Pine Barrens Tribune Jan. 14, 2023 - January 20, 2023

THESE GUYS’

of Further Prosecution Intensify Demands for Resignations, Review; Solicitor Says Official Probably Wishes He Hadn’t Made Remarks at Township Meeting

By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

MEDFORD—A Medford Township councilman’s Dec. 20 remarks responding to fallout that has been created by the Carns Family Farm matriarch being fined $10,000 last November for a pair of zoning violations issued by the town, with him suggesting that the Carns siblings aren’t owners of the property, combined with him on Jan. 3 stating that they are not on the deed for the property in question, and then

quipping, “maybe we should issue some more violations to these guys” after he was confronted about his remarks by two of the Carns siblings, with a deed in hand containing their names, has intensified calls for the elected official’s resignation (as well as that of the township’s mayor).

It has also led to calls for an independent review to be undertaken.

In light of residents, including members of the Carns family, speaking out at various council meetings, alleging

unfairness with how zoning issues have been handled in town and requesting fairness, and hundreds of residents voicing their displeasure in various mediums with the fine issued to the 81-year-old, handicapped Carns matriarch (who was reportedly in attendance at the meeting) and the handling of zoning disputes in general, when Councilman Frank Czekay asserted “maybe we should issue some

Democratic Accord

of Evesham

Council Comes Undone Over Personnel Changes

Newly Chosen Deputy Mayor Initiates Series of 3-2 Votes at Reorganization Meeting That Spell Rebuff for

By Bill B onvie Staff Writer

Mayor

EVESHAM—For the past two years, the all-Democratic makeup of the Evesham Township Council has made this most populous of Burlington County municipalities appear to be the very picture of political collegiality – an atmosphere there appeared to be no reason to assume would not carry over into the new year with the reelection in November of its mayor, Jacklyn “Jackie” Veasy, to another four-year term, along with two of her female colleagues.

That impression, in fact, was reaffirmed by Veasy herself at the start of the annual reorganization meeting on the evening of Jan. 4, when the mayor proudly enumerated the things accomplished and projects undertaken during her administration, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and maintained that she had heard many times “that the residents are happy with the direction the township has taken and would like it to continue.”

But any such notion that the aura of harmony in the governance of this suburban enclave would proceed uninterrupted was quickly and unexpectedly dispelled shortly after that speech when a series of amendments to seemingly routine reappointments were introduced by the township’s newly chosen deputy mayor,

‘MAYBE

Medford Township Councilman’s Public Assertions About Deed for Carns Family Farm, Alleged

‘Threat’

Photo By Andrew King Councilman Frank Czekay at a recent Medford Township Council meeting.

Some 5,100 Acres of Residential, County-owned

By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

WOODLAND—An Egg Mass Survey conducted by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) in the second half of last year has found that approximately 349 acres in Woodland Township qualify for the agency’s Gypsy Moth Aerial Suppression Program this upcoming spring.

It is there that the NJDA will be holding one of two “regional meetings” to “outline the treatment plan,” currently scheduled for 10 a.m. on Jan. 18 at the Woodland Township Municipal Building.

This newspaper has learned that some 5,100 acres of residential- and county-owned properties in Burlington, Cape May, and Ocean counties qualify this year for the program.

The Woodland Township Committee has subsequently approved participating in the program for a second year in a row, following a surprise gypsy moth outbreak in 2020 that saw large areas of trees defoliated in the township, particularly in the areas of Sooy Place and Panama roads, which led to public concern.

“They said they found 349 acres with gypsy moths,” announced Woodland Mayor William “Billy” DeGroff in reading the results the township received from the latest NJDA Egg Mass Survey. “They seem to be up around Panama Road, in the Mount Misery area, and near Woodmansie.”

A map of the department’s findings, obtained by this newspaper, show four “blocks” in the township currently with active gypsy moth egg masses, including 98 acres on Route 72, just north of County Route 563, 213 acres by the intersection of Sooy Place Road and Route 563, 65 acres in the area of Panama Road and Wine Street, and 64 acres in the area of Mount Misery Road.

Some 91 acres of the affected area is considered “state land,” in which the municipality is not responsible for the cost of any aerial spraying.

The NJDA, in a letter to the township also obtained by this newspaper, wrote that the “anticipated treatment cost” for the municipal portion of affected areas “could range” this year from $55 to $60 per acre.

Woodland Township Administrator and Clerk Maryalice Brown, in taking the highest potential cost, calculated that it will cost the municipality as much as $20,000

to participate in this year’s program. The letter notes that the NJDA will again be requesting assistance from the U.S. Forest Service to “possibly provide up to a 50 percent reimbursement of spray costs.”

“Basically, we will do same thing we did this past year, and pay up front, and then hopefully we will be reimbursed,” DeGroff declared.

The NJDA provided a press release to the Pine Barrens Tribune on Jan. 6 announcing that it is “seeking to treat 5,100 acres of residential- and county-owned properties in Burlington, Cape May, and Ocean counties this year to combat the treekilling Lymantria dispar dispar (LDD),” pointing out its aerial suppression program is “voluntary.”

Jeff Wolfe, a spokesman for the NJDA, told this newspaper on Jan. 10 that the other local municipalities that have been provided with a recommendation for treatment are Bass River, Southampton and Washington. Information on the acreage in those municipalities recommended for treatment, and whether those towns plan to also participate in the suppression program wasn’t immediately available.

The egg mass counts, it was noted, were conducted between August and December of last year, with a “combined eight municipalities” in those counties now

By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

TABERNACLE—An employee of Tabernacle Township who has reportedly bailed out the municipality on three separate occasions, including serving as an acting municipal clerk for a time during the COVID pandemic when the township lost its longtime municipal clerk to retirement and had trouble finding a replacement, was essentially put “out of a job” in a very public, somewhat curt fashion just before Christmas, causing her to declare, “right now, you are screwing me over” and that

she was “being treated horribly right now.”

Those declarations from Elaine B. Kennedy (who has served as past president of the Municipal Clerk’s Association and reportedly helped train municipal clerks throughout the state) occurred during a Dec. 12, 2022, Tabernacle Township Committee meeting, when after a closed session, Robert Sunbury, serving as a township committeeman at the time (but who has since resigned for non-political reasons – see separate story), recommended that her parttime position as the municipality’s records manager be eliminated.

Sunbury contended his recommendation was in no way a “reflection whatsoever on the personnel who served in that position,” but that after being tasked with a review of the job in late 2021, he arrived at the determination the post is “a redundancy.”

“So, my recommendation is that the records clerk position be eliminated from the township’s list of job titles,” Sunbury said.

The position Kennedy was serving in at the time of the decision is one that actually was created in September 2019, according to the then-township committee’s meeting minutes, and titled, “Part-Time Secretary for the Land Development Board and Office Clerk For Records Management.”

Sunbury said it would be his further recommendation that the municipality have a Land Development Board secretary who works “four hours a week,” with those hours scheduled on Wednesdays. The specific time span that the secretary would work “are to

Washington Township’s CFO Attempts to Dissuade Governing Body from Holding Public Budget Meeting, Going ‘Line-By-Line’ in Public

By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

WASHINGTON—The chief financial officer of Washington Township spent the first regular governing body meeting of the year trying to dissuade the municipality’s three committeemen from holding a “public budget meeting,” as has been an annual tradition here, or reviewing the municipal budget “line-by-line” in public view, particularly if it is not a legal obligation to do so, maintaining at last year’s session she felt “people were attacking me for the salaries.”

“And I don’t care for that,” declared Chief Financial Officer Kristen Manning, maintaining she doesn’t set the salaries for municipal employees, but rather it is the township committee that does set them.

Daniel James, a Republican sworn-in during an earlier reorganization meeting to a second, three-year term since returning to the township committee in 2020, and subsequently chosen to serve as township mayor again in 2023 (a position he has held since 2020), initially held firm at the later regular session that the township committee “should have a public meeting” on the budget, one that comprises “the three of us (committeemen) at least.”

However, when Township Clerk Lisa Hand pointed out that the township that she works for full-time, Absecon, does not “have a separate budget meeting,” but rather has its department heads meet with the municipal administrator, and then the council there later introduces a budget in public session, “and that is when residents can have their opinion,” or during a mandated public

hearing on the municipal budget, James responded, “that will work.”

Manning maintained that in “other towns” she works for, “it is not a requirement” to have a governing body meeting to solely discuss the municipal budget, and recounted that for other towns she serves, “no numbers are ever discussed” at governing body meetings.

Rather, she said, a budget is “dropped off” for a town’s Public Works Department, for example, and “we don’t go line-by-line” in public.

But, Manning maintained, “I don’t know if it’s a requirement to do a public meeting,” with Washington’s form of government.

Washington has traditionally held at least one special township committee meeting annually, typically around February or March, one scheduled to specifically to review the municipal budget in public view, sometimes line-by-line, to not only make important decisions on the town’s finances, but for transparency sake.

