Pine Barrens Tribune January 22, 2022-January 28, 2022

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Vol. 6 – No. 14 ♦

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January 22 - January 28, 2022

New Police Chief Named in Pemberton Township Plans to Maintain Efforts to Improve Quality of Life, While Also Adding to Them

TO ‘PROTECT THE PROTECTORS’ WILL REMAIN HIS CHIEF MISSION

Retiring After 25 Years of Service with the Evesham Police Department, Christopher Chew Has Dedicated His More than Eight Years as Chief to Making the Stress-Filled Job of Policing Happier and Healthier and Plans to Continue Along Those Lines in a New Civilian Capacity

By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer

EVESHAM—While the barrage of criticism aimed at police in recent years, including moves to defund them, might tend to create the perception that, as a Gilbert and Sullivan song once put it, “a policeman’s lot is not a happy one,” the mission of Police Chief Christopher Chew could perhaps best be summed up as a dedicated effort to make it considerably better on both a local and national level.

Turning policing into not only a happier but a healthier profession, as well as one that’s

more in harmony with the other elements of community life, has been a principal objective of the ground-breaking and widely recognized reforms Chew has introduced during his eightand-a-half years at the helm of the Evesham Township Police Department.

Besides boosting morale, his initiatives have included increasing the size of the local force by about a third, from 65 to 95 members, and creating a community policing unit that now consists of half-adozen full-time officers, as well as making See RETIRING/ Page 8

FR EE

Predecessor, ‘Winding Down’ Career, is Being Credited for Recent Initiatives That Resulted in a ‘Significant Impact,’ Including Reduction in Violent Crime

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

PEMBERTON—A chief of police with plans to continue to take an “aggressive approach” to resolve “quality of life issues” affecting the community he serves, believing the initiatives of his predecessor are having a “significant impact” in the right direction in combatting such problems, particularly in reducing violent crime, vowing to continue with them, and who wholeheartedly believes the police officers he works with everyday are doing a “phenomenal job,” was swornin at the start of the new year to lead what See CHIEF/ Page 10

Photo Provided

Christopher Chew, Evesham’s retiring chief of police.

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Saturday, January 22, 2022

Two Republicans Take Their Seats on Shamong Township Committee as Public Body Gets Request to Allow for ‘Outdoor Grow’ of Cannabis Cannabis Operations Were Permitted in Certain Areas of the Town Last Year, But Agricultural Zones Were Excluded, and Only Indoor Uses Were Envisioned

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

S H A M O N G — Tw o R e p u b l i c a n newcomers have taken their seats on the Shamong Township Committee following the “retirements” of longtime GOP members Michael Cooney and Sean Gray, which came just months after the all-Republican governing body had laid the groundwork to turn Shamong Township into the “pot capital of New Jersey,” and subsequently issued letters of support for two entities – planning future operations in the municipality – as they make application to the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) for cannabis business licenses.

And almost as soon as the newcomers, Brian Woods and Chris Zehnder, took their seats at the dais during the township committee’s Jan. 4 reorganization meeting, the governing body heard from a Princeton resident, Abigail Kalmbach, who asked during public comment when the township committee would be “opening up the farmland to cultivation for outdoor grows” of cannabis.

While Township Solicitor Doug Heinold, on June 1 of last year, declared that Shamong is officially “open for business” to the cannabis industry after the governing body at the time passed a zoning ordinance allowing at least some of the six licensing classes for the cannabis industry (cannabis cultivator, cannabis manufacturer, cannabis wholesaler, cannabis distributor, cannabis retailer and cannabis deliverer) in certain areas of the township, that measure does not allow for cannabis cultivation on most township farmland (due to the specificity of

allowable areas).

Instead, as was previously explained by both Heinold and Township Administrator Susan Onorato, such commercial activity is currently limited to three “existing redevelopment/ industrial zones” in the municipality, which are away from residential areas.

Michael Di Croce, selected during the township committee’s Jan. 4 reorganization meeting to again serve as deputy mayor of Shamong for 2022, and is the main visionary behind making the municipality the pot capital of the state with high hopes of lowering or doing completely away with local and school property taxes, noted at the time of the ordinance’s passage that it is “not creating any class of specifically permitted cannabis use” in the township’s agricultural zones.

But Di Croce, during this latest session, indicated he might be amenable to changing that, and at one point called Kalmbach’s proposal “intriguing.”

“Right now, from reading your ordinance, you have been looking at indoor cultivation,” Kalmbach observed. “I am wondering when you will be opening up the farmland to cultivation for outdoor grows. I am interested in purchasing some farmland here. There are some really interesting regenerative growing possibilities that will both enable regeneration of the farmland, and also produce cannabis at a much lower cost than what can be produced in indoor facilities, and at a much lower cost to the environment as well.”

Di Croce, Heinold, and Timothy Gimble – the latter chosen again amongst his See CANNABIS/ Page 9

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Saturday, January 22, 2022

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Departing Pemboro Democratic Councilmen Propel Motion to Floor to Set Aside Small Fund for Volunteers ‘Who Make Town Look Better’ While Request Took on Appearance of Political Jab, Republican Members Ultimately Supported It, with Official Referring to It as ‘Recommendation;’ GOP Regains Absolute Control of Council After Dem’s 2018 Historic Upset

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

PE M B E RT ON B O ROUG H —Tw o Democratic Pember ton Boroug h councilmen, in a final act before they d e p a r t e d c o u n c i l l a s t m o nt h a n d Republicans officially took over on Jan. 3 their seats, propelled a surprise motion to the floor that directed municipal officials to create a “small, nominal fund” or to “set aside a “couple hundred dollars” a year, to reimburse volunteers “who make the town look better” for the cost of tools and other supplies used to carry out their services.

The motion, made by Stephen Fenster on Dec. 20, and ultimately receiving a second from Robert Briggs, both who lost reelection bids this past November, came at the very end of a departure address of sorts that Fenster delivered during his final “council comments,” declaring at one point during that speech, “I don’t think we have done a great job incentivizing our volunteers.”

“We only have one regular volunteer right now,” pointed out Fenster during his address, identifying that volunteer as borough resident Diane Fanucci. “But I think the lack of support for our volunteers discourages other people from volunteering, making it difficult to get rid of garbage that gets picked up. We are not providing gloves

and tools. I’d like to see us come up with a couple hundred dollars a year for any regular volunteer who provides a service to the town, and makes the town look better.”

Such a motion – while it ultimately passed unanimously with Republican support – took on the appearance of a departing political jab at the veteran Republicans on council, and especially at longtime GOP Mayor Harold Griffin, despite him having just given both Fenster and Briggs a proclamation for their service to the governing body moments before Fenster’s speech.

Fanucci is known to locals for continuously volunteering her time to clean up litter along the borough’s streets, including picking up discarded cans and bottles, along with other trash.

However, several years ago, when she had requested more streetside recycling containers to both discourage such litter, and so that trash and recyclables are better separated when discarded by the public, it notoriously led to a heated exchange with Griffin.

Then, another later request of Fanucci’s to be provided with a key to open the lids of the borough’s trash cans (the borough’s receptacles only have slits, making it difficult to dump a large volume of trash in them all at once, according to Fanucci, who has contended she can only put handfuls in at a time) was previously denied by the mayor for “liability reasons.”

See COUNCILMEN/ Page 7

Online Petition Calls for Pinelands Regional Superintendent’s Firing, Accusing Her of Unethical Behavior, Intimidation, Retaliation Tactics McCooley Declines to Respond, But Posts 12-Page List of ‘Major Accomplishments’

By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer

LI T T LE EG G H A R B OR— A n Internet petition that has been started on Ipetitions.com, and has since been circulated throughout the community, to “Remove Dr. Melissa A. McCooley as shared superintendent” of both the Pinelands Regional and Little Egg Harbor Township school districts had garnered some 90 signatures and some 10 supporting comments by the afternoon of Jan. 20 (this newspaper’s deadline time).

