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Officials, Residents of Washington Twp. Complain of Neglect by County Roads Dept. By Douglas D. Melegari
Staff Writer
THE RANDY BROWN SHOW FINALE? Evesham Mayor Berates Township Voters for Taking Out Anger Against Trump, MacArthur on Local and County GOP Officials By Bill Bonvie and Nicolas Fernandes Staff Writers
EVESHAM—Outgoing Evesham Township Mayor Randy Brown, in an admittedly “outspoken” 10-minute harangue at a Nov. 20 Township Council meeting, excoriated township voters for allowing their anger against both President Donald Trump and defeated 3rd District Congressman Tom MacArthur to spill over into local and county races and bring what he characterized as highly successful Republican control of local government to an end. Brown, a former football coach who has served as mayor since 2007 and has a reputation for being flamboyant and contentious, used the meeting’s final minutes to vent his anger, frustration and disappointment over the election results.
The Republican repeatedly referred to those results as “a travesty” and publicly castigated residents for failing to show appreciation for what GOP officials have done to benefit the community. Such gains, he said, have included transforming Evesham Township into a business-friendly venue with a booming economy, great school system, great fire department and an outstanding police department. W hile Brow n decided back in September not to seek a fourth term, his political ally, Republican Councilman Steve Zeuli, lost his bid to succeed him as mayor to Democrat Jaclyn Veasy, whose final tally of 10,892 votes was 866 higher than Zeuli’s. Two other Republicans, Deputy Mayor Debbie Hackman and Evesham Township Planning Board member Jay Levenson,
also lost out to Democrats Heather Cooper and Patricia Hansen for two open council seats. “We have been able to bring the likes of Chickie’s and Pete’s, Cake Boss, and Shake Shack and we have been able to have events where 20,000 or 30,000 people come to our town,” Brown angrily told the audience. “After all that, two Tuesdays ago, 10,600 people said, ‘Thanks but no thanks.’ Are you kidding me? Are you seriously kidding me? That is a travesty.” At the same time, Brown assured the public that his comments should not be misconstrued as criticism of the incoming Democrats. “It wasn’t a travesty because of the candidates on the Democratic side,” he See FINALE/ Page 18
WASHINGTON—The Burlington County Division of Roads and Bridges (formerly, the Highway Department) is facing harsh criticism after officials and residents allege the agency was unprepared to handle tidal flooding brought on by an October coastal storm in the southeastern part of Burlington County, leaving flooded roads without warnings signs and barriers. “We had a problem with the (Oct. 27) storm,” said Washington Township Deputy Mayor Barry Cavileer at a November Washington Township Committee meeting. “It seemed that the county road department has forgotten about us.” The storm, which exacerbated high tide along the Mullica and Wading rivers in Bass River and Washington townships, resulted in moderate tidal flooding overtaking County Route 542 at Crowley’s Landing, County Route 542 near Merrigold and County Route 652 by River Road Clam House. “People were r unning through water,” Cavileer said. “I don’t think the township should have to put up barrels on a county road. The county always did this before.” Washington officials and townspeople were particularly irked because the National Weather Service issued a coastal flood warning for Southeastern Burlington County well ahead of the storm and forecasted moderate tidal flooding in the area. “It was a very perplexing situation,” said Horace A. Somes, Jr., a volunteer firefighter who was part of the first fire unit to respond to the scene. “The storm was known about days in advance.” Somes added that the Burlington County Office of Emergency Management’s Emergency Evacuation Plan for Washington details how even minor tidal flooding can necessitate the closure of County Routes 542 and 652. “‘County Route 542 is subject to closure by minor tidal flooding at Crowley’s Landing,’” said Somes as he read directly from the plan. “‘There are also closures in the vicinity of the Green Bank Bridge, along the approach to the Lower Bank Bridge and on Route 652.’” Somes, who added that he was also a Trained Weather Spotter for the National Weather Service, said the Service’s forecast was “right on target.” “If we had another half a foot of water, we would have had major tidal flooding,” he said. “As bad as it was, by the time the county got See NEGLECT/ Page 19
INDEX Beyond Auto................. 23 Health........................... 10 Local News..................... 4 Business Directory....... 14 Hobbyist....................... 12 Marketplace.................. 20 Community Events......... 9 Holiday Calendar.......... 17 Opinion........................... 8 Christmas Countdown.. 16 Jobs.............................. 21 Worship Directory........... 9
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