Stephen Raymond, of the law firm Raymond Coleman Heinold Norman LLP, unanimously designated the municipal’s legal counsel for another year, said he “did not know” whether Washington is mandated to hold a “budget meeting,” but that he “can get back to you,” maintaining he “did not want to answer” the question at the moment.

“I will find out if you have to have a budget meeting,” James said. “I don’t know if you (Manning) have to be there.”

Regular Washington solicitor, Tom

Financial Officer Says She Felt Like People Were ‘Attacking’ Her Last Year Over Salaries Actually Set By Committee; Mayor Reluctant to OK Request

By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

TABERNACLE—Robert “Bob”

Sunbury, who has served one full-term as a Tabernacle Township committeeman, known for not always doing or saying what was politically popular, or siding with the status quo when it came to decision making or expression of thought, has resigned from the Tabernacle Township Committee.

Sunbury, a 14-year Tabernacle resident who had been elected in November to a second term and was due to be sworn-in on Jan. 4, resigned to “focus on health and family,” he told the Pine Barrens Tribune

“It has been an honor and privilege to serve the residents of Tabernacle Township,” he declared.

Sunbury, who has also served on the municipal Land Development Board, told this newspaper that he wanted to “stress this isn’t a political thing, but just me focusing on my health and family, where I need to be.”

During the COVID pandemic, Sunbury, also the township’s emergency management coordinator at the time, posted on the municipal emergency management Facebook page posts that supported the state and federal government’s efforts to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, including masking and vaccination mandates, which

By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

MEDFORD LAKES—A project lining the sewage collection system pipes of Medford Lakes Borough is “99 percent complete,” but the final completion date has been extended a couple of times, with the latest one now set for March 31, 2023, according to Borough Manager Dr. Robert Burton.

Burton described to this newspaper that a contractor, Insituform Technologies, LLC, of Baltimore, rather than “digging into asphalt and installing new pipes,” is “basically blowing a sock” into each one of the pipes to line them, preventing sand, grit and water from infiltrating the borough’s system.

“They blow a sock in them with heated steam and it hardens,” the borough manager described in an interview. “It is almost like a stint.”

The sock is about a quarter-inch thick, he said, and then when the hardening concludes, “they cut the end and let the flow back in the pipe.”

“Now, it is one solid pipe,” Burton described. “It completely eliminates any small displacements.”

That includes, he noted, cracks in the piping caused by any tree roots.

While rainfall has not been as excessive over the last couple years as it had been

he took some heat for from the public.

After the township’s subcommittees briefly resumed in-person meetings, he was quick to pull them back from doing it when he recognized there was an alarming rise in COVID cases locally.

Sunbury then helped propel a change to how the township handled requests for public information, particularly from the media, convincing his colleagues to appoint a public information officer for the township.

More recently, he told his fellow committee members that he thought it was getting “ridiculous” to not return to inperson meetings on a regular basis, with the pandemic now ended, which, while not causing them to vote to return in-person, did result in them changing their minds to allow a video feed to be seen of each of them during virtual sessions.

Sunbury was also successful in getting majority committee support for a resolution to support the NJDEP’s controversial efforts for the Wharton tract, which has included conducting a study to obtain public input for the purposes of creating a permitting plan. It was a move in stark contrast to nearby towns, including Shamong, Medford Lakes, Washington and Woodland townships, which have all opposed any permitting plan on the basis that it will require a fee to be paid.

Sunbury closed out his first term by recommending the elimination of a record’s manager post for Tabernacle, and limited hours for the Land Development Board secretarial post, which has been met with vocal opposition from the individual who had been filling the posts as a combined position since 2019.

But one of his greatest impacts on local politics came early in his first term when a local fire and EMS company in neighboring Woodland Township had its membership all resign suddenly and Woodland subsequently put out a notification that “Tabernacle EMS would be covering due to extenuating circumstances.”

Sunbury, still in his municipal emergency

PEMBERTON TOWNSHIP BAGGED LEAF COLLECTION

Bagged leaves and pine needles must be placed at the edge of the road between Saturday and 6:00AM of the first collection date in your area.

Please note that if you set your bags at the road prior to Saturday you may be subject to a local fine Grass and trash must NOT be mixed in with leaves and pine needles.

Please place your bags along the edge of the road upside down, with the tied end facing down. This will help prevent rain from leaking into the bags

Each bag shall weigh 30 lbs or less. We will not collect bags that exceed 30 lbs Once the leaf collection crew has been through your area, they will not be authorized to return to your area for leaf collection

If you miss the collection period in your area, you may deliver your leaves and pine needles to the Public Works Yard

COLLECTION DATES

AREA 1 – BEGINNING JANUARY 9

East side of East Lakeshore Drive to North Whitesbogs Road This area includes east side of East Lakeshore Dr., Hanover Boulevard, North Lakeshore Dr., South Lakeshore Drive and Ridge Rd

AREA 2 – BEGINNING JANUARY 17

Pemberton Township Municipal Building west to Route 206, Fort Dix Boundary to Magnolia Road. This area includes Lake Valley Acres, Oak Pines, Birmingham, Sunbury Village and Johnson Court

AREA 3 – BEGINNING JANUARY 23

prior to 2021, Burton said that the project has already resulted in some noticeable results at the borough’s treatment plan, with sewage going over the top of the tank “not happening.”

Previously, there had been a couple of times, he explained, in which borough staff would “get worried when there was a lot of rain.”

The superintendent of the borough’s Public Works Department, in fact, would previously put on hip waders, draw down the tank, and fill up shovels of grit and other materials, whenever there was a concern, according to Burton, who commended the dedication of a top level staffer for doing such a task when needed.

But now, as a result of the project, “we’re not getting as much infiltration,” as it “made a pipe inside a pipe,” or “strengthened” the existing pipes.

“This is state-of-the-art stuff,” Burton declared. “When completed, the state-ofthe-art lining will last 100 years.”

Previously, Medford Lakes Borough Council awarded a $4,635,403 contract to Insituform Technologies for the project. Burton told this newspaper that officials have been hopeful that the project will come in under $6 million. Council previously took out a low-interest loan from the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust to finance the project.

Juliustown Road east to west side of East Lakeshore Drive. This area includes Juliustown Rd., Trenton Rd., Pemberton Blvd., Evergreen Blvd., Clubhouse Rd to Broadway, West Lakeshore Drive, and west side of East Lakeshore Drive

AREA 4 – BEGINNING JANUARY 30

Lakehurst Road (from Junction Road to Route 70) and Country Lakes.

AREA 5 – BEGINNING FEBRUARY 6

Rt. 70, City Line Road, North & South Branch Road, Pasadena Road, Presidential Lakes and Whispering Pines.

Pemberton Township Municipal Building east to Juliustown Road. This area includes Lakehurst Road (from Juliustown Road to Junction Road), Blueberry Manor, Oak Ridge Estates, Rancocas Lane, Junction Road, Ridgeview Avenue, Mt. Misery Road, Springfield Road, Four Mile Road, and New Lisbon Area.

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

Robert “Bob” Sunbury, who has resigned from the Tabernacle Township Committee.

By Douglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

BASS RIVER—An enterprise based in Bass River Township, that incorporated in June of last year, has received “conditional approval” from the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission to operate an “adult, personal-use cannabis business” in the state.

Green Group Grows NJ, LLC, based in the heart of New Gretna, received a conditional approval to operate a Class 1 cultivation business, a letter obtained by this newspaper from the regulatory commission outlines.

This newspaper was asked by its proprietor, Joseph Mauro, to withhold the exact location of the premises due to “security concerns.”

“I love cannabis – I love cannabis,” Mauro told this newspaper when asked about his plans for the company. “I don’t know another thing that I want to do more right now. I have been growing it, legally, before all of this, and now you can say I participated in the legacy market.”

Mauro recounted to this reporter that while sitting at a table in 10th grade, during a Biology class, and having a discussion with his classmates, when he raised the prospect of “growing weed” to help others, maintaining that he told them, “and it is not even bad for you.”

“I had a good relationship curing other veterans,” said the Marine veteran of what he has done since that time.

The Bass River Board of Commissioners, back on Aug. 1, 2021, “approved” and “supported” the application of Green Group Grows NJ to seek a Class 1 “microbusiness

license” from the state.

According to the letter from the regulatory commission, during the “conditional license phase,” the holder of such a document “shall not engage in purchasing, possessing, selling, cultivating, manufacturing, or selling cannabis or cannabis products.”

However, that person “may obtain additional funding” for its enterprise, “change the proposed location” of the business, or abandon the license. The holder can also conduct a transfer of ownership, or add “new, qualified owners and principals.”

Mauro described on Jan. 8 that he was in the stage of prepping his business for operations, including establishing a surveillance system and connecting to electric and cable.