McCooley failed to reply to messages left for her regarding the petition, both by email and phone, giving her the opportunity to directly respond to the allegations in the petition, which was posted by Little Egg Harbor resident Christopher R. Johnson (with a username at the top, “Mykid Matters”). But she did post a 12-page list of her “major accomplishments”

from 2018, the year she was first hired, to 2021, when her contract was renewed, in the form of a PDF posted at the Pinelands Regional website, which may have been intended as a response of sorts (a link to the list was placed in a pop-up alert message so that it was the first thing visitors to the school district’s website would see).

Pinelands Board of Education President Betti Anne McVey, when called by the Pine Barrens Tribune for a reaction, said she would have no comment on the matter. August Daleo, the board vice president, failed to respond to messages from this newspaper.

Along with additional headlines urging “Save Little Egg & Pinelands Schools,” “FIRE McCooley,” and “Tell the Board to End Her Contract,” the petition includes a letter described as “an expression of our ‘Vote of No Confidence’ in Dr. McCooley See PETITION/ Page 11

Saturday, January 22, 2022

Parent Tasks 2022 Pemberton BOE with ‘Figuring Out’ Solution to ‘Behavioral Crisis’ in Schools, Describing Attacks on Daughter Official: Shutdown ‘Set Us Back Socially, Emotionally and Academically’

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

Newcomers (left to right) Roberto Fernandez, Robert King and Lionel Lee are sworn-in to the Pemberton Township Board of Education on Jan. 6.

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

PEMBERTON—With three newcomers being seated Jan. 6 on the Pemberton Township Board of Education, which also has a new vice president, a parent appeared to task the 2022 board with finding an immediate solution to purported “bullying,” “body shaming” and “emotional abuse” taking place in the Pemberton Township School District, with prior sessions also including other accounts of significant behavioral problems being exhibited by students since their return to in-person learning following a hiatus due to the Coronavirus pandemic shutdown.

“You need to figure this out – what our plan is to put this school (district) back together,” the parent told the board. “It is really bad in our schools! I am here to figure out how we can get this back together.”

The parent, who noted her daughter attends Denbo-Crichton School, maintained that she is “so confused” as to why there are “only” two counselors employed there.

Stress and anxiety, the parent pointed out, is currently being experienced by the student body.

“There is a crisis – everybody knows this,” she declared.

Last year’s board, th is newspap er previously reported, appeared to struggle to come up with a solution to the purported problems, with some officials not only citing the pandemic’s impact, but a coincident loss in state aid to the district, with it also being pointed out that additional funds are expected to be cut by the state through at least the 2024-25 school year, and in return, there is the likelihood that additional staff, services and programs will need to be axed.

The parent who spoke, however, listed her suggestions for solving the disciplinary problems, including hiring a recreation director, bringing in “Dads on Duty” (a program implemented at some U.S. schools where students’ fathers take shifts protecting

schoolgrounds) and establishing a youth night.

“I am even interested in getting the National Guard in here to teach manners all over again,” the parent declared. “Maybe even get some inmates in here to scare the kids. The cops don’t scare the kids anymore, and the parents don’t hold their children accountable for their actions, and it is really sad.”

The parent contended that she was also “so confused” as to why the district’s schools do not have a “No Bully Zone,” maintaining that she thought it “was the law in New Jersey.”

“The non-stop bullying all day, the emotional abuse all day, and the physical abuse all day – my daughter has been bitten, she has been punched, she has been choked – it is gross!” the parent declared. “We need help, ASAP!” The mother added that she has been “shutting down social media everywhere” to prot e ct her d aug ht er, i nd ic ati ng cyberbullying was also an issue.

“We need help!” she asserted. “I don’t know what to do. We just have to start somewhere. Would you agree?”

Superintendent Jeffrey Havers’ initial response to that question was that it is the policy of the board for him to address public comments once the public comment section of a board meeting is closed.

The parent, in reply, noted that she “chose not to move forward with the state yet” because she wanted to “work it out here,” contending she did not want any drama by “going over someone’s head,” but rather “I just want to fix this!”

“I want a better place for our kids,” she declared. “I don’t want my daughter to be scared to go to school. It is gross! That’s it!”

Upon the mother taking her seat, Tom Bauer, elected board president for another year by seven of his eight colleagues, asserted, “All nine of us here – we heard you,” and said that the superintendent would be providing “answers.”

“We need ‘answers,’ right now,” said the parent from her seat. “It is bad for the kids, See BOE/ Page 13

Saturday, January 22, 2022

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Woodland Retains ‘Firehouse Auditor’ in Creating New Position; ‘Confusing Comment’ About Donating to Fire Company Clarified

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

WOODLAND—A “new position” has been added to the Woodland Township rolls, with the Jan. 4 appointment of a “firehouse auditor.”

And the Woodland solicitor is denying there is a “pay for service” arrangement put in place by the local fire company following a “confusing comment” made by a township committeeman last month.

The appointment of Jerry Conaty, of the Lakewood firm HMA, as firehouse auditor, was made in conjunction with seven others during the 10 a.m. Jan. 4 Woodland Township Reorganization meeting, the rest which are considered routine for a reorganization session here.

While questions were raised last year about the Woodland Volunteer Fire and EMS Company’s fi nanc es and Mark Herndon, sworn-in Jan. 4 to a new, threeyear term on the township committee, previously remarked that the entity was “looking for someone to either take over, or at least take some of the load from the present treasurer of the fire department – someone who can help with bookkeeping in some way, shape or form,” William Burns, again chosen this year as township solicitor, maintained on Jan. 4 the reason for the new appointment is “to ensure that the money the township received” from the state and federal government, specifically Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act funding, “is properly used” and “there is justification for the use of that money with respect to emergency services and first responders.”

He said such an auditor would also make sure of those things for “any other money earmarked” to the entity “to ensure our first responders have the equipment they

need, and also to replace equipment that was significantly used or damaged during the course of COVID.” Burns maintained there are “not a lot of regulations” associated with the funding’s use, so by the township committee choosing to appoint a firehouse auditor, “this is really a fail-safe” to “ensure that any expenditures of township funds” given to “our township first responders and dedicated volunteers” is “done so appropriately and in accordance with statute.”

“Again, this just adds another layer of protection and independence to ensure that expenditures are not only right according to our township auditor, but also for a specific independent auditor associated with fire and EMS volunteer company,” Burns added.

In a later interview with this newspaper, when the township solicitor was asked if Woodland Fire was now a municipal fire township department and no longer an entity separate from the municipality, he responded that it is “not a typical fire department,” but rather a “standalone volunteer organization” that has 501(c)(3) status with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

“That’s why we want to do it (appoint a firehouse auditor on their behalf),” Burns contended. “Because the township owns all the equipment and is a funding source for them. Part of the agreement is the township can receive audits for the fire department.

With the new government funding available from the CARES Act, as well as other resources, the township and volunteer EMS company wants to make sure any expenditure of funds, done on behalf of the fire and EMS company, can be done with any applicable state and federal regulations.”

William “Billy” DeGroff, chosen again See FIREHOUSE/ Page 14

Saturday, January 22, 2022

Parents Left ‘Disturbed’ by Instagram Page with Multiple Videos of Physical Confrontations That May Involve Pinelands Students Since Coming to Light Last Friday, Page Has Apparently Been Taken Down

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

LITTLE EGG HARBOR—An Instagram page with an account username of “Mystic Fights,” which contained “multiple videos” of youth apparently involved in physical confrontations with each other, both in and outside of school, has now seemingly been taken down since a parent pointed it out to others last Friday, but before it was, it left both community members and parents to declare they are “absolutely sickened,” “disturbed” and “alarmed” by what it had portrayed.

However, Capt ai n Troy Bez ak, a spokesperson for the Little Egg Harbor Township Police Department, told this newspaper on Jan. 19 that while “we are aware that there were videos posted on social media showing what appears to be juveniles engaged in fighting,” the police department has “not been provided any of these videos” and “no one has come forward to report any incidents allegedly portrayed in these social media posts.”

