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April 23 - April 29, 2022
Settlement Agreement to Allow Three Owners of Short-Term Rentals in Medford Lakes Boro More Time to Operate
‘NEW ERA OF GLOBAL POLITICS’
Borough Council Had Banned Rentals of 30 Days or Less in November 2021, But is Facing Pressure to ‘Rescind’ Law By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer
Photo Provided
Third Congressional District Rep. Andy Kim (left) introduces on April 12 Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, to students of Pemberton Township High School and Fort Dix Elementary School.
U.S. Ambassador to the UN, in Visit with Congressman Kim to Pemberton Township High School, Describes Meeting Ukrainian Refugees, Telling Students They Are ‘Ordinary People Just Like You,’ But Have Lost Their Schools, Homes to Russian Bombings with Many Also Separated from Families Thomas-Greenfield, Also the U.S. Representative on the UN Security Council, Describes to Pupils How She Represents Country on World Stage, Promotes Change in People’s Lives and Helps Them While Also Encouraging Pursuit of Foreign Service Career, Building Relationships and Writing Skills
By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer
PEMBERTON—It’s not every day that a school district is paid a visit by a highprofile U.S. government dignitary, let alone a member of the U.S. President’s Cabinet who has prominently been on the international stage for the past six weeks due to the beginning of a war. But, in what Pemberton Township school officials referred to as an “exceptional” and “very strong” day for the Pemberton Township School District, Linda ThomasGreenfield, the U.S. Ambassador to the
United Nations (U.N.), who also serves as the U.S. representative to the U.N. Security Council, visited Pemberton Township High School on April 12, accompanied by Democratic Third Congressional District Rep. Andy Kim. Thomas-Greenfield, who returned to public service last year after retiring from a 35-year career with the U.S. Foreign Service in 2017, answering a call from Democratic President Joe Biden to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., and who is often referred to as the “People’s Ambassador” due to her approach towards global affairs,
has become an even more prominent figure on the world stage since Feb. 24 when Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, a war she famously referred to in a Feb. 25 speech to the Security Council as “Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified, unconscionable war on Ukraine.” Thomas-Greenfield, in particular, delivered historic remarks right before a Feb. 25 vote on a Security Council resolution condemning “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” calling the conflict a “war See AMBASSADOR/ Page 8
MEDFORD LAKES—Three residents of Medford Lakes who reportedly brought a lawsuit against the borough on Dec. 23, 2021, over the Nov. 10, 2021, Medford Lakes Borough Council’s passage of a short-term rental prohibition have apparently arrived at a settlement agreement last month with the borough. But that was not before the borough racked up “north of $8,500” in legal fees to defend against the lawsuit, in addition to a second attorney “essentially charging a fee” to the municipality, who reportedly handled a related Joint Insurance Fund (JIF) claim over “damages counts,” according to Borough Solicitor Doug Heinold. The settlement only applies to the three litigant residents, Heinold maintained, reportedly affording them an opportunity to continue short-term rentals for the next three years, instead of previously having to cease operations immediately once the ordinance took effect, though the borough had previously promised to give short-term renters affected by the ordinance “some lead time” to come into compliance with the new law. But while the law remains on the books for now, and the rest of the community is subject to its provisions, and the settlement requires the three litigant residents to come into “full compliance” by March 16, 2025, borough council is facing increased pressure to “rescind” the all-out ban, with some constituents suggesting that it should See SETTLEMENT/ Page 6
INDEX Business Directory.................... 12
Local News.................................. 2
Job Board.................................. 14
Marketplace.....................................14
Worship Guide............................11
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LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES
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Bass River Township, Galloway Township Ambulance Squad Arrive at Agreement for EMS Coverage Through End of Year
By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer
BASS RIVER—What had been previously referred to as only a temporary arrangement for emergency medical services in Bass River Township has become a more permanent one, with Bass River Township entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Galloway Township Ambulance Squad on April 4, in which the latter entity, based in Galloway Township, Atlantic County, will provide for continued ambulance service to the Burlington County municipality. While the April 4 unanimous action by the Bass River Township Board of Commissioners was “contingent” on approval from Galloway Township Ambulance Squad’s Board of Trustees, Louis Bourguignon, deputy mayor of Bass River, told this newspaper on April 19 that “we (the township and squad) both sat down and formalized so much a month” and “they are our squad right now.” Mayor Deborah Buzby-Cope told this newspaper in an email on April 19 that Bass River “will be providing Galloway $1,000 per month through December.” “We appreciate what they did to step in when we were in trouble,” Bourguignon told this newspaper. “They are a great organization.”