Mauro’s application for Green Group Grows NJ was the second application the Bass River board backed, with it having previously supported one filed by Evan Manaresi, of Bass River Buds, LLC, who is also seeking a “Class I Cannabis Cultivator Microbusiness License” from the regulatory commission, with plans to operate a site on Ishmael Road.

As of press time, no determination had been issued by the regulatory commission for Bass River Buds’ application.

However, in October of last year, the Bass River board “approved” and “supported” of Mauro filing a separate application with the state, under a different business name, to launch a “Class II manufacturing microbusiness” in town, with Mauro later sharing that it would be operated at the same

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

TABERNACLE—A dwelling in the 400 block of Prickett’s Mill Road, in Tabernacle Township, was destroyed by a Jan. 6 fire, causing a family to “lose everything but the clothes on their back,” according to Tabernacle Fire Department Chief Keith Zane

The inferno at 424 Prickett’s Mill Road was reported at around 3:51 a.m.

“First responding officers and apparatus reported a large glow and column of smoke could be seen in the night sky,” Zane told this newspaper.

A deputy chief of the fire department was the first to arrive on scene and found a twostory single-family residence fully involved in flames, Zane noted, and called for mutual aid and the placing of “all companies in service.”

Firefighters from as far away as Delran and Riverside were dispatched to help assist various local fire companies.

“The first arriving truck, Quint 4314, laid a 1,000-foot of 5-inch hose down the long driveway, with Ladder 2235 following down the driveway to assist with several hand lines, portable monitors and master streams,” Zane said. “Tender 4316 set up in the driveway to pump water down to the house while a continuous line of tenders shuttled water from two draft sites located in Tabernacle and Medford Lakes.”

The fire was placed under control at 4:58 a.m., he noted. An excavator, he added, was brought in to move debris so any hidden fire and hot spots could be completely extinguished.

The cause and origin of the fire is under investigation by Tabernacle Township Fire Marshall Tom Boyd, the Burlington County Fire Marshall’s Office, the New Jersey Division of Fire and Safety and the New Jersey State Police.

Pictures taken at the scene show that the

Photo From Evesham Fire-Rescue A fire in the 400 block of Prickett’s Mill Road on Jan. 6.

St. Mary of the Lakes School in Medford to Stage One-Act Plays Jan. 21-22 About ‘Foods and Feuds’ of South Philly Family Life

MEDFORD—A trilogy of one-act plays based on the humorous writings of South Philadelphia author Lorraine Ranalli will be the subject of a dinner-theater presentation at St. Mary of the Lakes School at 196 Route 70, Medford Township, on the weekend of Jan. 21-22.

The production, “La Famiglia,” is adapted from Ranalli’s 2009 book, “Gravy Wars: South Philly Foods, Feuds and Attytudes,” about the dynamics and lovable idiosyncrasies of the fictional Scamorza clan, a quintessential Italian-American family residing in the City of Brotherly Love.

Two performances will be staged, with one on Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. and the other on Jan. 22 at 2 p.m. with a three-course-meal included in the price of admission. Tickets are available on EventBrite.com.

The Catholic School MOM production will include performances by Kristine E

Merckx; Anthony and Natalie M. Stone; Tamer Tewfik, a 1988 graduate of Shawnee High School, Dwayne Bailey of Medford Lakes and Megan Muldrew, Nate Thomas, Sam Dressler and Father Daniel Swift, the pastor of St. Mary of the Lakes.

There will also be a special guest performance by comedian Katherine Converse.

“We are so thrilled to be able to give back to the parish that has given our family so much over the past 40 years,” said Natalie Stone, a long-time Medford resident now residing in Tabernacle, who plays the lead role of Gina, and whose husband, Anthony, also a cast member, is vice president of Holman Lincoln/Ford of Turnersville.

Stone also asked attendees to keep in mind that some of the production’s “extremely mild” adult-themed dialogue may still not be suitable for younger children.

Medford Democrats Join with Marlton Church in Conducting Food Drive Aimed at Keeping Families Supplied with Essentials

MEDFORD—At a time when the skyrocketing price of basic commodities has put many area residents in a state of chronic food insecurity, the Medford Democrats have organized a monthly food pantry program to help area families keep their larders stocked.

In keeping with the effort, bags of essentials are collected every third Wednesday from the porches of participants who include the extra items in their grocery orders and are delivered to the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in neighboring Marlton, where they are sorted for distribution under the supervision of Greg Bilsky, a volunteer at the church.

Anyone interested in helping with such donations is encouraged to do so either via

the Medford Democrats Facebook page or by emailing either of the two coordinators, Diana Rossi (deena150@yahoo.com) or Jackie Faust (jackiefaust@comcast.net) for more information.

Especially helpful in the volunteer effort have been Kay Roberts and the residents of Medford Leas, whom the organizers of the drive have credited with being “incredibly generous” in donating to the pantry.

“We want to give thanks to the many households in the township whom we count on every month to purchase extra food for the Medford Democrats food collection,” Rossi declared. “… The community of people suffering from food insecurity will be incredibly grateful for all of the food donations!”

Verses by Medford Township Resident, Lenape High Senior Get Top Honors in Local Arts Center Poetry Competition

MEDFORD—Two area bards, one a resident of Medford Township and the other a senior at Lenape High School, have received top honors in the 2022 Medford Arts Center annual poetry competition.

Named first place winner in the Adult Poetry Contest category was Robert Spice, of Medford, for his poem “Lucia’s Violin.”

First prize in the High School Student Poetry Contest category went to Isabella Ierano, a senior at Lenape High School, for her entry, “Shine.”

According to Naomi Dispenza, coproprietor of the center, there were a total of 50 submissions from 22 students at Cherokee,

Shawnee, Lenape and Rancocas Valley high schools, and some 76 submissions from 33 adults residing in Burlington, Mount Laurel, Evesham, Shamong, Tabernacle and Medford townships.

Winners of second and third place honors in the adult poetry category were Joan Schneider, of Southampton, for “My Son” and Sharlene DeMartini-Guth, of Tabernacle, for the haiku verse, “The Leaves.”

Second and third place student winners were Lenape seniors Nicholena Cronin for “Thank You for Your Hospitality” and Lukas Christ for “120 MPH on the ACE.”

Medford Arts Center’s Adult Poetry Contest winners, pictured from left to right: Susan Montagna (2019 1st Place, 2022 Honorable Mention); Daijah Davis (2019 2nd Place High School Poetry Contest); Julianne Basile (2018 2nd Place Award); Joan Scharff (Honorable Mentions); Geoff McClain (Honorable Mentions); Jennifer Sweeney (Honorable Mention); Vince Dispenza (Master of Ceremonies); John Dennison (Honorable Mention); (front) Lynnette G. Esposito (Honorable Mention); (back) Joan Schneider (2022 2nd Place Award and Honorable Mention); Robert Spice (2018, 2020 and 2022 1st Place Award); Linda Gamble (Honorable Mentions); Pamela Spice (2021 1st Place; 2022 Honorable Mention); Sharlene DeMartini-Guth (3rd Place and Honorable Mention); Marcela Steinmetz (Honorable Mention) and Diana Pasca (Honorable Mention). Honorable Mention recipients not pictured: Sue Jeney, Louise Sprouse, Emma Bischoff, Hamilton Scudder and Stefanie Richardson.

Medford Arts Center’s

(Honorable Mention); Lukas Christ (2022 2nd Place Award and Honorable Mentions); Vince Dispenza (Master of Ceremonies); (front) Ja’Layah Delvalle (Honorable Mention); (front) Katherine Burgess (Honorable Mention); (back) Amalia Deans (Honorable Mention); Samantha Twisler (2 Honorable Mentions); Nicolena Cronin (2022 2nd Place); Isabella Ierano (2022 1st Place and 2020 3rd Place); Danielle Burgess (3 Honorable Mentions). Honorable Mention

(Honorable Mention); Hailey Schuyler (2021 1st Place); Araish

Photo Provided

Photo Provided

Student Poetry Contest winners, pictured from left to right: Kate Mancini

Shaheryar

recipients not pictured: Malaika Awan; Courtney Chu; Dellyn Cox; Amelia Franken and Caroline Maschke.

TOWNSHIP

more violations to these guys,” which some took as a threat of further prosecution, his past running mate and now councilmate, Lauren Kochan, anticipated to seek reelection this year, put her hands on her face, covering it up.

It was a remark that also resulted in Township Solicitor Timothy Prime giving Czekay a formidable glare, with Mayor Charles “Chuck” Watson having extended his hand out a couple of times before it was made to try to stop the councilman from talking, but who was ultimately unsuccessful.

Prime has since told the Pine Barrens Tribune that he thinks Czekay “probably wishes he hadn’t done so,” or said the remarks that he did, but referred this newspaper to the councilman for a further response. Czekay left a message with this newspaper on Jan. 10 that he is “not going to have any comment about Jan. 3 for this story,” but that he would be “making a brief statement at the Jan. 17 council meeting.”