“We have instructed our patrol officers to pay extra attention to large groups of JVs who might be engaged in fighting,” Bezak added.

The page’s existence came to light on Friday, Jan. 14 when a mother – whose son was involved in a Pinelands Regional School District locker room altercation last year and claimed that he was injured during the incident, as reported by this newspaper – posted a link to the Instagram page in a Facebook group that is for Pinelands Regional School District parents.

“It was brought to my attention that (the) Instagram account link below shows multiple fights in and out of school and in Mystic [Island] (a section of Little Egg Harbor Township),” the mother wrote. “As a

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parent, I am absolutely sickened to see these videos. Parents, please check these out as it may be your child in these fights.”

By Sunday, after members of the group wrote comments underneath the mother’s Facebook posting such as this is “disgusting and absolutely disturbing on so many levels” in reference to what they had just viewed on the Instagram page, the videos on it were replaced with a message from the social media giant stating, “Sorry, this page isn’t available. The link you followed may be broken, or the page may have been removed.”

But whether the Instagram page was voluntarily removed, or caused to be removed by either Instagram or another entity, and whether there had been any type of subsequent investigation into its presence by the school district, could not be ascertained by this newspaper as Pinelands Regional Superintendent Dr. Melissa McCooley did not return this newspaper’s multiple requests for comment on this story by deadline time.

The videos posted on the Instagram page featured confrontations involving both male and female youth – mostly of junior high and high school age, with the dates of the postings made over the course of at least a several week period (though it was unclear when the videos were filmed). The page had somewhere around 100 followers.

“Disg usti ng that al l thos e p eople watched,” declared one community member in response to what she observed by clicking the link to the page.

One community member, who called the contents of the page “the absolutely most disgusting thing,” observed that several of the published videos appeared to be filmed See INSTAGRAM/ Page 13

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COUNCILMEN (Continued from Page 4)

Borough Solicitor David Serlin, in explaining the reason for that denial, previously maintained that “our insurance adviser gave us an opinion and has advised us we would be liable if we would entrust a private citizen with the authority to enter our garbage cans because we have no insurance (on them),” and since there is no coverage, there is an additional concern about what would happen if a volunteer were to get injured while entering borough trash cans.

“I think most of us in the community really appreciate the work Diane Fanucci has done, but anyone else in the future who would like to (do what she does), we’d like to encourage people (to do it),” said Fenster on Dec. 21. “My last official thing I’d like to do is make a motion to do just that, to maybe set aside a small nominal fund, a couple hundred dollars a year, to support volunteers, providing them with a couple tools here and there to make things easier, and to support them having access to garbage and recycling, and things like that.”

It had to be pointed out to Griffin a couple of times – amid some silence – that Fenster had just made a “motion,” requiring council to entertain the request for further action.

“Oh, it was?” replied Griffin.

Fenster – given that such a request did not appear on the meeting agenda and Griffin’s question – then reiterated that he would “like to make a motion to set aside a couple hundred dollars, a small nominal sum, to provide tools and gloves, and maybe a reacher tool, to any regular volunteer today, or in the future,” pointing out that such funds were “not for anybody who just shows up one day.”

Griffin then came around to asking if the council had any “questions or concerns.”

Republican Councilman Terry Jerome

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“I would like to see some language (behind) how this would be dispensed, and that sort of thing,” Jerome declared.

Serlin replied that council could adopt the motion as a “recommendation for next year’s budget” for an “item for appropriation.”

“You can set aside a sum of money, then you could structure it,” the solicitor added.

“The intention (can be there) and you have to talk about next year’s budget anyway.”

The motion passed unanimously on that note – though the new council is not necessarily bound to what was referred to

by Serlin as a “recommendation.”

Republicans regained absolute control of council on Jan. 3, three full years after Fenster and the late Cliff Rutherford had pulled off a surprise, historic upset in 2018 by becoming the first Democrats elected to the governing body since the 1970s.

Fenster – who clashed a number of times with Griffin prior to his council service – is not only Fanucci’s neighbor, but the two are longtime friends. Prior to Fenster’s service, the two residents would both regularly attend council meetings and speak about various borough issues, sometimes even appearing to tag team to convey certain points. However, Fanucci is a Republican and part of the local Republican organization.

“I’d like to thank Mr. Fenster,” she said during the Dec. 21 council meeting in response to what occurred. “I had no idea he (Fenster) was going to bring any of that up. But thank you, and I appreciate the fact you are appreciating what I do. And I appreciate everything you have done on council. I am hoping you will run again, and you will get on council again.

“And I am speaking as a Republican about a Democrat, because all I care about is common sense and smarts! And you got them both in spades! You have done a great

job. You will be a voice back here with me again like old times.”

Fenster, during his speech, maintained that he “still plans on coming to future meetings,” contending that except for former GOP Councilman Tim Quinlan, “a lot of our former council people seem to disappear when they are no longer on council.”

(Occasionally, former GOP council president Robin Mosher will appear, however.)

As for why the now-former Democratic councilman might attend future council meetings, while he declared “we have accomplished quite a bit” and “we made a lot of progress on things like improving our parks, working on our roads and (encouraging) upkeep,” Fenster said he wants to see the new council “continue to do that” and believes “we have a lot of things that we still need to have done.”

Among what he said he would like to see the future council tackle is “more progress with an affordable housing issue,” further exploring the legalization of cannabis businesses, and “returning to a five-day work week” (council, many years ago now, closed the municipal buildings on Fridays, in a bid to reduce employee hours to reduce overall costs).

Fenster noted he would also like to see renewed efforts to revitalize the County Route 530 corridor after several businesses were shuttered and demolished to make way for a county road widening project (that was recently completed). The land taken for that project, he maintained, should be “conveyed” to the borough for purposes of “redevelopment.”

“As everyone knows, we lost a large portion of ratables with that,” Fenster pointed out.

“We have had some other businesses close in town. … So hopefully we can bring in new businesses, on 530 and elsewhere.”

Tak i ng the s eats du r i ng c ou nc i l’s reorganization meeting once held by Fenster and Briggs were Republicans Nick Conner and Andrea Martin, both of whom were sworn-in to three-year terms on Jan. 3.

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Following the swearing-in of Conner (who will oversee the borough’s streets, a post previously held by Fenster) and Martin (who will oversee the municipality’s Water and Sewer department), Bonnie Haines (who will oversee the borough’s buildings and grounds) was again selected to serve as council president.

Given that there was a little bit of a reshuffling due to the change in councilmembers, Jerome will now oversee the municipality’s electric company, taking that responsibility over from Briggs.

After Conner and Martin took their seats as the dais – albeit a virtual platform for the reorganization meeting – Fanucci asserted “yay!”

Fa nu c c i a nd Fe n st er, du r i ng t he reorganization session, called on the councilmembers, “especially the new councilmembers,” to identify their “main goals” that they have for the new year.

“I am happy to be here, happy to be serving on council and am looking forward to a successful year with hopefully a lot of things accomplished,” said Martin in the only remarks of the evening, while Conner said he is “just looking forward to a great year and learning a lot.”

Griffin, who initially said he would reveal a list of his own goals later this month, but during a Jan. 18 council session pushed the reveal date back to sometime in February but noted his list would now include the new councilmember’s input, declared, “in the new year, I am sure we can make Pemberton a better place than it is now.”

An agenda for the reorganization meeting notably concluded with late American author, journalist and naturalist Hal Borland’s famed quote, “Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.”

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LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

RETIRING

(Continued from Page 1) his department the first in the state to fully equip all of its members with body worn cameras the year after he became chief, launching the state’s first 30x30 Advancing Women in Law Enforcement Campaign, and managing to continually get the department ranked among the top one percent of police forces in the nation by achieving multiple reaccreditations.

