything.”
And then there was a Hainesport resident Gavin Laird, who posted on Nextdoor that he is having his lawyer draw up a class action suit over the matter, and that “anyone wanting to be part of it” should let him know via direct messaging. All of which seems to indicate that this episode is going to resonate with Burlington County residents well beyond this historic election.
was filled yet (the individual who last held the role, Deirdre Amato, quit purportedly for better pay amid the announcement Tabernacle was seeking a full-time administrator/clerk) to which McNaughton said the committee would “wait” to see if one is still necessary, which led to further skepticism from Vena in maintaining that an individual is going to be tasked to do what amounts to actually four positions in 28 hours. Brooks, who appeared to join with Burger on Sept. 9 in criticizing the way things that fell under the purview of Brown were being handled, declared in response to some in the audience clapping over Vena’s deputy clerk queries, “Don’t clap, you don’t need one (a deputy clerk)!”
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Photo By Douglas D. Melegari
A woman voter struggling to walk with a walker on Race Street in Southampton after casting her ballot, as she could not park close to the Vincent Firehouse polling site.
PEMBERTON
(Continued from Page 2)
of Pemberton, in also not making a declaration either way in the race. “There is only 80 percent of votes in.”
She shared with this newspaper that it has been a “ritual” of hers to spend every Election Day visiting polling sites, and this year, she observed, “every single site had lines around the corner.”
Burton also observed that “all the sites had new machines” and “a lot of people never used these machines” and “that was an issue because they had to show people how to use them.”
At a polling site in the Country Lakes section of the township, while in line waiting to vote for over an hour and a half, Burton said she observed a machine there having been down for “at least a half hour.”
Burton maintained she “saw the guy come and fix it,” but then after she left Country Lakes, she was told “another machine was down” there and learned that it turned out to be “one of the printers not printing ballots out.”
Burton told this newspaper she received reports of people still in line, waiting to vote in Pemberton, past 10 p.m.
Burton acknowledged to this newspaper that she also did see disabled people having trouble given the circumstances.
ISSUES
(Continued from Page 13)
economy, “People are struggling in an economy that is booming, but we have patches where people aren’t doing as well.”
“We have high transportation costs,” he maintained of the economy. “We live in an area where there are high housing costs. We are not feeling this great economy, which is the envy of the world, quite frankly. Our economy is steaming ahead and is looking to go higher still, but we have to make sure that it works for everybody. That is the job.”
Conaway, who seemed to draw most of his support from the riverfront areas of Burlington and Mercer counties, did not participate in a LeisureTowne Candidate’s Forum in Southampton Township last month, an event that gives Pinelands voters insights into the candidates seeking elected office.
But during his remarks at the Democrats’ victory celebration, Conaway revealed his positions on some of the top issues, declaring at one point a priority of his is “making sure that we codify Roe into law.”
“It is disgraceful that women don’t have the right to participate,” he further declared. “We’ve seen, sadly, all over this country that a lot of these Republican states are restricting … the right to vote, disrespecting the sacrifices that so many people have made to secure the vote for people so they can have their say in our democracy. And we have got states across this country that are trying to take that away. And so, we are going to make sure we try to get that done. And we are going to make sure that we continue the progress on climate.” Conaway concluded, “Those are the marching orders. That is what we are going
TRUSTEES
(Continued from Page 6)
chair (of 14 years), and that he, when the Democrats obtained control of the
When she visited the Browns Mills firehouse in Pemberton, for instance, she recounted having seen a young man who is “really handicapped,” walking with a cane attached to his wrist. Seeing that the man was having trouble, another disabled person, she recalled, “not in as bad of shape” let him sit in a chair that he had.
Ultimately, she told this newspaper, another man approached her and asked if he should ask the poll workers to make an accommodation for the severely disabled man. According to Burton, the concerned man went inside, and five minutes later, the disabled man was brought inside the polling facility, though she doesn’t know if the severely disabled person was allowed to skip ahead of the line, noting that by that point, the line “was so long it was in the street” and individuals were trying to get the people off the street.
She said she observed no police at any of the polling stations (with police presence the case in other towns).
At another polling location in the Lake Valley section of Pemberton, Burton said she observed a number of people in wheelchairs “just sitting out there” in line, while others who were waiting “brought chairs.”