As of press time, Watson did not return this newspaper’s phone calls seeking comment on this story.

Township sources revealed that since Jan. 3, Kochan has been helping to lead an internal effort to arrange for the Carns siblings to meet privately with Medford officials, including the son of the township solicitor, Tyler Prime, who also represents the municipality as an attorney, “to move forward,” notably trying to arrange for a meeting directly through the family, despite Carolyn Carns currently being represented

by an attorney with an active appeal of the fine in process.

Kochan did not immediately return a message left at deadline time. But David Carns, when asked about this development, just before this newspaper went to press, revealed that he met with Kochan, as well as Councilwoman Donna Symons, at Medford Town Hall during the morning hours of Jan. 11. When asked what the conclusion of that meeting was, he responded, “there are no further developments.”

Joe Maggelet, the leader of Medford’s most prominent social media group of more than 20,000 members, one originally created to support the all-Republican administration, and who had been a longtime member of the mayor’s inner circle, after watching what unfolded Jan. 3, wrote, “Medford Township, please try to forgive me for supporting these power hungry, revengeful, pay-to-play, disgraceful individuals.”

“I am totally disgusted with every member of this township council for allowing the deputy mayor (Czekay was deputy mayor until Jan. 3, with that responsibility since shifted to Kochan during council’s reorganization that evening) to threaten a resident,” he added.

Another longtime “acquaintance” of members of the Watson administration, who sources told this newspaper even hosted Watson at a Chinese New Year party before moving out of state last year, responded to one of Maggelet’s threads that after having spent “20 years as a Medford Republican,” he was “embarrassed for the town and the council.”

“Czekay … should be removed from office for his threats,” declared the Republican, to which Maggelet wrote, “anyone on that

council could have stopped this, but they all refused” and “Watson and Czekay have to step down.”

Maggelet later reaffirmed the need for Watson and Czekay to resign in a Jan. 6 interview with this newspaper, after having written online that both councilmen have “been there too long and the power trip has corrupted them.”

Watson (selected Jan. 3 amongst his colleagues to serve as township mayor again for 2023) has been facing allegations that the actions taken against the Carns matriarch is politically motivated and retaliation. This newspaper previously reported that David Carns had attempted to collect payment from the mayor several times for two cords of firewood, but that he had been unsuccessful in collecting the debt.

It was a dispute that came about just months after Watson successfully pushed measures that allowed the Carns to legally have a firewood stand, as well as a farm stand, and won re-election, in part because of them (he had feuded with members of the family before the measures were enacted, but then took a photograph with the Carns when firewood/farm stands were legalized).

David Carns then went to this newspaper with text messages that indicated that the mayor did not pay for a firewood transaction over an extended period of time, despite several attempts to collect payment.

Since this newspaper’s published report about the firewood, Watson paid the bill, but the Carns have been the subject of various township actions.

It was later learned that Watson was given a heads up by the highest ranking non-elected township official that the municipality was about to pursue a zoning action against the

Carns family, just a little more than a month prior to the elected official purchasing two cords of firewood from a Carns family sibling and then apparently delaying payment, this newspaper previously reported.

Watson, however, on Dec. 20, delivered a “personal statement,” declaring that he “never asked a zoning official or any of the township staff to go after the Carns in any way,” and he is “tired of the lies on my intent to pay for firewood.”

But Czekay’s Jan. 3 remark only intensified calls for resignations, such as those from First Amendment advocate Patrick Duff, who maintained, “I have been to hundreds of city council meetings, and I have never seen a city council person directly threaten a citizen with their power,” and that, “yes,” he believes a crime has been committed.

“I believe there is when somebody threatens somebody else, and they weaponize a department, a zoning official, absolutely,” Duff said.

As previously reported by this newspaper, one of the Carns siblings, David Carns, amid allegations that his family had become the subject of harassment and retaliation, revealed last year an email exchange he found involving Township Manager Kathy Burger, who on March 19, 2019, wrote to Watson and Czekay with the “addresses (244 Church Road and 276 Tuckerton Road) for the residents who spoke on storing commercial vehicles,” as well as provided their names and the type of commercial vehicles they have.

Burger’s email, sent at 12 noon that day, received a reply from Czekay at 12:42 p.m., “Kathy, can you have Beth (sic) the 233 Church Road property to make sure that the

Photo By Andrew King Medford Mayor Charles “Chuck” Watson.

Photo By Andrew King

Medford Solicitor Timothy Prime.

outbuilding in the backyard was built with all approvals and permits in place. It is a big building.” Burger clarifies with Czekay that he meant 244 Church Road (or a property belonging to a veteran who owns a triaxial dump truck, or one of the individuals who spoke).

Burger, at 1:03 p.m., then takes Czekay’s email and forwards it to a zoning official, writing, “Please see below from Frank Czekay regarding 244 Church Road.”

The following day, a zoning official wrote to Burger and Czekay, “We found construction permits & a Certificate of Occupancy in the file from 1991 approving a 24’ x 40’ garage. We are still checking the old zoning board minutes and resolutions, but the size does confirm (sic) to current ordinances, so I’m assuming it was close to the same in 1991.”

When David Carns previously questioned why Czekay was “asking about a building that is not even part of the issue,” the councilman replied that he “was interested to see whether or not all the approvals are in place,” and shook his head in disagreement when David Carns remarked that “it looks like you are retaliating” and “are looking for dirt on the homeowner.”

Duff delivered a Christmas day bombshell when he posted online new footage he had obtained from a police encounter with one of the neighbors of the Carns, as apparently recorded by a police body camera, in which that neighbor suggests she has been “keeping secrets for 20 to 25 years” about the Carns, but that the “the township asked me to step up.”

“I didn’t step up in 2016, but now I am

stepping up,” she told a police officer.

Previously, township officials maintained that the actions involving the Carns that had been pursued in 2022 were the result of an obligation to investigate complaints that had been lodged by neighbors, to avoid future liability issues, and was not at the behest of any official, including Watson.

“We have to respond to complaints as received,” said Czekay on Dec. 20. “When we receive a complaint from a resident, we have to investigate that complaint. We can’t ignore it based on anecdotal evidence, we have to investigate, because ultimately, if we don’t investigate and something happens, the township is liable because we knew about a problem. We had a duty to investigate.”

This newspaper previously reported that another email previously unearthed by the Carns through a public records’ request suggested somewhat of a greater relationship between a then-township zoning official and neighbor. That official, in the wake of calls for her to be let go from the municipality, has since been quietly made an assistant to the township manager through a “position change,” circumstances which have yet to be explained, including why the council decided against an original plan to hire a “lower cost employee” for Burger’s office by creating an “entry-level” position.

The neighbor who talked with the police officer, as seen in the clip released by Duff on Dec. 25, is the same one who was seen on another video, obtained from the township through public records, that ultimately circulated, apparently “trespassing” on the Carns’ property, filming their belongings, and even walking up to their barn door, filming what is inside the building.

When that video became public, it fueled outrage that an “illegally obtained video” had been accepted by the township to both launch at least some of the actions against

Carolyn Carns, as well as prosecute the resident. Its existence, along with that of other “disturbing” videos in the hands of the town showing the Carns’ family being filmed, including their children, led to initial calls for the council members to resign, and Duff to assert there was “racketeering” taking place.

“There was already a crime committed with the person trespassing,” Duff charged in the Jan. 6 interview with this newspaper, after having called the councilmembers “criminals” to their faces during the Jan. 3 session. “There was already a crime committed with the person trespassing – the neighbor and council accepting that video of trespassing. They are co-conspirators in that trespass.”

Duff, in contending that council “didn’t tell anyone about that,” and in pointing out it never publicly condemned that particular video, declared, “I just find the whole scenario of what is happening here worthy of a RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization) investigation by the FBI.”

One woman, apparently upset by the latest developments, posted online that she had been in touch with the local legislative office, who directed her to Burlington County Prosecutor Lachia L. Bradshaw’s Office. She then requested of residents to “write an email for a mediation or an outside review of the situation – the more emails the better.”

“Any email or follow (sic) calls from our support will be greatly appreciated,” wrote Brian Carns, claiming his brother had just gotten off the phone with Bradshaw’s office.

Joel Bewley, a spokesman for the county prosecutor, later told this newspaper that “as for whether or not our office is conducting such a review, that is not something I can divulge.”

Maggelet, in the interview with this newspaper, said that he took note that when Czekay asserted “maybe we should issue some more violations to these guys,” he “looked directly at the township solicitor,” and Prime was “rubbing his arms as if to say shut the hell up.”

“That means Frank knew what the solicitor, and knew what Chuck was doing,” Maggelet charged. “That is what they did to the Carns just to get even with them.”

He further declared that “the whole thing stinks,” noting that he had a phone conversation last year with Watson about the firewood dispute in which the mayor was “really upset, animated, and vindictive.”

“Let’s just say he was very aggravated,” Maggelet maintained. “He was mad. He was upset.”

