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Vol. 2 – No. 37
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May 12, 2018 – May 18, 2018
Veteran Employee Allowed to Resign After Controversy BY DOUGLAS D. MELEGARI
Staff Writer
WASHINGTON—A veteran employee of Washington Township has been allowed to resign on paper after being removed from his position last month in a controversial and nontransparent way, stirring strong reaction in the municipality with a population of 650. Horace A. Somes, Jr. t u r ned in his resignation on May 1, ending his 39-year tenure as a township employee, which included stints as the township’s Joint Planning and Zoning Board secretary (37 years) and zoning official. “Regretfully, we have had a submission of a resignation from Horace Somes,” said Mayor Dudley Lewis. “It was definitely not the desired outcome. We had hoped to have a better solution to this, but it is his desire to resign from his position.” Somes was forced to surrender his key to the Washington Township Municipal Building on April 3, following an executive session of the Washington Township Committee. Township Clerk Kathleen D. Hoffman, just before that executive session commenced, asked Solicitor Tom Coleman whether he “expected action to be taken” afterwards. “I do not,” Coleman said. After hearing Coleman’s statement and with the scheduled business items on the committee meeting agenda acted upon, most of the public then left the municipal building where the meeting took place. Barbara Somes, Horace’s wife, later revealed that despite Coleman’s assertion, the committee had acted after the executive session, by a 3-0 vote, to remove her husband with pay as the township’s zoning official. “Horace said Coleman walked out of the (meeting) room, looked down the hallway, and said ‘No members of the public are left’…” she said. Additionally, Barbara Somes claimed the public meeting was reconvened without those who stayed to watch its conclusion so as to avoid public participation. “We were all there (in the township’s emergency management command room known to be occupied by people waiting for the meeting to be reconvened),” she said. Barbara Somes’s revelation forced Lewis to concede in an April 4 interview with the Pine Barrens Tribune that the committee did take action following the April 3 executive session. “We didn’t think we needed to take action,”
Seneca Parents Cry ‘Foul’ LRHSD Gives No Reason for Not Renewing Popular Basketball Coach’s Contract
Photo By Skip Harris
BY MARK HATOFF
For the Pine Barrens Tribune
SH A MONG — T h e a p p a r e n t termination of a popular varsity boys’ basketball coach at Seneca High School seems to have caused quite a stir among parents of the Tabernacle Township school. When reached by phone, second-year boys’ basketball coach and longtime psychology and History teacher Sean Ken nevan con fir med to the Pine Barrens Tribune that his basketball coaching contract will not be renewed next year, although he will be continuing his teaching duties. Kennevan declined to comment on his basketball program role. He said he will continue to teach Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology and U.S. History at Seneca, as well as
serve as the school’s freshman baseball team coach. He indicated that he might be interested in coaching other sports, too. LRHSD Superintendent Dr. Carol Bir nbohm would not comment on the matter, and Seneca’s Athletic Department would not return calls for comment on this story. Kennevan himself declined to discuss the reasons for the action. Kennevan led Seneca to a 17-13 record and a South Jersey Group 3 final appearance, losing to Delsea in March. Before coaching the boys’ team, Kennevan was the Seneca girls’ basketball coach for nine years. Reports of Kennevan’s imminent departure from the Seneca Basketball coaching staff evoked strong emotions
from some parents of Seneca students who attended a recent meeting of the Lenape Regional High School District (LRHSD) Board of Education. Seven residents made their way to the podium during the meeting’s public comment period to voice their support for Kennevan, with each of them drawing applause. “Last year, I lost my wife Theresa to cancer, and Sean organized a group that came to my house for many months while she was sick and made sure my family had a Christmas,” said Don Crooker. Crooker said that he had heard from his son, a sophomore player on the boys’ basketball team, that Kennevan would See FOUL/ Page 21
See RESIGN/ Page 17
INDEX Automotive.................... 23
Gardening...................... 14
Opinion...........................11
Business Directory........ 18
Health............................ 15
Student Lounge............... 9
Community.................... 12
Local News...................... 4
Worship Directory.......... 12
Fun and Games............. 16
Marketplace................... 21
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