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www.pinebarrenstribune.com
Vol. 5 – No. 17 ♦
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@PineBarrensNews
The News Leader of the Pines
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FR
EE
January 23, 2021 – January 29, 2021
Stanfield to Seek State Senate Seat Held by Addiego
STRIVING FOR A BETTER FRAMEWORK
Peters to Leave Assembly When Current Term Is Up By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer
Photo Provided
Roofer George Schiano next to his business sign.
Roofer Seeks to Effect Business-Friendly Changes to Sign Laws, Enforcement After First Being Ordered to Obtain Permit for Business Sign or Face Prospect of $1,500 Weekly Fine, Then Being Advised He Doesn’t Meet Criteria for One By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer
WOODLAND—The owner of a roofing enterprise, based in the Chatsworth section of Woodland Township, is hoping to bring about new business-friendly signage regulations and practices after having to deal with a classic Catch-22 in an attempt to comply with the law. George Schiano, owner of Epic Exteriors, LLC, was issued a “Notice of Violation” and “Order to Terminate” under the state’s Uniform Construction Code (UCC) by the township’s code enforcement officer for having a 32 square-foot plywood business sign put up without a construction permit at the end of his residential driveway. But
after the roofer retroactively turned in an application to obtain a permit, he was denied one on the basis of a municipal zoning law (not available online) restricting the size of such signs. The documents had ordered the small businessman to pay a weekly $1,500 penalty for each week that the “violation” remained outstanding, beginning with the week of Sept. 29, 2020. While Schiano, whose company serves Burlington, Ocean and Monmouth counties, complied with the order and took down the sign, negating any further action against him, including the issuance of any penalties, the business owner has gone public with what occurred, calling the situation, and in
particular the potential fine, “serious overkill.” His account of what happened to him as a result of a seemingly innocent move to just attract some customers to his business, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, has not sat well with several residents of the town, who have valued this rural community’s otherwise longstanding tradition of being a laid-back place to live. Code Enforcement Officer Tom Boyd, who issued the notice and order, contended to this newspaper that he observed the sign because of its proximity to a main thoroughfare in Woodland, and since he had never issued a construction permit for See FRAMEWORK/ Page 7
MOUNT HOLLY—By this time next year, it appears that the makeup of New Jersey’s 8th Legislative District delegation will have undergone either substantial or total change, based on announcements during the past week that GOP Assemblywoman Jean Stanfield plans to challenge her one-time colleague, Republican-turned-Democrat Dawn Marie Addiego, for her state Senate seat, and that Stanfield’s political partner, Assemblyman Ryan Peters, will not be seeking re-election in November. In a phone interview with the Pine Barrens Tribune, Stanfield, who served as Burlington County sheriff for nearly two decades prior to being elected to the General Assembly in 2019, said that her decision to take on Addiego was not personal, but rather one prompted by her belief that the latter has done a less-thanadequate job of representing her constituents, as well as having left many Republican voters in the lurch by changing parties in mid-stream. She also confirmed reports that Peters, 38, whom this newspaper was unable to contact, had decided to call it quits at the end of his current term both to devote more time to his three young children and because his obligations as a U.S. Navy SEAL commander means he “could get called up at any time.” In the past, the assemblyman has been among the very few Republican office-holders to be critical of then-President Donald J. Trump for demonstrating what he called a lack of civility. In a more cur rent Facebook posting, Peters weighed in on a Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington, D.C., noting, “I spent multiple See SEAT/ Page 10
INDEX Business Directory... 12
Job Board.....................14
Marketplace.............. 15
Games..........................14
Local News................. 2
Worship Guide...........11
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