However, Maggelet responded “no, no” when asked if Watson ever said that he would send township zoning staff after the Carns to seek retribution for going to this newspaper, “but it just really appears that is what he did” because there is “no reason to have a $10,000 fine, at least as far as I am concerned – no

one else has ever gotten anything like that.”

When asked if he stood by his calls for both Czekay and Watson to resign, Maggelet responded, “Oh, absolutely,” adding, “Frank, definitely.”

As for why he was calling on the mayor to leave office now, Maggelet said it was because he “didn’t say anything after what he (Frank) did this time.”

“Actually, they should all have some kind of apology for what was said, and say, ‘Hey, I don’t agree with what was said,’” Maggelet said.

“Appalling,” “disgraceful,” and “despicable,” were just some of the adjectives members of the community have used in recent weeks to describe the levying of a $5,000 fine against Carolyn Carns for storing more than one commercial vehicle on her 30-acre tree farm on Medford-Mount Holly Road, in addition to another $5,000 fine for running a commercial enterprise on the property, for a total of $10,000, plus court costs.

Initially, during a Dec. 6 council meeting, Prime advised the council members to not comment on the matter, noting Carolyn Carns had appealed the decision of a Pemberton Township judge (who presided over the case due to a conflict of interest by the Medford judge) to Superior Court.

After the council’s silence amid the fallout only led to further tensions, the governing body reversed course on Dec. 20, with Watson reading a lengthy “council statement” about the matter into the record, as well as each of the individual councilmembers providing remarks of their own.

Symons and Councilman Erik Rebstock agreed with Watson, Czekay and Kochan that the judge had made the right determination, with Rebstock calling the fine “more than fair,” contending it represented “only five percent” of what Carolyn Carns could have been forced to pay (with the municipal prosecutor previously contending the state is actually “entitled to” a fine $100,000 for each offense, alleging the violations date back to 2016, but the municipality was only pursuing five days’ worth of violations).

But it was the remarks of Czekay that substantially inflamed an already inflamed situation.

After pointing out that the Carns siblings previously stated that local law allows for one of their commercial tree trucks to be parked on the farm (one of two summonses was issued to Carolyn Carns because she allowed two of her children, David and Brian Carns, co-owners of Cornerstone Tree Service, to park both of their commercial tree trucks there), Czekay contended that actually, under local code, “a resident can park a commercial truck” if they are “a resident” or the “owner of the truck.”

“My understanding is the trucks are not owned by the resident,” Czekay said. “So, I

don’t even know if they are entitled to park one truck on the property.

“I am not going to debate that issue. But the point is they made representations that they can park multiple trucks based on agricultural use. Our ordinance says those trucks have to be either owned or used by the resident. If not, they can’t be parked there. That is the bottom-line.”

(This newspaper could not locate the ordinance in the online version of the township’s codebook, by searching the figures written on the summons, as well as by clicking on the word “commercial vehicles.” The chapter containing the regulations, as of press time, was not available in the codebook.)

Brian Carns, with a deed in hand from “Albert Carns to Carolyn Carns, to Jeffrey, Dale, David, Brian and Heather Carns as well,” confronted Czekay during the Jan. 3 Medford council reorganization meeting during public comment, remarking, “Frank, you go on the record saying David and I don’t own the farm.”

“No, you don’t!” quipped Czekay in response. “265 Medford-Mount Holly Road, you own that?”

After Brian Carns shouted in reply, “I am on the deed,” and that he “pays the bills,” Watson extended his hand out to Czekay to try to stop the councilman from responding further, but the councilman snapped “no, I am tired of it, as he doesn’t even know what property he owns … ,” throwing his glasses down on the dais.

“You don’t own 265 Medford-Mount Holly Road,” asserted Czekay, before asserting that, “You (Brian Carns) are not on the deed.”

After Brian Carns retorted, “I am on the deed,” Prime interjected that there is a “life estate” and Carolyn Carns “does have ownership” of the property in question, but then acknowledged that Brian Carns is “technically correct.”

Attendees then began shouting from their seats, including that “you (Czekay) should apologize,” with Brain Carns, while sharply pointing his finger at the councilman, declared that “you should recant your statement because we do own it.”

“My mom can’t sell that farm without us signing off,” Brian Carns added. “Do you not know that? Do you guys not do any research?”

That is when Czekay, who also is up for reelection later this year, asserted, “maybe we should issue some more violations to these guys,” which led to shouting, gasps and jeers from attendees, forcing Watson to slam the gavel multiple times to regain control of the meeting.

“Bring them!” declared Brian Carns, pointing his finger at each one of the Republican councilmembers. “I love it! This is what you guys are all about up here! Write those tickets! Because you, Frank, and you, Lauren – your seats are going to be empty. You guys are not going to come back here next year! It is not going to happen!”

That led to loud applause and cheers from the audience, with the entire exchange resulting in Kochan, who would be seeking a second, full term if she decides to run for re-election in November, putting her hands on her face, all while Czekay said another remark that caused concern, stating, “I’ll have more free time … .”

Czekay continued to cast doubt on whether Brian Carns is on the deed and has a “current, legal interest in that property,” with the Carns sibling turning around to look at the audience in shock, before facing the councilman once again, asking if he was “living in a bubble” and “looked up the deed.”

“No, I haven’t,” replied Czekay, leading to only more questions about why he was making the assertion without actually having looked up the deed.

“Do you even know my grandfather wasn’t our Mom’s, Dad?” Brian Carns asked. “It was our Dad’s, Dad, he left it to all of us. The deed was left to everybody. We all own the farm.”

Czekay continued to question whether Brian Carns owns the farm, with the sibling responding that he “can’t get over this.”

“My Dad leaves us this farm and I got a member of council going on the record that I don’t own it,” Brian Carns declared.

But infuriating Brian Carns even more is when Prime remarked that he “doesn’t know why this matters.”

“It matters!” Brian Carns shouted. “Are you kidding me? I own that farm and I love it! And I have a public official up here saying that I don’t.”

Prime responded that what just occurred “doesn’t have anything to do with the violations,” leading to only more lost decorum in council chambers.

“I hope you are that dumb to write more tickets to us!” Brian Carns retorted. “I really, really do. Bury us with tickets guys – that is how pathetic this whole group is. That’s it!”

David Carns then shouted from his seat, “That’s what you do, you guys threaten people when they come up here,” and then alleged that Watson “called” the zoning official to go after the family, with the mayor responding that the sibling “had to stop now,” as he raised the gavel in his hands a bit.

“What are you going to do, hit me with that?” asked David Carns of Watson, with the mayor replying that he was going to have the “chief of police escort you out.” (David Carns later told this newspaper that the chief of police, Arthur Waterman, near a back door, never approached him.)

“You guys all suck, all of you!” declared David Carns, leading to more applause.

This newspaper, on Jan. 9, posed several tough questions to Prime about Czekay’s remarks, including asking why the councilman stated that the siblings were not on the deed, when a copy obtained by this newspaper shows their names listed.

After spending several minutes reading through various deeds and a note “in the tax assessor’s file” apparently involving the Carns for subdivided properties, including for what he thinks is now Bob Bende Park, maintaining various titles “from 30 years

ago” with “a lot of back and forth” posed a “complicated, confusing” situation and he is “just trying to give the facts,” and telling this newspaper that the question of ownership depends on “which property you are talking about,” this reporter asked Prime point blank if the Carns’ siblings are on the deed for the farm in question.

“He did get it right, that deed is to her,” Prime responded. “The boy’s names are on it.

“They are on the deed as a ‘remainder,’ it is ‘Carolyn Carns for life’ with the ‘remainder’ to her children, Jeffrey, Dale, David, Brian and Heather. So, she owns the lot, and after her death, the kids get it automatically – the five kids – assuming they are still alive when she dies.”

Because of there being a “remainder” on the deed, according to Prime, the five children “are not” owners.

“If you read that deed, they are not,” Prime further maintained.

However, he acknowledged, “they are” listed on the deed, but then Prime added, “David and Brian are on the deed, but only after their mom dies will they actually own it.”

“And that is the reason the summonses were issued to Mrs. Carns … you can’t cite a ‘tenant,’” said Prime, maintaining to this reporter the reason the family’s deed had even been looked at in the first place is because “when the summonses were issued, obviously one of the concerns was were they issued to the correct party.”

David Carns, when later asked for a rebuttal, maintained he and siblings do own the property, and as an example, when they have had take out a loan in the past, the siblings had to include their signatures on a document, along with their mother’s signature.

This newspaper, in pointing out that tensions had already been very high in Medford, pressed Prime as to why a councilman would even bring up such a sensitive subject about private citizens in a public meeting.

make a statement?”

Moore finally agreed to allow Kennedy to speak out.

be determined,” he maintained.

Kennedy had requested in response to a Rice Notice (or a notification from the public body that it is going to discuss an individual’s employment in an upcoming meeting), that her employment hearing be conducted in public view, instead of behind closed doors as is customary.