Having recently announced his pending retirement as of Feb. 1, after 25 years of serving on the local force, Chew now has some plans in the works to take the knowledge and experience he has gained into what some might consider a rather surprising direction, as he revealed in the replies he gave to some questions put to him during a phone interview with the Pine Barrens Tribune, starting with what he considered his proudest accomplishment during his tenure as chief.

“One of the most impactful actions I have undertaken would be the creation of a comprehensive wellness and safety program for members of the department,” he replied, noting how the physical and emotional demands of police work, the situations officers face and trauma they may experience when they’re responding to calls and the real-life stress on a daily basis of constantly resolving other people’s issues take a toll on their physical, mental and emotional well-being.

“There was a void in this area, so I wanted to create a program that would ensure that the members of the police department had the necessary tools to be happy, healthy, productive police officers – to ‘protect the protectors’ and to take care of each officer as if they were a member of your immediate family,” Chew said.

When Chew implemented this particular program shortly after being promoted to chief, it was among the first of its kind in the country and has since been used as a model for other departments. As one of its originators, he is now considered a “subject matter expert” in this area by the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington, D.C.-based independent think tank that receives federal grants to assist police departments across the country, which he occasionally visits to interview employees, review policies and procedures and then provide sample protocols for efforts similar to Evesham’s, conducting follow-ups either via Zoom sessions or email.

Included in the current agenda of the Evesham Police Department wellness program are ongoing counseling in physical fitness, psychological, mental and spiritual well-being, discussions about diet, nutrition and sleep requirements, and mandatory annual physical fitness tests and one-on-one sessions with a police-trained psychologist, along with the services of a wellness committee that meets daily with officers to

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM discuss any ongoing sources of stress they may be experiencing related both to their work and their personal lives.

Additional aspects, he noted, are financial guidance provided to newer and older members of the department and a police chaplain program that Chew described as an extension of the wellness program he created “to assist both the community and our staff in dealing with traumatic issues,” and which has an integral role in assisting officers in debriefing those involved in critical incidents.

The results, Chew said, are “absolutely” tangible ones he has observed firsthand in the form of “a healthier, more vibrant, collaborative and productive work force,” with officers who may once have suffered in silence from stress now being comfortable enough to seek out counseling.

Chew’s campaign to transform the dynamic of law enforcement, however, has gone well beyond changes in internal department procedures, extending to the way its members interact with the community at large, as he further explained to this newspaper.

Police, in his view, should consider themselves to be primarily problem solvers.

“I stress all the time that our role should be that of mediators,” he said.

As such, he expects officers to approach every situation they encounter with objectivity, transparency and a focus on opening and maintaining lines of communication with the participants, keeping in mind that every call they respond to involves a different set of circumstances, not all of them in regard to conflicts.

His experiences since taking charge of the department, he said, have only served to “reaffirm my belief in the importance of a police officer’s role in the community, as I can see the great things they do on a 24-houra-day, seven-day-a-week basis.”

An example he cited is that of a member of the force who responded to a call about an expectant mother who suddenly went into labor.

“The officer, who had some paramedic tactical training in the military but none in obstetrics, immediately sprang into action and delivered the baby at her house,” he recounted, resulting in his being named its godfather.

Asked how he believes the police can better interact with other elements of the community to improve the quality of life in general, he cited his own focus on enhancing community policing through outreach efforts that include having an increased presence in daily activities, talking to people and listening to them and “communicating at the earliest onset with residents on issues that might arise and attempting to collaboratively resolve them before they advance to something more serious.”

He added that he thinks members of his department have succeeded in making themselves both pro-active and visible, which allows “people in the community to approach

us at any time, in any situation, to work together at resolving anything that may be going on.”

In addition to supporting a number of police-community cooperative initiatives, Chew, himself, has served as a highly visible and accessible example of police involvement in local affairs by being an active participant in township council meetings, delivering reports on the status of law-enforcementrelated issues and activities, being on hand to answer queries and conducting swearingin ceremonies for new members of the force.

In the interview with this newspaper, he also expanded upon any advice he might offer to new recruits during their orientation.

“I keep it very simple: It is service before self,” he responded. “Our role once you put on the uniform is to assist the community, and you always do it with their best interest in mind as opposed to your own. I also tell them to treat everyone as if they were your mother, father, sister, son, daughter or family member.”

Not that all the officers who have come to work with the Evesham department under Chew’s command are rookies.

“We’re ver y for t u nat e to h ave a memorandum agreement with both the local and Lenape Regional school districts that has allowed us to assign a permanent police officer to every school in the township,” he maintained, pointing out that those officers are “no different from the ones on the street in that they are fully uniformed, and equipped with a police car, radio and a firearm.”

What does distinguish them from their colleagues, however is that “they are all retired police officers with 25 or more years’ experience,” categorized as Class III Special Law Enforcement Officers (one of whom, Bruce Koch is himself a retired police chief from Camden County, as noted in the Dec. 18 edition of the Pine Barrens Tribune).

When Chew was queried about what he believes is the biggest local and national problem that the police can help to address, Chew, whose academic credentials include a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice from Rowan University and a Master’s Degree in Administrative Sciences, along with certificates in Law and Public Safety Administration and Global Leadership from Farleigh Dickinson University, replied, “the opioid crisis” – one that, while overshadowed by the pandemic over the last couple years, has hardly gone away.

“We’ve been very pro-active in focusing on getting people help as opposed to their being arrested or incarcerated,” he asserted, estimating that more than 150 residents over the past three years have opted to voluntarily seek help from its Straight-to-Treatment program, which they can enter into by visiting the station during specified hours every Monday when there is a health-care representative on hand who will screen them and then make the necessary arrangements to put them straight into treatment right on the spot. “It doesn’t matter who they are. Even if they have warrants, we’ll clear those for them. If that’s an obstacle

Saturday, January 22, 2022 to their getting help, we remove that obstacle.

If they have illegal narcotics, we will confiscate and destroy them free of charge.”

That, he pointed out, is in addition to Evesham officers being on call, 24/7 to assist anyone experiencing a narcotics-related issue through Narcan deployment that reverses the effects of the drugs and brings them back to a conscious state in accordance with a state law that prevents someone in such a situation from being charged “because it’s more important to save their life.”

But rather than just reviving the overdose victim and then leaving, the policy of his department is for officers to “ask them if they want treatment and if they say ‘yes,’ to send somebody out to stay with the individual until we can get it for them,” he said, adding that a medical expert is included in its ranks for that purpose.

On another drug-related issue, Chew was asked whether he thought the ordinance passed by the Evesham Township Council last year allow ing for new cannabis businesses to be established within limited areas of the municipality will put an added strain on the police force, as one resident has repeatedly charged at council meetings.

While offering no opinion on “the business of selling and cultivating cannabis” per se, Chew replied that his major concern about the new law “from a larger perspective is the potential for more people to operate a vehicle while under the influence of cannabis or other narcotics,” especially given that there currently is no official test for that comparable to the one for blood-alcohol levels.

“We do, however, have officers specifically trained as drug-recognition experts,” he said.

“And they have the ability to perform field sobriety testing to determine on the scene if somebody is under the influence of a narcotic, whether legal or illegal, including marijuana.”

As for the question of whether cannabis might also cause certain individuals with psychological issues to commit violent offenses, as that same critic has alleged, the chief said that he wasn’t qualified to determine if that’s true or not, but that he expected the department would be monitoring the situation over the next few years “to determine if there are any increases in related offenses” as well as traffic accidents. (He also noted that members of the department are prohibited from using cannabis products themselves.)

He did acknowledge, however, that “right from the get-go, we’ll have to train more people as drug- recognition experts, so that’s an additional strain, and if the numbers increase, we’ll have to keep up with that,” adding, “It’s a very unknown situation.”