Burton noted that she herself has a bad back and, “I was in line so long that my back was killing me, and I felt like I needed a chair.”
Burton described that she often tells
to do. And, of course, secure our country. That is very important.”
A photojournalist for the Pine Barrens Tribune attended a victory celebration in Monmouth County, in which Mohan was scheduled to appear, but this newspaper was ultimately told that Mohan was not going to be attending. Instead, the event ended up being headlined by GOP Rep. Chris Smith, who comfortably cruised to re-election victory in his district covering part of Monmouth County.
Mohan, in the Nov. 7 pronouncement offering a concession, declared, “While we didn’t win this election, I am incredibly thankful for the overwhelming support I have received.”
“To the volunteers, donors, and everyone who believed in our vision, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your dedication, hard work, and passion were the driving force behind our campaign, and I am truly humbled by the trust you placed in me,” Mohan continued. “I am proud of what we accomplished together, and I look forward to the continued work we will do to improve our community.
“My sincerest gratitude to especially to those large number of voters who went across party lines to split the ticket and vote for me overwhelmingly more than for other similarly situated candidates running for other offices. Your support did not go unnoticed. Your participation is what strengthens our democracy, and I am honored to have had the opportunity to share my ideas and vision for the future with you.”
Mohan noted that “we have reached out to Assemblyman Conaway to congratulate him and convey our best wishes.”
“This campaign was never just about
Board of Commissioners, had joined the Malamut firm, along with Grant and Crook, but that Glenn Paulsen’s name no longer appears amongst the firm’s attorney biographies despite his move to the law firm being celebrated back in
any voters waiting in line on Election Day simply, “Thank you for voting,” and at yet another polling station, the Nesbit Center, a pair of voters, in response, told her that they ‘“didn’t vote yet because the line is so long”’ and were going to come back. By that time, Burton maintained, it was already 6:30 p.m. and given the polls were to close at 8 p.m. and the lines having not eased, she urged the men to stay in line. A short time later, she said, she noticed the men in a car and “figured they would get back in line later,” but doesn’t know what ultimately happened.
The Nesbit Center polling site had the “shortest line” of the township’s seven polling locations, Burton noted.
Burton asserted that she felt “like it was a bad idea for them (the county) to roll these new machines out” on an Election Day in a presidential election year” and that she “feels like if they were going to roll them out, they should have been done after the last presidential election to work out the kinks and so that voters would know how to use them and so on and so forth.”
She added that the fact that she was still getting text messages and emails during the early evening hours of Nov. 6 that only 80 percent of the vote was counted by that point is “just crazy,” declaring, “I don’t know what to think.” (As of checking at 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 7, the Burlington County Clerk’s Office had last updated
one person - it was about all of us coming together to build a better future,” Mohan noted. “Our fight for positive change continues. I will remain committed to serving our community, advocating for progress and working toward a brighter tomorrow for everyone.”
Kim, in declaring victory after the New Jersey U.S. Senate race was called, and who will become the first KoreanAmerican U.S. Senator, declared, “It started in living rooms in Burlington and Ocean counties (the former makeup of the Third Congressional District prior to redistricting), grew to convention halls in Monmouth, Hunterdon and Atlantic counties, and now we have become the strongest grassroots mobilization New Jersey has ever seen.”
“From a movement nobody believed we would win to one that is bringing my voice, your voice, to the highest levels of our great democracy, I just have to say what an incredible experience this is,” added Kim, before asking, “Are you proud of what we built?”
Kim, who defeated GOP hotelier Curtis Bashaw (2,041,661 to 1,709,085 votes) in a race to replace now-former Senator Robert Menendez, the latter who was convicted on corruption charges, also made a point that, “Whoever says young people don’t care about politics, have not met the young people who are the engine of powering campaigns all over this nation.”
Kim spoke at the DoubleTree by Hilton Cherry Hill, saying he chose to speak at the hotel because “37 years ago, my family and I lived out of this hotel for several weeks when we first moved to New Jersey,” noting it was at a time when his dad had just accepted a job out of Cherry Hill to
2019, as reported by a daily newspaper in the county.