“Am I not going to be able to discuss this at all?” asked Kennedy, as Mayor Samuel Moore III asked for a motion to proceed with Sunbury’s recommendations, with the governing body members appearing to initially ignore that question from the records manager, with Moore asking for a second.

“It is up to the discretion of the committee, if they would like you to be able to give a statement,” Burns replied to Kennedy.

Moore then asked if there was any wish from the governing body to have a “discussion,” and after a period of silence, moved on to voting on the recommendations.

“Wow,” a person could be heard saying.

As Mark Hartman and William J. Sprague, Jr., also Tabernacle committeemen, cast their votes to eliminate the position, Kennedy could be heard several times asserting, “They are not allowing me to speak.”

“Ms. Kennedy is continuing to speak,” said Burns in halting the voting. “Mayor, do you want to give her an opportunity to

“I find it very interesting you waited a year, and had this dialogue, that I knew nothing about,” Kennedy charged.

At the time that the then-township committee in 2019 created the joint position (having been unable to find two people who would serve in individual positions as a Land Development Board secretary and records manager, respectively), setting the hourly rate at $20 per hour, it was said the governing body “found it necessary to fill these vacancies with a dedicated and reliable person.”

It was also stated that the governing body sought an individual “having knowledge of the Municipal Land Use Law and records management to work effectively with professionals along with providing timely processing of applications, preparing notices, agendas and taking minutes.”

“I have done this job since September 2019,” Kennedy explained. “I know it is a statutory requirement of the clerk, however there are things that are statutory and can be delegated to other people. That is what was done in September 2019, so then I could be the Land Development Board secretary.”

Kennedy, a Southampton Township resident, maintained that state statute required that in order for her to serve as a secretary to any Land Development Board, she must be “an employee of the township,” or a “member of the board.”

Burns said he discussed the matter with the solicitor for the Tabernacle Land

Development Board, David Frank, and that both attorneys don’t have the same interpretation of the law as Kennedy does, though the secretarial appointment is in the “purview of the Land Development Board.”

“I filled in for everyone, in every capacity, and I am being treated horribly right now!” Kennedy declared. “I can’t work on four hours a week! This is ridiculous! … I just can’t believe after all I have done for all of you, this is how I am being treated!”

Kennedy also retorted that Sunbury’s recommendation is actually “a reflection on me.”

“I came back three times to help you

people out, and right now, you are screwing me over and I am out of a job,” Kennedy quipped. “Thank you so much, I really appreciate it! I am so disappointed in each and every one of you! I hope that whoever you make your records manager has the five years’ experience required by law, and knows what they are doing.”

Kennedy then suggested that she would wrap up her obligations in the position by proceeding with “having boxes destroyed,” but it wasn’t immediately clear what she was referring to, adding that she does not have

(Continued from Page 2)

“recommended for treatment” in the spring.

For a municipality to qualify for the program, according to the NJDA, a residential or recreational forest must have an average of more than 500 egg masses per acre and be at least 40 acres in size.

A single egg mass, the department notes, contains up to 500 eggs.

“By treating these areas now, it will help prevent the spread of this insect and significantly reduce its populations for years to come,” said New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas Fisher in a statement through the press release. “This program has been very effective over the last several years and helps preserve the valuable trees and plants that are a food source for this destructive pest.”

According to the NJDA, if a town agrees to treatment, it will take place in both May and June.

CANNABIS

(Continued from Page 5)

site as his other business, and that he has partnered with Manaresi to open what he called a “hash facility.”

“What is it going to entail?” asked Howard “Howie” Rothschild of the plan for a hash facility. “How is it going to be made? What is going to be used to make it? There are a couple different ways to make it.”

One woman contended there is one way that has a “very high risk of blowing up,” which Bass River Deputy Mayor Louis Bourguignon agreed can happen with one method.

However, Bass River Township Solicitor JoAnne O’Connor maintained, “Pinelands (or the Pinelands Commission) is not going to allow that,” which Bourguignon also agreed with.

“As soon as we move away from cultivating, and we process or manufacture, Pinelands has to be involved,” O’Connor said. “They only allow cultivation to be a sort of hands off because you are a Right-to-Farm community. You have a right to farm, and this (cannabis) is included with lettuce, apples or whatever you are growing.”

Some in the audience expressed their surprise with cannabis being thought of as the same thing as basic fruits and vegetables.

“That means anybody could do this,” one man quipped.

O’Connor assured the audience that the Pinelands Commission would not permit any type of dangerous activity, declaring, “this is so state regulated,” maintaining an enterprise

FIRE

(Continued from Page 5)

residence was completely destroyed.

Zane said that there were two residents that were home at the time of the fire and were able to make it out of the residence on their own, but that they “lost everything but the clothes they on their back.”

Those two residents, according to the fire chief, were eventually transported to the emergency room for evaluation. There were no injuries to firefighters as a result of the fire, he added.

A GoFundMe fundraising page established for the victims, the McQuillen family, noted that “first and foremost, everyone is safe,” and then described that “Corey McQuillen woke up to flames at her window, before the fire alarms

The department noted in its release that it would, moving forward, be referring to the gypsy moth as the LDD, and added that the agency, along with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), use Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) to combat the LDD moth. When asked why the name change, Wolfe replied, it was made by the American Entomological Society, and “we decided to go with the scientific name Lymantria dispar dispar to avoid confusion.”

B.t. is described as is a “biological insecticide” that kills the LDD caterpillar “when ingested.”

It was pointed out in the NJDA’s press release that two to three consecutive years of significant defoliation (defined as 75 percent or more) can “kill an otherwise healthy tree.” However, “any LDD defoliation can make trees more susceptible to other damage” that can “lead to the death of the tree.”

Oak trees, it was noted, are the “preferred host for LDD,” but the caterpillars can be found “feeding on almost any tree.”

“would not risk” losing their license and startup costs of “tens of thousands of dollars” by doing something not permitted.

“It is going to have to comply with Pinelands regulations, state regulations and there is going to be inspections,” O’Connor maintained.

While Mauro later acknowledged there are “different ways to make hash,” he pointed out there are “lots of ways, like anything else, to make various materials,” but maintained that his firm is “going to use a non-chemical, very safe way” to produce hash that “just uses ice.”

He added that the process that his company would undertake takes after the one used by the late Frenchy Cannoli, pointing out he “teaches everybody how to use it (the process) on YouTube.”

“It involves ice, water and special bags,” Mauro explained. “Then you use Dawn dish soap. Non-chemicals are involved. It is a very safe practice, used for a very long time.”

As far as the business just having received conditional approval for a Class I operation, Mauro told this newspaper that he is “working with the town engineer and town clerk, and will be following whatever they tell us to do next,” but that he intends to do “indoor growing.”

“Evan is going to be a partner in the hash facility, or in the manufacturing,” he said, noting the Class II application has not yet been filed with the state. “But he is going to have a stake in that too. So, you’ll have two local people getting together to create more tax revenues, and ratables.”

Revenues and ratables, he pointed out, are needed in Bass River.

sounded and courageously ran to her father, Ray McQuillen.”

“They both blindly ran through a billow of smoke and exited unscathed,” it is added.

As of press time, some 526 individuals donated through GoFundMe more than $35,195 to the McQuillen family to assist them.

“If you have ever visited the McQuillen household, you know it was filled with family pictures and cherished mementos collected throughout the years,” the organizer wrote. “Unfortunately, we cannot replace the most valued items as those, but we can help rebuild their life with one donation at a time.”

During the fire, Prickett’s Mill Road was closed between Medford Lakes Road and Oakshade Road. The Red Cross also responded to the scene to provide assistance to the family.

“The Tabernacle Fire Department would like to thank all of our mutual aid companies for their help throughout the incident,” Zane said.

BUDGET

(Continued from Page 3)

Coleman, was absent from the pair of Jan. 3 meetings. Paul Seybold, appointed Washington’s deputy mayor again for 2023 (a post he has held since 2019), and Washington Committeemen C. Leigh Gadd, Jr. (reappointed as the municipality’s Director of Public Safety), did not weigh in on the request.

“I think we should have a public meeting, the three of us at least, on the budget, to at least explain what we are doing,” said James, before Hand potentially swayed him in another direction in recounting what Absecon does for its budget review.

Manning responded to the mayor that in the event a public budget meeting is held, “if you guys want to take over,” after she gives any presentation or remarks, she would be OK with that, “but I just felt like, as I was going line-by-line, people were directing things to me.”

“You guys decide the salaries, I don’t,” Manning pointed out.

James responded that Manning was “absolutely right” in that she “shouldn’t take any heat” for the salaries “because it was what ‘we’ bring forward.”