But that is a concern that will be left to Chew’s successor, who has yet to be chosen, with other high-ranking members of the department expected to fill in until someone is appointed to replace him – or as he puts it, “I’ll be turning the baton over to the next group of See RETIRING/ Page 11

Saturday, January 22, 2022

CANNABIS (Continued from Page 2)

colleagues to serve as mayor of Shamong, in 2022 – as well as Committeeman Martin Mozitis all pointed out to Kalmbach, in response, that “this is the first conversation we have had on field grow” and that she was “the first person to come forward and talk about outdoor grow.”

Kalmbach, in response to a series of questions from both the committeemen and officials, contended that outdoor grows are currently prevalent in Maine and Massachusetts, 10-acres of farmland is “more than enough” for what she is planning to do in town, the state requires an eight-foot security fence “around the plants themselves” as well as a “security monitoring system to protect the crop,” and that the local climate supports “two grows a year” with a third possible in the wintertime if “greenhouse grows” are also permitted.

She pointed out that she was in “active negotiations with a Shamong property owner” and “would like an answer to continue negotiations.”

“I think you are educating us because we are not familiar with the outdoor side of the business,” declared Gimble in response.

One of the biggest points of contention surrounding the cannabis industry is the foul odor that can emanate from cannabis crops.

The odor produced by an indoor cannabis operation in Readington Township, for instance, resulted in dozens of complaints last year to both that township and police, with the odor described by one resident as being “akin to that of a skunk,” according to NJ Advance Media.

Heinold asked Kalmbach if the outdoor crops she intends to grow would have an odor, to which she replied, “there will be smell.”

AD HOTLINE: (609) 801-2392 “The plants only smell pungently for a couple weeks around the time they are flowering,” she added. “So, a couple times a year, there will be wafts of the smell of cannabis. But you can think of that as tax revenue for the town.”

Kalmbach noted that given the local climate, the first outdoor crop can be planted “by March” and harvested in June, while another can be planted later that month and harvested in October.

Heinold pointed out that while Shamong “has been open-minded” with respect to cannabis, compared to other towns, and has held “a lot of discussions” with “people interested in cannabis,” this was the first time someone had raised the idea of outdoor grows, and therefore, “it is something we are going to have to look into a little bit more.”

“Just so everyone is aware, we have a number of areas already designated (for this use,” added Heinold, noting those uses are associated with “requirements” and “conditions.”

However, “now is the time” he declared for an individual or entity to approach Shamong about “tweaking” the cannabis ordinance because it is “probably” going to have to be tweaked anyhow through the Pinelands Commission’s approval process.

Shamong Township resident Heather McGarvey, however, after learning of Kalmbach’s plan during the reorganization meeting, contended that “most of the people who were for” allowing cannabis in town was so that it would actually benefit the “farming community here” as well as the “people who live here.”

“And all I see is outsiders coming in and starting grows,” she asserted. “The majority of people coming in here are from other places. I guarantee you nine out of 10 residents here don’t want that!”

Gimble maintained in response that “one person” interested in starting a cannabis

operation in Shamong lives in the township, though he acknowledged that person had only lived in the municipality for a couple of years.

McGarvey, while noting she is “procannabis” and claiming, “cannabis is good for the community due to the tax revenue it brings in,” during a back-and-forth exchange with officials, explained her primary concern “that hasn’t really been addressed” is that a local farmer could sell their entire farm to an “outsider” given the economy is a “little iffy right now,” and that such a person could then conceivably make it difficult for the “local” farmers “who could use the money.”

The “local people,” she maintained, “should get first dibs” at obtaining cannabis licenses, rather than “people coming in and making money off our town.”

“Any farmers from our town, who are interested, can come before us, or strike a deal with somebody from another part of the world,” Di Croce replied. “So, farmers have ‘complete control’ over what they want to do.”

The deputy mayor added that he “doesn’t see many farmers ready to sell” and also noted “we can’t zone out somebody from the rest of the world.”

Gimble pointed out that Shamong’s “original idea” was to be an “open door for this entire thing” and that both he and Di Croce “talked to farmers about their properties and things like that.” But produce and fruit farmers, he indicated, “may not be prepared to go into this (cannabis) business because they don’t know this business,” at least currently, especially given that the state just allowed for cannabis licensing with the CRC’s regulations rolled out just last summer.

“Our goal was to enable the community,” emphasized the mayor, contending that he felt the discussion was veering toward the “semantics” of what is and isn’t part of the community, and that local farmers might “gain benefits” for their properties despite not

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♦ Page 9

being “directly” in the business of cannabis.

Right now, he maintained, the “ultimate goal” is to “bring in, recoup and gain tax revenue” with the “state now open for business.”

“Not a lot of towns are looking at this from business perspective,” Gimble added. “It took us a lot of time to put controls on what we think is going to happen in the future. I can tell you it is not going to be this free-for-all landscape. At end of the day, we are open to any farmer who wants to talk about this, and who wants to go into the business. We are here and promoting it as such.”

Kalmbach, in noting that both she and her mom are originally from Iowa (which has many farmlands), maintained that “she really appreciates farmers” and can also appreciate that “farms have been struggling,” particularly over the cost of soybean and corn production.

“So, I feel strongly to empower farmers, and the more sun-grown cannabis, the better for the whole cannabis ecosystem,” she declared. “My company would be more than happy, and honored, to share cultivation techniques to help other farmers get off the ground because it is not a zero-sum game here. We can all grow good cannabis, and it can be regenerative for the land as well.”

That is when Di Croce asserted that he found Kalmbach’s proposal “intriguing.”

“And we are not going to say ‘no,’” he said. “We are not going to say ‘yes.’ But we are not going to say ‘no.’

However, the deputy mayor, after discussing how he had recently toured a cannabis facility in neighboring Hammonton with other Shamong officials, claiming that such a facility of its size in Shamong “would pay all our taxes – school taxes and local taxes,” remarked that if Kalmbach “finds a farmer and partners up with them,” then “as far as I am concerned, your company would be welcome here.”

“Our vision here is to create a number of See CANNABIS/ Page 14

Page 10 ♦

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

CHIEF

(Continued from Page 1) he called a “professional organization,” the Pemberton Township Police Department.

Jay Watters, a 15-year veteran of the township police force who has led all three of its divisions – Patrol, Criminal Investigations and Administrative – at some point during the course of his career, and prior to working for the local force, served the U.S. Air Force as a military police officer, as well as the U.S. Department of Defense - Fort Dix as a cop, took over the reins of the township police force on Jan. 3 from David King, with the latter said by Watters to be “winding down his career” and preparing for retirement in the coming months.

King, who in the interim has returned to the rank of lieutenant, once again overseeing the Administrative division of the department, had begun serving as the township’s police chief in an acting capacity beginning in May 2020, following the May 1, 2020, retirement of 10-year police chief David Jantas.

Watters, during Pemberton Township Council’s Jan. 5 reorganization meeting, in which his promotion was made public by Police Director Daniel Hornickel, who is also the township’s business administrator, maintained that he “certainly has huge shoes to fill coming in after Chief King” due to the “impact he has had to try and combat some of the quality of life issues that we have had.”

Watters, in a later interview with the Pine Barrens Tribune, one in which he revealed the promotion came as a surprise, called King a “mentor of mine” and declared his predecessor did a “phenomenal job” in “doing some things and setting some things up” that allowed the police department to “tackle the violent crime issue we had.”

He added those initiatives, started by King, are already having a “significant impact” in the right direction, in combination with the “phenomenal” work carried out by the “officers in this organization and the other (partnering) organizations.”

“I absolutely look forward to continuing what he set in place, and continuing to watch these guys go out, being successful in combatting that,” Watters maintained. “We are going to take an aggressive approach to the quality of life issues affecting the citizens of this community, and it doesn’t matter where it is – Sunbury Village, Browns Mills, Country Lakes, or Presidential Lakes – we are going to go out there and take care of the issues as they come up.”

Watters further declared “we are certainly lucky Chief King did what he did, in the time he was doing it.”