“I was an employee of Malamut Associates for five years, and on Aug. 5, he had one of his employees, a retired chief of police in Westampton, come to my
the results at 4 a.m. on Nov. 6 with 80 percent reporting. County Spokesman David Levinsky, when later asked about the outstanding vote, claimed that it was a result of provisional ballots having yet to be counted, and specific to Pemberton, he is not aware of any outstanding machine counts. He attributed the provisional ballots not being counted yet to the problems with voting on Election Day.)
Yet, Burton said she was pleased that people exercised patience while waiting in line, as well as with the turnout.
“I honestly thought it was great to see people out voting, that is why I thanked people for voting,” she said. “The fact people were out voting was wonderful, because that is what we are fighting for –democracy.”
Doyle, meanwhile, while not yet making any declaration as to the state of the race, as the top vote getter so far, appeared to portray confidence in the GOP maintaining its lead, asserting, “The employees of Pemberton Township have been crying for help for over a year now, we have heard your cries, and we are on our way.”
If the trio of GOP candidates maintain their lead and are declared the official winners of the race, it would be the first time since 2002 that the Republicans will control council.
do cancer research and was in the process of searching for a home to rent.
“I wanted to be here tonight in this hotel,” Kim asserted. “I wanted to pay tribute to my parents, my family, to this state for giving a kid like me a chance to be able to dream … giving me the tools through education.”
The hotel, he said, was an “important step in achieving the American Dream, and ultimately giving back to the state.” That led him to ultimately maintain, “the very foundation of our democracy is rendered fragile.”
Kim indicated that “inequality” was a concern, before ultimately concluding that the “same old-same old is done” and that his victory represents a “better politics that gives people hope.”
“In a little over a year, we are going to be celebrating our 250th anniversary as a nation – as a democracy,” Kim declared. “Let us use that extraordinary milestone as a moment of healing. Let us change the trajectory we find ourselves on. In the same way I reflect on my family’s start in this same hotel, let us reflect on the first principles of our nation and put forward a renewed vision. Let us use the 250th anniversary to be a reminder that the greatness of America is not what we take from this country, but what we give back.”
Conaway, in raising Kim’s victory for Senate, contended “this district is a district that Kim built by really struggling forward against all odds in a district that was a Republican district,” attributing what he accomplished to the “people.”
“This district now is Democratic, and hopefully, we will have another Democratic congressman to follow in his footsteps and to do the work for the people and the people’s happiness,” Conaway declared.
office with him and said, ‘You are done,’ without any explanation, any previous negative employment evaluations or any other explanation,” Glenn Paulsen told this newspaper, maintaining he had no further comment.
HISTORIC
(Continued from Page 10)
Stull reportedly passed away at age 104 in 2007, but not before the facility became “Kay’s Gift Shop.”
“Locals and kids visited every year for Santa Claus,” Scull further recounted. “My mom had told me about going there and getting oranges or apples, or whatever, when she was young. Her gift shop was one of the few places to shop in town.”
Scull said that it was back in 1973 when Stull “sold it to the bank.” Sun Bank, this newspaper previously reported, closed its doors there on April 27, 2012. The building has been vacant ever since.
“The bank, of course, changed the total inside look of the place,” Scull recognized. “So, it no longer has all the character on the inside that it used to, but it is still a very historic building for our community.”
Given the belief by the Historic Trust that Sycamore Hall is a “very historic building,” Scull asserted, “We just want to encourage council and the township to do everything it possibly can to save that building.”
“It is our intent, and our hope, that that building is preserved,” Scull declared.
Another key entity appearing to back preservation efforts is the Browns Mills Improvement Association (BMIA), in which its president, Marti Graf-Wenger, declared during a Sept. 18 council session, “long before the BMIA was organized in 1919, Sycamore Hall, also known as the yellow bank, was the place to be for people with lots and lots of money, and much like today, who needed to escape the paparazzi of their time.”
The original building, according to Graf-Wenger, “dates back to before 1860.”
A “notable story,” Graf-Wenger pointed to, is that of New York railway tycoon Col. James Fisk, when he met in 1867, at age 32, Bostonian Josie Mansfield, an 18-year-old singer and actress.