The Washington mayor, during the exchange, suggested that he was open to a possible compromise of sorts in which the township committeemen, one-by-one, sit with Manning to “go through the budget,” (if two or more members gather at one time to discuss public business, under the state’s Sunshine Law, it is considered a public meeting that must be noticed) and then the elected officials will “have a meeting to discuss it with the public.”

“We’ll have to figure something out,” declared James, with Manning asserting she was fine with continuing to hold a public budget meeting if the committeemen “run it different, just not like last year.”

“That is why we get paid the big bucks,” quipped James of the buck ordinarily stopping with the township committee.

Eddie Freeman III, who was elected to the council two years ago, and approved by him and two other council members, Patricia Hansen, who had also just been re-elected, and Ginamarie Espinoza, another two-year member.

The personnel changes came about with little explanation other than the idea that a “fresh start” was needed, the rationale provided for replacing the previous township solicitor, Malamut & Associates, LLC, of Cherry Hill, with the Mount Laurelbased firm of Parker McCay (the legal counsel for the township four years ago when it was under Republican control), a decision that drew protests from Veasy and Councilwoman Heather Cooper, the now-former deputy mayor, both of whom appeared to have been taken somewhat by surprise.

“I’m going to say that Malamut & Associates has been serving our community for four years and has done a good job,” Veasy maintained. “And I’m not sure why my colleagues feel Parker McCay should be the attorney/solicitor.”

Freeman’s response to that was simply to state that he believes Parker McCay “is the

right choice at this current time in order to move our town forward” and that “they are going to help us get to that point.”

“So, that is the reason why I made the decision,” he added.

Voicing immediate dissatisfaction with that answer, however, was Cooper, who only a short time before had made a point of, the township naming its first Black deputy mayor (although she herself, along with Veasy, had voted for Espinoza, who then cast her vote for Freeman) and who in turn was thanked by Freeman for “all the time she spent guiding me and showing me the ropes,” adding that he hoped he was able to “live up to that standard.”

Cooper, for her part, said that she had “concerns about changing our solicitor in terms of the financial costs,” and proceeded to question Township Manager Rob Corrales as to whether there would be “financial impact to the taxpayer.”

Corrales replied that if “there is any type of changeover” there would “always be some sort of cost associated with it, because of the transition that is going to occur” and that making sure that any projects that the previous professional was working on is transferred over to the new professional “involves some time and effort” for which the participants would have to be paid.

Cooper then asked the township manager if there are a lot of projects in which the

attorneys, and especially the solicitor, are involved, to which he responded that “there are a couple of high-level ones,” especially in regard to the Department of Public Works site.

At that point, Veasy joined in questioning Corrales, asking whether “it is my understanding that you as well as the CFO (Alex Davidson) have recommended that we maintain Malamut Associates as our attorney,” to which he replied, “That’s correct.”

When council members were asked if they had any further council comments, Hansen said while she believed Malamut had done a very good job, “recently there have been some problems and some misunderstandings, and I believe we need a new start,” which was why she had voted to bring back Parker McCay.

Espinoza voiced similar reasons for supporting the change, noting that after reviewing all of the RFPs (Requests For Proposals used in negotiated acquisitions to communicate government requirements to prospective contractors and to solicit proposals), she concurred with Hansen and Freeman that switching to Parker McCay would be the best move for the township, “given recent situations that have occurred with our previous solicitor”

Exactly what “situations” the two council members were referring to wasn’t clear, however, although at the end of October, then-Evesham Solicitor Primitivo Cruz left the Malamut firm to assume a fulltime position as attorney for Cherry Hill Township.

“I’m curious what those concerns are,” Cooper responded.

She then raised the possibility that there may be some involving “personal interests, because that would be a conflict for any of our councilmates who might have a personal relationship to vote on,” noting that the oath they had taken forbade anything of that nature and inviting other council members to provide examples of what they were talking about.

But both Hansen and Espinoza were quick to deny that there were any personal

interests involved in their vote.

Veasy, however, was plainly unsettled by the course of events, and continued to question “the additional costs for changing our solicitor or stopping projects midway because we think we need a fresh start when we are continuing a four-year journey that we’ve already been on.”

“To be honest with you, I don’t know what my council colleagues are seeing in the RFPs that would be showing such a need to change,” she declared.

The Parker McCay attorneys, the mayor further contended, would “also cost more to the residents if you actually looked at the hourly rate for the attorneys that are listed here,” in addition to which it was unclear which attorneys would now be working on specific projects, she contended. And while calling Parker-McCay a “well-established firm,” she said she knew the attorney from Malamut, Bob Wright, an Evesham resident, had done his best to take care of the interests of the town’s population, and asked her colleagues why they thought Chris Orlando of Parker McKay, who will now serve as solicitor, would be the better choice.

Not only was no answer provided to that query, however, but no real rationale was offered for a number of subsequent personnel changes that were approved by the same three-to-two vote, the second of which involved substituting Parker McCay for Malamut & Associates as the township’s bond counsel, which drew additional objections from both Veasy and Cooper.

“Tom Hastie (of Malamut) has been our bond counsel and pretty much saved our budget throughout the pandemic,” asserted Cooper, contending that “it would be a true detriment to our town to see that change.”

Veasy added that Hastie’s reputation as a bond counsel was both “well-known throughout the state” and stronger than that of his counterpart at Parker McCay, and that “if any one of my councilmates would like to explain to me why we should change our bond counsel, I would love to hear that reasoning right now.”

Photo Submitted

Mayor Jacklyn “Jackie” Veasy takes the oath of office for a second term.

Photo Submitted

Eddie Freeman III, who upon being voted in as deputy mayor, made substantial changes to some of Evesham’s professionals against the wishes of the mayor.

Photo Submitted Heather Cooper, who joined with Mayor Jacklyn “Jackie” Veasy in protesting any changes to Evesham’s professionals for 2023, following her being sworn in to a second term on Evesham Council.

Photo Submitted

Patricia Hansen, who ran as a team for a second term with Mayor Jacklyn “Jackie” Veasy and Heather Cooper (not pictured), taking the oath of office, before opposing the professionals her teammates wanted to reappoint.

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None attempted to do so, however. Nor were any explanations forthcoming for a similar decision to substitute Parker McKay for Malamut as the township’s coattorney, prompting Cooper to declare that “again for third time, I still see a trend that will be a perceived conflict of interest to the public,” and to express her concerns “about changing out our co-attorney who helped us to establish and ensure that our affordable housing was maintained and settled,” something she called “a huge issue when it comes to fair-share housing.”

Veasy pointed out that the township had engaged in very lengthy fair-share mediation last year and said she thought “our co-attorney did an excellent job of going through that process,” adding that she “would be remiss to say that we shouldn’t move forward with the same attorney.”

But the administrative changes that were made at the session in how the township will be conducting its affairs in the coming months weren’t just limited to legal firms.

Also altered via amendments to resolutions introduced by Freeman and approved by the same three-to-two vote, over the opposition of both Veasy and Cooper, were the identities of the outside professionals who will be serving as the township’s affordable housing planning consultant, special projects planning consultant and township planner. All three roles, which had been filled by the statewide consulting firm of CME Associates, have now been re-assigned to a trio of different organizations, Environmental Resolutions, Inc. of Mount Laurel, T&M Associates of Mount Laurel and Heyer, Gruel & Associates of Red Bank, respectively.

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for having done “an excellent job of working with the affordable housing administrator of the court to make sure that we were in compliance as a township” and for the presentation it made to the Planning Board, adding that she thought substituting another firm “would be a mistake.” Veasy maintained that there was no need to have chosen a new township planner, and that while the new firm was one that had performed special projects for Evesham and thus “would be acceptable,” she favored retaining CME.

Again, no rationale was provided for why such changes were indicated. Nor, for that matter, was an explanation offered by the new deputy mayor for another amendment he proposed, which was to drop the Mountainside-based architectural firm, Netta, as one of the township’s designated architects, despite both Veasy and Cooper objecting to the move on the grounds that having a “pool of architects” available had proven beneficial to the municipality “in order to make sure projects are done in a timely manner,” as the mayor put it.

The obvious schism in the Democratic council’s perceived sense of solidarity that all this brought about was not lost on a number of those in attendance, who expressed both surprise and disappointment in the unexpected turn of events once the session was opened to public comment.

One resident, Rosemary Bernardi, observing that a “sour note” had intruded itself on what should have been a happy occasion, reminded the council members who voted for the changes that “you know, the voters elected the three of you because things were going well and that includes the professionals and the people here.”

Bernardi indicated she was particularly concerned about the “political motivations” behind the changes, noting that Freeman works for the City of Camden and Espinoza is on the staff of Democratic 1st District

Rep. Donald Norcross, and said that as a resident, she wanted to go on record in expressing how disappointed she was with what had taken place and the lost time that would be involved in facilitating the transition involved, which “really isn’t the most optimal thing.”

Another audience member, Marcy Glantz, described herself as being “in shock listening to what was going on, because the township liked the direction we were going,” and said she couldn’t understand the “total silence” that greeted Veasy’s request for an explanation.