“We have a phenomenal organization over here,” he said. “I obviously read social media posts, and I understand there are people who feel we don’t do a good job. But I ask them

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to compare what was going on over the past few years to what has been going on over the past year or so. I think they would see – even though we are not perfect, and no town is, and there are a lot of problems going on in the U.S. right now – we have made a pretty big impact on quality of life issues.”

Watters maintained that he oversees “a great crew” working for the police de p a r t me nt “from t he b ottom up,” despite that a “large, large majority” of the township’s police officers having less than five-years’ experience on the job, and a “pretty good chunk” have less than three years’ experience.

“The maturity they all show – how they deal with situations and all that stuff – they make it easy to come to work,” Watters asserted. “They make it easy to do the job as both a lieutenant, and chief. I am impressed everyday seeing them come to work – they do a phenomenal job.”

Watters told this newspaper that he “just always wanted to be a police officer” and “that is all I ever wanted to do,” pointing out that where he was born and raised, in Vermont, he was part of a small town where “everybody knew everybody,” which allowed him to get know the police officers of his hometown at a very young age.

“I don’t want to say they had any influence on my life, but I knew them all, and respected them,” he said.

Watters joined the Air Force in 1997, where he worked as an active-duty military police officer for nearly 10 years, with four of those years spent as a criminal investigator.

After leaving active duty in 2006 for the Air Force reserves, Watters joined the Department of Defense Police at Fort Dix. In 2007, he “ended up getting picked up as a police officer here in Pemberton Township,” noting he was “excited” at the time “to come work for Pemberton.”

“Obviously, from a police standpoint, this is a great place to work,” Watters said. “The stuff you get exposed to as a police officer, is both good and bad, but as far as learning how to do the job and stuff like that, I don’t think there is a better place to work than Pemberton Township. The community is awesome, the people who live here are awesome, and as soon as I heard they were hiring, it was a no brainer – this is what I wanted to do.”

Watters served as patrolman until 2011, when he was promoted to the rank of sergeant and “moved into the detective bureau.” After working as a detective from 2011 to 2016, he “returned to the patrol division” as a sergeant “working a couple different shifts.”

Then, in 2017, Jantas appointed Watters the commander of the Patrol division, and with that promotion came the rank of lieutenant. That is where Watters remained for the next three years, until a retirement led to his being named commander of the

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Following the appointment of King as acting police chief, as well as a retirement of another lieutenant in August of last year, Watters became the commander of the Administrative division.

“This is a job where you show up, and every day it is different,” Watters said.

“You never are going to have the same day, every day you come to work. Nothing is monotonous.”

The new police chief in the interview with this newspaper encouraged “anybody who wants to be a police officer” to “put their mind to it.”

“You obviously have to think about doing this job at a young age, because if you start messing up in life, that is kind of a roadblock with getting hired as a police officer,” Watters pointed out. “So, I would highly suggest that any youngsters or teenagers think about it now, and be conscious about it, and ultimately do it. It is a phenomenal job. Every day is exciting. They say if you enjoy what you do, you never work a day in your life. That is how we pretty much all feel here.”

Watters emphasized that he “believes in the officers of this organization,” pointing to the significant impact their efforts have had on the community and resolving some of its concerns.

In addition to a string of shootings – mostly in Sunbury Village, but with a few in Browns Mills – which resulted in the recent initiatives to improve quality of life that the new chief spoke of, the township, as well as its police force, has recently been hearing of another quality of life concern – off-road vehicles, quads and ATVs being driven in the streets illegally, and in some cases, reportedly terrorizing area neighborhoods.

When asked about how he might approach the issue and resolve the purported activity, which has been described in detail at previous council meetings, Watters said that there has been “discussions about it” and he has “some ideas on how to combat it,” though it is a “difficult thing to address” due to directives that have been issued by the Attorney General’s Office (limiting the chasing of such vehicles while they are being driven illegally) “which we have to abide by.”

Those directives, he noted, “prevent some things that community members believe we should be able to do” and “obviously, I am not in the business of violating the Attorney General’s directives, nor am I going to put our public in danger or our police officers in danger.”

“I think that we got some ideas, and we are kicking around some things, but obviously I am not going to show my cards right now,” Watters said. “It is an issue, and we hear about it every day when complaints are called in. It is noticed, and we have talked about it. I personally have towed quads from people this past year who were riding them

Photo Provided

Jay Watters, the new chief of police for Pemberton Township. illegally. I know other officers have, too.”

Watters noted that such seizures are “not a public thing we put out there” because when such illegal riding occurs, it is actually considered a “traffic violation more than anything.” Only if the riders of such vehicles “run from us” does it lead to a “criminal investigation,” Watters pointed out.

When asked about his overall message for the community in general, Watters replied that the township police department will “continue” to deal with the violent crime and quality of life issues.

“We are going to take care of the 99 percent of the good citizens of this town, and we are going to let the other 1 percent, who are causing the issues, know we are not going to stand for it,” Watters declared. “So, we definitely will take care of business the way that we have been.”

During the Jan. 5 council meeting, Watters noted that he intends to prioritize the return of community policing functions, like National Night Out, events that had been called off during the past two years due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

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RETIRING

(Continued from Page 8) leaders, all of whom are extremely qualified, and let them navigate it into the future.”

He does, however, plan to remain on the local scene, currently having a daughter in high school and a son in college, and be “actively involved in the law enforcement community” – meaning that while he might be retiring from policing, he will “continue to do consulting work and, potentially, some writing or lecturing (with a preference for the latter), depending on the topic or the availability of my newfound time.”

“I think I have a mile-long to-do list waiting for me,” the police chief added.

High on that list, he revealed, is something in keeping with his passion for healthy living – a plan to become a yoga instructor, with

PETITION

(Continued from Page 4) and her ability to run the above-mentioned schools effectively, efficiently and in the best interest of the students.”

It goes on to say that, “We understand the severity of this decision and did not arrive at it hastily. We feel we have given Dr. McCooley ample time to prove herself and we are completely displeased with her leadership and the path of failure she has led our students down. We are tired of the excuses.

“Throughout the past few years, we have had concerns regarding Dr. McCooley’s leadership; specifically regarding trust with information presented to parents, trust with COVID practices and safety of staff, students and their families, confidentiality of student information, lack of collaboration between

AD HOTLINE: (609) 801-2392 “a focus on first responders.”

To that end, he said, he’s currently attending an established school and expects to have certification to teach the discipline after 200 hours of training. He said he sees yoga as “the best way to reduce stress,” with benefits that are physical, mental and spiritual.

Among the officials paying tribute to Chew upon hearing about his pending retirement from the department was Evesham Mayor Jaclyn “Jackie” Veasy, who described him as “professional, personable, experienced, open to new ideas, and incredibly devoted to the community he serves,” adding that the department “has deserved every accolade and decoration achieved under his leadership” and that “he will be missed.”

But perhaps the best news is that he will remain in the community in another role – to endeavor follow to make it a healthier and happier place, justusason facebook.com/MedfordUMC he has done with its police department. all LEH Schools and Pinelands Schools, her administrative decision-making with regards to grading, curriculum selection and application, her nepotistic hiring practices, her lack of respect towards parents and staff, and the nontransparent and vague communication relayed to parents and our communities.”

The letter further charges that “through intimidation and retaliation tactics, Dr. McCooley has acted unethically and has violated many labor laws and federal rules regarding (the) Family Medical Leave Act” and has been “inconsistent in application of rules and disciplinary procedures with regards to her staff.” Without being specific, it also refers to “allegations of misconduct and abuse of power against her and her spouse’s aggressive and inappropriate behavior on social media towards parents in the district.”

It also accuses the superintendent of creating “a toxic environment for students, See PETITION/ Page 13

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“at the newly-remodeled playground” on Radio Road.

Radio Road runs through the Mystic Island section of Little Egg Harbor Township, suggesting why the Instagram account was titled “Mystic Fights.”