“And he bought her everything, including a residence in New York City, a wardrobe, and a case of jewels,” GrafWenger recounted. “Fisk spent many vacations secluded at Sycamore Hall, our famed Browns Mills Hotel, with his paramour, Josie Mansfield, hiding from the press. Sometime before 1869, Fisk and his partner, Jay Gould, precipitated what became known as the first Black Friday in the world’s financial exchanges when they tried to corner the gold market. Some say they schemed up this plan in the grand dining room of our Sycamore Hall. Anyway, as the story goes, Friday, Sept. 24, 1869, became known as the first Black Friday on Wall Street. Many traders who had been drawn into the frenzy were ruined. Jay Gould and Jim Fiske came away unscathed. Sidestepping the disaster, they themselves created, they sold their own gold as the price had risen that Friday morning. Later investigations showed that they had broken no laws than on the books. While they had created panic in the markets and hurt many investors, they had gotten richer. So, some things stay the same and some things never change. But Fisk’s lifestyle caught up with him.
“On Jan. 6, 1872, Fisk was shot and killed by his business associate, Edward Stokes, a jealous co-suitor for the attention of the glamorous Josie Mansfield. This,
of course, exposed the entire scandal. So then in 1910, real estate developer James B. Riley rebuilt Sycamore Hall, and for a time it served as a place wealthy folks could stay at while looking at the property that they bought with their newspaper subscriptions and $39.50. As we now know, this single act spelled the end of the Grand Hotel Era in Browns Mills as it brought in many landowners and homeowners.”
The “brilliance of Sycamore Hall,” Graf-Wenger contended, “lies in its ability to adapt to changing times.”
“Had it stayed a hotel, perhaps it would have gone the way of the Birmingham Inn, where in 1937, it had fallen so low that it had been used as housing for impoverished people,” she said. “But the purpose of the building changed over the years and with the times.”
Graf-Wenger told council that when she drives past the facility, “I look at it in awe, wondering what it was like to stay back there when it was in all its glory.”
“Sycamore Hall can still be felt as the ghost of a dead diva, an eccentric millionaire, a passion-plagued murderer, renowned doctors, a quaint gift shop owner, and a failed banker who still roams the halls and rooms that are part of the historic legacy of the Grand Hall overlooking Mirror Lake,” Graf-Wenger declared.
It is for that reason the BMIA “supports breathing life into our beautiful historical corner piece in this amazing town” and “we feel that the township council should be open to not only saving this building, but doing so quickly.”
“The building is at risk, and we could lose the entire thing,” Graf-Wenger asserted. “Nature takes back what once was hers, and every day without our heartbeats to fill the place, is another day closer to losing the building completely!”
Also calling for the building to be preserved is resident Marie Reynolds.
Reynolds led the (now-defunct) Pemberton Community News newspaper in the 80s and 90s.
“I am coming up here to ask you to, once again, try and save Sycamore Hall as township property,” she asserted during council’s Oct. 16 session. She has called the plan for the facility “ill-gotten.”
Reynolds pointed out during council’s Sept. 18 session that the township purchased Sycamore Hall “more than five years ago, in April of 2019, and nothing has been done since that time.”
“So, anybody who is raising questions about the process now for the redevelopment of that building is not delaying its completion,” Reynolds declared.
Reynolds noted, “I can’t find any record of a review and approval at the Planning Board level for their plan,” or that of the one proposed by Before and After Properties.
“Did that go before the Planning Board?” she asked.
According to the Town Center Redevelopment Plan, Reynolds noted, “it was supposed to go before the planning board.”
“That is part of the law, and I can’t find any record of that approval being granted by the planning board,” Reynolds maintained. “According to the redevelopment plan guidelines, changes can only be made by the governing body with a majority vote to revise or amend the plan. It must be recorded with the reasons
for any changes in their minutes. So, the amendment to the redevelopment plan that was in the resolutions, which failed to pass on July 17, and again on Aug. 21, would have been the amendments to the plan, but yet a contract has already been signed and the building has already been sold. The contract was signed a year ago.”
She noted that the contract was signed back on Sept. 26, 2023.
“In the contract, it says that a plenary license must be obtained by the redeveloper within six months of the date of signing,” said Reynolds, pointing out the license was obtained on Aug. 24, 2024. “The transfer of the plenary license happened at last month’s meeting, or the meeting before. Construction of the second and third floors was to be completed 12 months after execution of contract. Nothing has been done.”