“And now you’re saying, ‘Let’s change it?” she asked. “For what reason? … The voters of the township have the right to know why we’re making these kinds of moves.”

Her remarks elicited polite applause.

A third resident, Trish Everhart, was especially critical of the fact that the three council members who voted to approve the changes offered no explanation for the amendments.

While noting that she had ”heard copious

comments from the other two individuals, Mayor Veasy and Heather Cooper,” Everhart said she was “dismayed that the other three members on the council did not take the time to give the residents that are in attendance here, and those that might be watching, some substantiation as to why you are making such drastic changes to organizations and professionals that have been working for the township” and will be continuing on various projects moving forward.

“It was very disappointing to hear no substantiation from any of you,” she added.

Also in attendance for at least the swearing-in part of the meeting were a number of politicians of both parties from different area venues whom Veasy thanked for coming and making it a “memorable occasion” for her and her family, including Democratic State Sen. Troy Singleton and Assemblywoman Carol Murphy of the 7th Legislative District, Republican Assemblyman Michael Torrissi Jr. of the 8th Legislative District, and Burlington County Democratic Commissioner Felicia Hopson.

the “final authority on records,” but rather it is the Tabernacle municipal clerk, who is Maryalice Brown.

“Now, you take it away from me?” quipped Kennedy of the records manager position. “Thank-you so much!”

Kennedy also served as Tabernacle’s acting township clerk after LaShawn Barber’s retirement as municipal clerk in January 2021, up through when Everett Falt was hired in late November 2021.

Kennedy’s acting position was only supposed to be very temporary, but her service was extended due to the township initially coming up short in finding a permanent municipal clerk due to the job market that had been created during what

RESIGNS

management role at the time (he ultimately gave that up to avoid a conflict of interest), had revealed in a phone interview that it “was a complete surprise” to learn from this newspaper about what occurred in Woodland “because there was no communication, whatsoever, from Woodland looking for

was a time of a pandemic.

Falt resigned on June 30, 2022, after being “given an offer letter for an opportunity outside the township,” and in a resignation letter that he has since provided to this newspaper, asked for an “exit interview, describing “some serious concerns with administration and township operations overall.”

It is unclear whether he ever was afforded that opportunity, or what those concerns exactly entail. Since his departure, as well as the letting go of then-township administrator Casey English (circumstances of which have yet to be explained publicly), Brown has been designated the Tabernacle’s administrator and municipal clerk through a shared services agreement with Woodland Township.

Brown, an employee of Woodland Township, according to public records, as of Aug. 1, 2022, now receives $97,010.30 as township clerk, as well as $67,687.37 as

township administrator. However, she also receives compensation for several other positions in Woodland, including deputy tax collector, recycling coordinator and Board of Health secretary, making her total salary $171,949.50, “pensionable” and “subject to pension and group life insurance contributions.”

Tabernacle, per a shared service agreement approved in July 2022, pays $132,000 to Woodland for Brown’s township administrator and clerk services, or $11,000 a month.

Tabernacle Committee executive session meeting minutes from July 2022 show that the Tabernacle governing body believes the arrangement with Woodland has led to some $95,000 in savings for Tabernacle.

In a Tabernacle committee closed session held one month after the permanent appointment of Brown to Tabernacle’s positions, according to meeting minutes,

Kennedy asked for a “salary increase,” but that it was the “consensus of the committee to take no action with respect to the request.”

Tabernacle also employs a deputy clerk, with that post currently held by Shana Gosik, who receives $1,730.80, bi-weekly, according to public records.

It was not immediately clear whether Kennedy was reappointed to Tabernacle’s Land Development Board for this year. However, state statute does appear to enable her to continue serving in the position, stating, in part, a municipal planning board shall “select a secretary who may or may not be a member or alternate member of the planning board or a municipal employee.”

A man who answered the telephone at Kennedy’s residence on Jan. 8 checked with her to see if she would agree to an interview with this newspaper, and came back on the telephone line, asserting, “she is not interested in talking with you.”

TOWNSHIP

“Doug, I think he wishes he hadn’t done so,” replied Prime, asking if this reporter had talked Czekay and tried to contact him. “But I think you have to talk to him; I can’t speak for why anybody says anything.”

But Prime added that these statements (including others about various other hot button issues in town) came about because the council was concerned with “so much misinformation out there.”

Czekay, who according to his LinkedIn

support from us.”

That revelation caused a bit of a stir but conveyed to locals the severity of the situation at hand, which in turn contributed to the public pressure put on Woodland to iron out the conflict as soon as possible, which it ultimately did. Several of the volunteer resignations were ultimately rescinded and the Woodland Fire and EMS company now has a contract, as well as a new fire engine in the works.

Besides Sunbury’s surprise resignation, during the Tabernacle committee’s Jan. 4 reorganization meeting, Committeeman Samuel Moore III was selected Jan. 4 to serve as the township’s mayor for a second consecutive year, while Tabernacle Committeeman Mark Hartman has been appointed Tabernacle’s deputy mayor.

There were also two changes to the annual appointments – Environmental Resolutions, or ERI, has been appointed the township’s

engineer, while Malamut & Associates, LLC, has been deemed the township’s bond counsel.

According to Tabernacle Solicitor William Burns, who has been designated the municipality’s PIO for another year, the previous engineer (Pennoni Associates) did not submit a proposal for the annual appointment, while the committee determined that Malamut & Associates’ proposal for bond counsel was “less expensive” than one submitted by Parker McCay.

can get really vindictive, I guess, and that is really what happened. And Frank, at the last meeting, kind of said, ‘Hey, this is what he did, and I am going to continue doing that.’”

Prime, in the Jan. 9 interview with this newspaper, said the “firewood has nothing to do with the township – nothing,” but pointed out that the mayor delivered a “personal statement” about it on Dec. 20.

Watson did not respond to this newspaper’s inquiries, despite several requests for him to tell his side of the story.

profile page holds a LLM in taxation, a JD in law, and bachelor’s degree in accounting, left the position of “firm director” of Baker Tilly US LLP after 15 years in December, and is two months into a new venture as senior director of Local Tax RSM US LLP.

Czekay left message with this newspaper on Jan. 10 that he is “not going to have any comment about Jan. 3 for this story,” but that he would be “making a brief statement at the Jan. 17 council meeting.” Another call placed to his new office failed to elicit further response by press time.

Prime, when further pressed about what some considered to be a threat of further prosecution made by the councilman,

responded that, “to my knowledge, there are no plans to further prosecute the Carns or issue anymore summonses – to my knowledge.”

However, Prime added, “I don’t know what the zoning officer is doing,” before stating, “but to my knowledge, there is no intention to further prosecute any alleged violations at the Carns property.”

“If you can, I think you should let Mr. Czekay comment on this,” Prime declared.

Maggelet told this newspaper that several issues prompted him to pull his support from the current administration, and that the commercial truck parking issue is just one of them. All this consternation involving the Carns, he said, could have simply “been resolved right away” with the council having the authority to change the ordinance to allow for commercial vehicles to be stored on farms, a proposition “that only makes sense,” if the vehicles are in fact parked “out of public view.”

“They could have allowed for the trucks on the farm, as long as they are out of sight,” Maggelet said. “And for anyone else in town, if they have 5 acres or more of land and can’t be seen in public view. … But what happens was the Carns made public he did not pay his bill, and that is what I believe flipped Chuck into, ‘I am going to get back at them,’ and that is what I think exactly happened. Chuck

Watson, however, on Dec. 20, maintained that he “never asked” for free firewood, “or expected any special treatment.” He claimed his delay in paying was the result of his discomfort in leaving $450 in a deposit box that is utilized for the Carns’ roadside farm stand (which David Carns disputes and has called a “lie”). The mayor, who said he was in possession of a text message from Brian Carns acknowledging the firewood was no good and to not bother, maintained that ultimately he had planned to provide a check to Brian Carns over a scheduled meeting to discuss historic photos, but that it never happened after David Carns had contacted this newspaper earlier in the day about him being late to pay, claiming they just wanted to create a “narrative,” one that fits in line with “newspapers and social media.”

“I have quite frankly just tried to help them,” Watson maintained. “I suggested the firewood being able to be sold at farm stands, and the farm stand ordinance, to council. It was all discussed and passed as a body to approve. Now, they sell firewood and have a farm stand on the property. Neither were permitted there before. These accusations have been hurtful, but I can sleep well knowing my character and integrity is intact with those who know me. Maybe not to those who believed the lies, but I’ll work on changing that.”

He doesn’t “owe a penny to anyone,” he added, other than to a mortgage company, with Czekay vouching that Watson is a “man of integrity” and that after knowing him for over 10 years, “$450 doesn’t mean that much to you.”

Photo Provided

Brian (left) and David Carns during a recent effort to raise funds for a local animal shelter.

Photo Provided Heather Carns (left) with Carolyn Carns.