Several community members – including parents – said they “could not stomach” watching any, or all of the videos. Others who did actually watch them, declared they were “disturbing to watch.”

“As a mother of teen girls this is disturbing to watch, especially the ones that happened at school and on the bus!” wrote one parent.

“Shame on all the kids videoing, cheering on, and not trying to break it up.”

Another community member asserted that “all of these kids should be in trouble – the ones recording and fighting!”

But McCooley did not respond to this newspaper’s emailed questions (in addition to a phone call inquiry placed to her office) about whether the school district was aware of any of the filmed incidents prior to Friday’s parent discovery, and if so, whether any district students were involved and assigned consequences. It is also unclear whether any new actions would now be taken

BOE

(Continued from Page 4) right now. It is really bad.”

That led Bauer to declare “we all want to do better” and that “we are all exhausted from the pandemic.”

“If only it could be the way it used to be,” said Bauer, the longest serving member of the board, who has been on it since 2011.

Havers, in response to the parent, asserted that, “I agree with you on many parts,” and “share your concerns,” before pointing out that Pemberton Schools are considered “National Schools of Character,” though he acknowledged they are not “national schools of ‘perfection.’”

Keith Abrams

News@PineBarrensTribune.com

Lic# 1283

PETITION

as a result of the videos being published and brought to light.

A c c o r d i n g t o m o n t h l y “s t u d e n t discipl i nar y repor t” att ach ments to Pinelands Regional Board of Education meeting agendas, three “assaults” and four “fights” were reported in the district for the month of October, with additional two “assaults” and four additional “fights” reported in November. No report was found for September and none was published yet for December.

Those reports also include a category of “dangerous behavior” with 26 such incidents reported in October and another 12 in November. There were also a handful of incidents qualifying as “provoking a confrontation” for each of those months.

Given that messages left with McCooley were not returned, it is also not known if the identity of the administrator(s) of the Instagram page is known to the school district at this time, and whether that person is a student.

As far as whether electronic devices are allowed in Pinelands Regional schools, for example, according to the district’s parent and student manual, “use of electronic devices are dictated by the grade levels of students.”

“I blame YouTube and TikTok, and the school allowing the kids to have cellphones in school,” wrote one community member, while another wrote, “Instagram shouldn’t allow accounts like this.”

parents and staff” and having failed to strive “for a high level of standards for student learning and testing,” contending that local districts “have continually scored inconsistently and/or below state averages” and “are plagued by poor attendance with no parental accountability, and poor academic success among Special Education and disadvantaged students.”

“Without the recognition of mistakes, accountability or the willingness to listen to parents or her own trained, competent teachers, there is no hope for learning or improvement and thus no way out for our children,” it asserts, adding, “We feel she has failed to prioritize academic requirements and interests of our entire student body. Being complacent with mediocrity and setting low, but achievable, annual targets is of no benefit to our students and their future.”

The letter concludes by imploring members of the board “to end Dr. McCooley’s employment contract based on inefficiency and unbecoming behavior as stated in her contract per Section 18A:17-24.4 Grounds of Dismissal of Shared Superintendent,” and urging them to “hear our frustration as parents, as residents and as taxpayers and

hope you do what is right for the children of Little Egg Harbor, Tuckerton, and New Gretna/Bass River.”

Among the signers of the petition are two former Pinelands school board members, one-time Board President Susan Ernst and Patricia Chambers, the latter who posted a comment noting that upon resigning from the board last June, she had “publicly stated that the harassment, intimidation, and targeting within the PRSD was a serious issue” and alleging that “those that dared to question or disagree with the ‘status quo’ became victims of this horrendous behavior.”

“I stated it was a toxic environment, and I could no longer serve under these conditions with a governing body that continued to allow such behavior and condone it through their silence,” continued Chambers, asserting that without major changes being made “from the top down; the continued behavior would only fuel the lack of transparency to the constituents being served.”

She also maintained that both the Pinelands and Little Egg districts have the options of cancelling the shared services contracts at any time with 60 days’ notice.

Another resident, Donald Helfrich, Jr., said he believes “it is wrong to profile and segregate our children in the school system by forcing them to wear lanyards and badges” See PETITION/ Page 14

He then explained that he was part of a team that worked “very hard” to have the district’s schools recognized as National Schools of Character, “but, I will tell you, the last year and a half set us back drastically.”

“And not just Pemberton,” Havers maintained. “This (pandemic) set us back as a society.”

The superintendent contended that even “adults I see in society” are not acting as good role models “often.”

“It is a struggle,” he declared, noting that even in school districts that don’t typically have many issues, there are “extreme” ones occurring in them right now.

The rise of social media, Havers said, has left him with “extreme concerns” and is posing “a lot of challenges.”

“On social media, often, people say things they wouldn’t say if it was a personal conversation,” Havers contended. “People often dehumanize others. Things are said that aren’t true. It is an isolation tool. People can be together at a party, but yet they are not together.

A kid could be bullied in the backseat of a car and you wouldn’t know it, because it occurs on their phone. … It (social media) is hurting us.”

On the subject of adding more counselors, the superintendent said that he “wished we could have more,” but “sadly” the amount the district has “is due to the budget.”

“We have to fight to keep what we have, and we lose millions of dollars a year,” Havers declared.

While the township has a recreation director, the superintendent pointed out,

“most school districts do not.”

Dads on Duty “has been considered,” Havers also pointed out, but there are concerns of what would happen if one of them “does something really inappropriate,” calling it a “really complex challenge” and “really tricky” issue.

Havers noted that at an upcoming board meeting, he plans to outline what steps will be taken to address student behavior, with Board Member Sherry Scull noting that the superintendent was asked by the board in November (following an executive session that had occurred mid-meeting) to “come up with solutions” to the disciplinary problems.

However, “one thing we have started to implement,” Havers said, is that if a student See BOE/ Page 15

(Continued from Page 11)

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local jobs here for residents, and not change the flavor of the town,” Di Croce said. “We want to enrich the farmers, where we can, so those who want to participate do not become a nuisance. If there are odor issues, we will make sure we put a grow facility in right area. We have companies who want to partner up with us to reduce our taxes, with our goal that we are the only town that becomes ‘local property tax-free.’”

Cooney and Gray were later honored with a proclamation during a Jan. 4 regular tow nsh ip com m ittee meeting, wh ich

FIREHOUSE (Continued from Page 6)

amongst his colleagues to serve as mayor, for 2022, previously remarked during a governing body session that he wanted to get a “new agreement” with the entity signed.

One has been in the works since most of the entity’s volunteers had resigned in en masse during the July 4th holiday weekend of last year (though some have apparently rescinded their resignations), causing the township to turn to mutual aid for emergency services, including fire protection, for a time.

Burns, in the interview with this newspaper following this year’s reorganization meeting, said “a new one has not been signed,” but the “terms of the former one is still being honored by the township and fire company.”

“We don’t have an anticipation date,” he added. “But it is a priority.”

Burns, during the interview, also attempted to cleanup what he called a “confusing

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immediately followed the reorganization session, for their “numerous years of unconditional service.” Cooney had served on the township committee since 2016, while Gray had been on it since 2006, according to remarks delivered by Gimble.

Appointments for the new year were status quo, except for the township engineer, with the governing body deciding to appoint Joseph R. Hirsh, of Environmental Resolutions, Inc. (ERI), to the post. Dante Guzzi, of Guzzi Engineering, had long been the township engineer, but the firm was reportedly absorbed

by CME Associates last fall. The township committee previously indicated it might make a change following Heinold’s “review” of Requests for Proposals that were submitted.

PETITION

and “a sticker that indicates whether they are a good student or bad student.”

“It is illegal for police to profile citizens, what makes it right for the school to be able to profile their students?” he asked.