Reynolds did not receive an answer to her Sept. 18 questions, and in returning before council on Oct. 16, asserted, “Last meeting, when I asked questions about the contract between the township and the new owners, I didn’t really get an answer.”
“I really would like an answer tonight, if I could have one,” she said, noting her further research found that under the existing township redevelopment plan, the municipality was to “keep Sycamore Hall in township hands, the front area of that was to be used for park purposes, and it was to be combined with the Veteran’s Park behind it, and then a beer pub was recommended.”
In pointing to the plenary retail license being awarded well after the date agreed to in the contract, in addition to the firm purportedly missing the deadline that “‘construction of the second and third floors shall be completed 12 months after the execution of this contract,’” Reynolds asserted, “I am wondering if that does not invalidate this entire contract.”
“I really would like an answer to that question, but you have on the agenda tonight to do a place-to-place transfer now, so not only person-to-person where the Gillons could have taken that plenary retail license and used it anywhere, but now you are going to give them a placeto-place, and you are going to assign it to 1 Clubhouse Road.”
Cozzarelli responded Oct. 16, “Council President, I am not well versed in this property in terms of its contract,” pointing to her only being in the interim business administrator position for a few weeks.
Ultimately, Township Clerk Amy Cosnoski clarified that “when I did the original resolution for the personto-person transfer, it should have also included the place-to-place,” and she apologized for what she called an “error.”
It is why, she said, the place-to-place action item was on the Oct. 16 agenda of council. (Cosnoski added that she “honestly does not understand why they are wanting this place-to-place, because it is not an operating license, it is actually a pocket license, but they are still asking to do it.”)
But the action item – while intended to be routine in simply correcting an error, led to council conveying its concerns about the delays with the project getting underway, and ultimately the public body was so concerned, in an attempt to “slow” things down to allow for further evaluation, actually tabled approving the place-to-place transfer (which technically
would have been from Thomas R. Inge Enterprises IV LLC to The Lounge on Mirror Lake Browns Mills, LLC.)
Councilwoman Elisabeth McCartney said that at the time of the Gillons’ presentation, “there really was no public awareness of the value of Sycamore Hall,” in pointing to only the recent public remarks pertaining to its history.
“The previous administration did not have any desire to maintain the history of Sycamore Hall,” McCartney declared. “ But things have changed now, and we have an opportunity to slow the train on this. And really, the public has shared things that I think we should all be concerned about.”
Reynolds, in pointing to Sycamore Hall being 248 years old, noted that grant funding is available to preserve historic buildings, and historic structures that are younger than the building at issue have been repaired with as much as $660,000 in grant funding.
“We have had the public offer to help obtain historic funds, maybe even participate in the business part of Sycamore Hall,” McCartney said. “I know we are going to look into the contract and everything, but the fact that the owners haven’t done anything according to the contract is concerning in terms of what is going to happen to that.”
McCartney, despite being a Democrat, praised the current GOP administration of Tompkins, declaring, “This administration has been different than the past one by supporting the Pemberton Township Historic Trust Train Station (which has now reopened) and also really focusing on the farmhouses that are involved with the warehouses,” before adding, “And I really, sincerely hope that this administration will also look at Sycamore Hall as a valuable, historical place as well.”
“So, I would like council to kind of think about slowing the train on this until we are really sure of what we are doing,” McCartney further asserted.
Tompkins responded that, “I do want to preserve as much history in the town as we can,” before revealing he and other officials toured Sycamore Hall the previous week and took pictures of the inside.
“The first time I walked through it, I was expecting one thing, and what I saw was not what I was expecting,” Tompkins declared. “I think it is safe to say the second and third floors are really gutted out. If you look at the ceilings and the third floor especially, you can see where there are water leaks, and I am going to assume it comes from the attic area, and the roof. And the ceilings are caving in on themselves right now.”
The building, the mayor further maintained, is “in bad shape.”
Tompkins, who prefaced what he was about to say by noting he has only been in office for a short time, also revealed “somebody broke into the building, and for some stupid reason, instead of building a fire in the fireplace, they built it in the corner of the main room.”