Among the many “major accomplishments” claimed by McCooley were being “able to fund two dual-enrollment academies, the JAGS program, a part-time mental health expert, a math consultant, as well as maintain all current programs” despite funding cuts; implementing “a clear process for tagging all technology assets”; providing every student

with either a chrome book or hot spot; promoting “a culture of mutual respect and professionalism in working relationships with the board”; “providing “professional advice and keeps the board regularly informed with data, reports”; establishing the ‘Wildcat Shack’ for students and families in need; acting “ethically and professionally in personal conduct, relationships with others, decision-making, and all aspects of school leadership,” and remaining calm and serving in the best interest of the school community in cases where she was “faced with adversity.”

Readers can view the entire list at h t t p s : //d r i v e . g o o g l e . c o m / fi l e /d /10 WuY4MNTB0sPDEQomA7s557ocrF_CnY/ view .

comment” made by Herndon about the fire company during a preceding Dec 22. township committee meeting.

D u r i n g t h a t s e s s i o n , Tow n s h i p Administrator and Clerk Maryalice Brown discussed an event application from South Jersey Enduro, and how the entity requested that a permit fee be waived for a self-guided tour involving Jeeps because “it is not a moneymaker of any sort” for the organization.

“When I spoke to (Fire Chief) Shawn (Viscardi), he said they were not going to be sitting out at points anymore,” Brown said. “They were just going to be available, if needed.”

That remark prompted Herndon to add, “he (Viscardi) further mentioned the reason for that – nobody donates.”

“That is the understood thing – you know, when you contact the fire squad, EMS squad – you give a donation,” Herndon added. “But nobody has been doing that. That is why the chief doesn’t want to sit out anymore.”

Both Viscardi and his/the fire company’s

attorney, Nancy Valentino, did not return requests for comment on this story.

Burns, however, when later asked by this newspaper if a donation to the fire company was a requirement for services, replied, “absolutely that is not the case.”

“Whether it be a person, individual or entity, resident or nonresident, they still receive the same level of service and response as anyone else,” the township solicitor maintained. “I think Committeeman Herndon was referring to ‘extra services’ for the standalone truck out or near an area, with a duty crew specifically assigned to those events.

“If there was an emergency with this event, or any other event, or a call came in for services, fire and EMS would respond just like any call. I want to be crystal clear that neither the chief, nor Herndon, did not intend for their comments to suggest a ‘pay for service’ arrangement in Woodland. That is not the case! There is not such an arrangement!”

But, Burns added, “I understand it was a confusing comment,” emphasizing to this

newspaper both Viscardi and Herndon were referring to “extra or specific” services, contending that a “duty crew specifically assigned (to an event) is an extra service” or an “ambulance sitting on location, specifically assigned.”

“I believe, after having spoken to the committee, the intent is when emergency calls come in, if members of the fire and EMS organization are available, they will respond,” Burns emphasized … “If we have the manpower, we will respond no matter what the call is.”

Meanwhile, a resolution setting the annual township committee meeting schedule for the year notes the 2022 sessions will be “held via conference call.”

The tow nsh ip com m itte e has now postponed a return to in-person sessions “until further notice” because of the “rise in Coronavirus cases,” according to a message on the municipal website. Since March 2020, the governing body has only met a handful of times in-person, all for special meetings called to order to primarily go into executive session to discuss Woodland Fire.

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(Continued from Page 13) is suspended, a parent must come to school for a “re-entry meeting,” otherwise that student “can’t come back.”

T he parent who spoke out at the reorganization meeting emphasized from her seat that, “We need solutions,” causing the superintendent to reply, “We are working on some things.”

“We didn’t get here quickly,” Havers added. “It is going to take a lot of work to get us out of this.”

That remark from the superintendent, however, caused the parent to emphasize to him, “We have to act fast – this is a mental health crisis in our schools.”

The parent’s account followed a board meeting this past October in which Rob Horn, president of the Pemberton Township Education Association (PTEA) described “out-of-control behavior” in several district schools, including at that early point in the school year, “50 fights at the middle school already,” in addition to “assaults on staff members and students.”

A district administrator, Rita Jenkins, at a subsequent board meeting this past November, acknowledged that there had also been “inappropriate touching among students.”

A school spokeswoman, when later asked about the remark, contended the incident happened at Helen Fort Middle School and “there were students playing tag and one student inadvertently touched the chest of another student during the game.”

And also during the November session – the last one before the Jan. 6 reorganization meeting – a veteran educator of two decades told the board, “I am getting close to being at the end of my rope,” due to the behavioral issues, noting school security staff had been called to her classroom several times over

the last couple of months.

Sworn-in to three-year terms on the board Jan. 6 were Carmen Bivens (who had been filling an unexpired term since last year), as well as newcomer Roberto Fernandez (who has been a Pemberton resident since the 1970s and was a 26-year district teacher, in addition to serving in the National Guard for 27 years).

Newcomers Robert King (a scoutmaster and coach who has lived in the township since 1996 and has three kids currently in three of the district’s schools) and Lionel Lee were also sworn-in to one-year terms.

Lee – a now-former basketball coach for the district who pointed out that his military service was what brought him to the township – was the only board member to address the ongoing concerns head-on during the board’s reorganization meeting, noting he believes in the school’s mantra, ‘You can get there from here,” because all of his kids, who attended township schools, got college degrees – including master’s degrees.

“I don’t subscribe to the notion that Pemberton is a bad school district and you can’t get things accomplished here,” Lee asserted.

“It is all about the individual, and if you want education, you can get it from around here.”

Lee, who pointed out that he is a retired federal corrections officer who worked at Fort Dix (Federal Bureau of Prisons) for 25 years, and spent 15 years in the military, said to the concerned mother that his history with the local school district goes back some 20 years [with his daughter having graduated in 2007, and later his boys] and “all those things you brought up, I’ve done here before.”

“The ‘Dad’s on Duty’ was called ‘Pemberton Parent Control’ in the early 2000s,” he said.

“And a couple of my guys from the federal prison over here walked the halls and were welcomed by the superintendent and principals. I have had inmates in here talking to students. I have taken students inside the jail to talk to inmates. So, over the last 20 years, all the things you referenced, I have done.”

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Havers was seen taking notes as Lee spoke.

Lee noted he will be “getting in here” and will “not be hard to find” during his term and “is committed to this,” adding he had already advised the superintendent of that.

“I am 100 percent for the kids, and I have been doing that for the last 20 years, and that position is not going to change,” Lee declared.

“I welcome the opportunity to work with you guys and am looking forward to it.”

It was not a decisive decision for the board’s leadership choices in the new year.

When nominations were opened for board president, Board Member Sheri Lowery, who recently discussed her experience working in several inner-city schools, nominated Board Member Wanda Knox. The latter did not secure enough votes, however, for the top post, and had even voted against herself for the position. Instead, a nomination for Bauer to again serve as board president passed 8-1, with Lowery casting the lone opposing vote.

Lowery, following that vote, nominated Knox for board vice president. However, Bauer nominated Terry Maldonado, the second longest serving board member, serving the public body since 2013, and who previously filled the post.

But Knox became the board’s new vice president in a 6-3 vote. Voting in opposition were Bauer, Maldonado and Bivens. Knox noted it was “very hard” for her to cast a vote for herself, instead of Maldonado.

Havers – in a rare move – asked to speak again at the very end of the reorganization meeting to further address the concerns of the parent who spoke out. He noted “one of the biggest challenges” that the district has right now is “fighting to keep our schools open.”

“It is not easy,” he maintained. “I applaud our staff – they have done an amazing job throughout. … We are moving people around and everybody is pitching in – because we have a lot of staff out. But we are managing, not as well as we want, but certainly better than having kids stay home. With the impact we saw from remote learning last year, I feel like any more remote learning will set us back socially and emotionally, in addition to academically.

So, we are going to try to stay open!”

Having to close schools for the pandemic, he acknowledged, “set us back socially, emotionally and academically” and “it is going to take years to recover.”

“And I don’t want to go backwards anymore,” he added.

Page 16 ♦

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