“So, there are burn marks going up the wall, in the corner of the room,” Tompkins said. “And the floor and the carpeting are burnt from somebody building a fire.”
While Tompkins recognized “the building is historically significant to the residents of the town,” he maintained “the
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FAILURE
(Continued from Page 14)
situation, with the second piece also highlighting the reaction of candidates and political party officials.
A voter sent the Pine Barrens Tribune a picture of this line that had formed at a Shamong polling site, declaring, “I never saw voting lines like this before in Shamong.”
This newspaper also asked Levinsky to see a breakdown of voting machines assigned to each polling place, compared to both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, and has yet to receive that as of press time.
Photo Provided
HISTORIC
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inside of it isn’t what it was even before the bank took it.”
“The bank changed a lot of the interior of this building, which deleted a lot of the historical significance of this building’s interior,” Tompkins contended.
And now, after the building was broken into, thieves “stripped the plumbing” from various parts of the building.
“This building is a hollow shell inside, and if somebody doesn’t do something with it soon, it will fall in on itself, and we won’t have the building,” Tompkins declared.
Republican Councilman Dan Dewey, in response to the revelations the building has been broken into, snapped, “I firmly believe when the township took ownership, there was a working alarm system in the building” and “why it was never hooked up to the township, I never can tell you.”
“I am not pointing a finger at you, but this is another example of where Pemberton Township is the worst stewards of the land!” Dewey declared. “They had possession of the building for 10 years or more, and this is what happened to the building under this watch of this building,
and I just think we should do everything we can to save the building!”
Dewey also called it “another one” of a “former employee’s good deals!”
(Dewey and Democratic Councilman Donovan Gardner ultimately exchanged words with Gardner questioning who would have renovated the building to the point that the power could be turned on to operate an alarm system. One man in the audience then started shouting that the Democrats had been on the council for a longtime, before slamming what happened to the building as “sickening,” shouting at the top of his lungs, “You make me sick!”)
Dewey, who voiced his agreement with tabling the action measure on the placeto-place transfer, then charged, “And we are not even sure if these people, who are supposedly buying it, are capable of restoring it!”
“I don’t see how they can renovate that building for $2 million, and it is going to be a gem of the town that we are going to lose,” he maintained. “What is going to happen is they are going to start working on it. They are going to run out of money, and next thing you know, it is going to be on the ground, and we have nothing! Nothing! And we should do everything in our power to try to save it!”
Saving the building, he contended,
requires the help of the people, maintaining they have to “really come together and really try to work at getting those historic funds so that we can bring it back.”
“It is going to take commitment on a lot of people,” Dewey said.
Democratic Council President Paul Detrick, in recounting the presentation given by the Gillons, maintained that at the time of it, “I think all of us understood that we had a building that was in bad shape, and they were going to do everything they could to preserve whatever historical elements are present.”
“I haven’t heard any reason whatsoever at this point, why I should doubt that is in fact their intention, other than people casting a lot of aspersions against them,” Detrick declared. “But in any event, there are obviously people who have raised a lot of questions. There are questions to be answered. I don’t see any rush to pass this.”
The Gillons, in the statement provided to the Pine Barrens Tribune, said, in part, “The plan is to have a commercial lounge and bistro/restaurant on the first floor, maintaining its historic character. The second and third floors will house a bed and breakfast, offering accommodations for temporary duty (TDY) military personnel and out-of-state families visiting
very sick patients. We have also reached out to both the Joint Base and Deborah Hospital, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.”
“The two principal owners of 1 Clubhouse Road, Browns Mills, are residents and business owners of Pemberton Township,” it was added. “Their children live in the township, and their grandchildren attend Pemberton Township schools. We are excited by the support we hear from the council meeting local residents who are eager to help their residents expand businesses, purchase real estate, and make a difference in their community.”
The liquor action, during the latest Pemberton council session, was tabled with Cosnoski tasked to provide a copy of the contract to council so, as Detrick put it, “we can discuss with them the extent to which they have complied or not complied.”
And after the mayor revealed a purported accident having played a role in the delay, Detrick declared, “that sounds like it is an explanation of some delay anyway, but still we could get them in here, and talk to them, and they can tell us what the delays have been, if there have been any.”