That “trouble” Bourguignon was referring to was when Bayville, Ocean County-based Quality Medical Transport unexpectedly terminated its contract with Bass River Township around November of last year, all as surrounding volunteer EMS agencies were purportedly having trouble making calls in the towns they primarily serve. And, of the very few paid EMS entities ser ving the area, Northeast Medical Transport purportedly told Bass River “there is not enough call volume to justify” coming into the municipality, while AtlantiCare wanted approximately $60,000 a month for just “one ambulance” to be stationed in the municipality 24/7 with “one crew,” which local officials previously contended Bass River could not afford. Chuck Uhl, chief of the Galloway Township Ambulance Squad, previously told this newspaper that in light of those circumstances, Bass River had contacted the Galloway agency he heads, informing it that Quality wanted to “get out of its contract,” and asked if Galloway would assist the town. “Immediately my concern was the response time to go to Bass River,” Uhl had told this newspaper. See AMBULANCE/ Page 11
Some $10K in Environmental Consulting, Appraisal Work Approved for 19-Acre Carranza Road Lot Tabernacle Aims to Acquire by Aug. 1 Draft Bond Ordinance of $1 Million to Finance Acquisition, ‘Various’ Work for Future Municipal Facility Approved; Municipality Served with Lawsuit
By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer
TABERNACLE—A project to acquire an approximately 19-acre property on Carranza Road in Tabernacle Township for the purposes of constructing a new town hall appears to be moving forward, with the Tabernacle Township Committee on April 11 authorizing an environmental assessment of the parcel, as well as appraisal work. The Tabernacle governing body – which for another meeting continued to hold public comments at two minutes per speaker and only directly responded to residents who spoke with an official simply replying, “thank-you for your comments,” has also presented a draft, $1 million bond ordinance to the public that would also authorize “the acquisition of real property for use as a future municipal facility, together with preliminary work associated therewith.” It was said the bond ordinance, as currently proposed, would tentatively authorize bond notes in the aggregate principal amount of up to $950,000, and would be introduced for first reading during a scheduled April
25 Tabernacle committee meeting, one in which a new format, approved on April 11, will take effect. The latest Tabernacle governing body meeting also contained a revelation that yet another lawsuit had been filed against the municipality, this one apparently involving an adopted resolution for a closed session. The property that would be acquired, according to the draft bond ordinance, is “Block 13.01, Lot 403,” also known as 144 Carranza Road. “The title report has already come back for 144 Carranza Road,” said Township Solicitor William Burns. “The committee has already authorized me to draft Letter of Intent (LOI) for the presentation with the extended feasibility period, again to move to the purchase of this. My understanding is it is the committee’s intention to close on this property, hopefully, by Aug. 1.” Tabernacle Chief Financial Officer Rodney Haines revealed that the governing body was “kicking around $500,000 for the acquisition” of the parcel, and that is why, after a meeting See CONSULTING/ Page 10
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LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES
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New Asian Cuisine Restaurant at Medford’s Village of Taunton Forge Offers Plethora of Sushi Options As Well As High-Style Tofu, Hibachi Owners, Originally from China, Got Their Start in Seafood, Catering Industry And Now Hope to Share a ‘Different Style Sushi’ Locally After Leaving NYC
By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer
MEDFORD —A new Asian cuisine restaurant has opened at The Village of Taunton Forge as the shopping center’s revitalization continues at the intersection of Taunton Boulevard and Tuckerton Road in Medford Township. U Sushi Asian Cuisine, co-owned by Miga Liu and husband, Chance Jiang, opened at 200 Tuckerton Road on April 5, the newest tenant of The Village of Taunton Forge. The restaurant, offering both indoor dining and takeout, has a plethora of sushi options to choose from, including some 30 Special Rolls. And that doesn’t include 28 Classic Roll options on the eight-page menu. Liu told this newspaper on April 12 that “specials of the chef,” which is her husband, Jiang, include the Yummy Yummy Roll, consisting of shrimp tempura and avocado inside, topped with spicy crunchy crab stick, and served with spicy mayo and eel, as well as the Kings Roll comprising of baked scallop, shrimp, crab stick and Wavocado, topped with lobster and served with chef special sauce. “We do sushi high style tofu, and Chinese food, as well as Hibachi,” said Liu of the other available options on the eatery’s menu. Lunch specials and dinner boxes are available daily, as well as a full selection from a sushi bar. Liu explained to this newspaper that both she and her husband are originally from China, and relocated to New York City 10 years ago. That is where they owned a seafood restaurant and also entered the catering industry, Liu added. “My husband likes sushi, and he said he wanted everybody to try a different style sushi,” said Liu of the reason the couple started
a restaurant in Medford, noting that they moved to the township about two months ago. “We have always been in the catering industry and love to provide excellent ingredients to the general public, so we wanted to open our own Asian restaurant.” Liu noted that both she and her husband are all guided and studied by professional chefs and “use fresh and excellent ingredients and pass on new and trendy presentations to attract customers.” U Sushi’s menu also includes various types of rice, in addition to soups. Party platters are also available. Additionally, there are a number of fresh salads offered, including the Baby Octopus Salad, comprising of baby octopus and spring mix lettuce, served with a special sauce. Some favorite menu items of Liu include the Dragon Roll, stuffed with eel, cucumber and avocado, topped with masago, as well as the Sushi Pizza. There are also menu items specific to the area, including the Tuckerton Roll, stuffed with shrimp tempura and avocado inside, and served with yellowtail on top, in addition to chef special sauce, as well as the Medford Roll, crunchy with spicy crab meat and avocado, topped with lobster salad. The latter portion is served with spicy mayo and rainbow tobiko. “We used to live in New York City, and now moved over here,” Liu said. “It is a safer, more relaxing life climate here. The environment is very good, and the people are very nice.” The current hours of U Sushi are Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 9 p.m. Customers can place their carryout orders or make reservations by calling 856-334-8898 or 856-452-5241.
U Sushi’s “Tuckerton Roll,” “Medford Roll (middle),” and “U Sushi Roll.”
Photos Provided
A “Dragon Roll,” stuffed with eel, cucumber and avocado, topped with masago.
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Pinelands Commission to Reconsider Chatsworth Cell Tower After Having Been Provided ‘New Information’ by Applicant Hearing on Long-Disputed Firehouse/EMS Location Was Denied Last Month, with Top Officials’ Work on Issue Said to Have Created ‘Conflict of Interest’
By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer
WOODLAND—Some unspecified new information submitted earlier this month to the Pinelands Commission by the company that hopes to build a disputed 120-foot-high cellphone tower adjacent to the building housing the Woodland Township Volunteer Fire and EMS Company in the Village of Chatsworth will now be “reviewed” to determine if it might provide the commission staff with reason to do an about-face and deem the proposed monopole to be an “accessory use” to the fire and EMS company after all. That word from Pinelands Commission spokesman Paul Leakan, responding to a request for a status update on the issue by the Pine Barrens Tribune in the past week, is the newest wrinkle in a two-year-old controversy over whether the proposed location of the tower meets the agency’s criteria for such a project in the environmentally sensitive region under its jurisdiction. It is also a development that follows the commission’s having recused itself from conducting a public hearing on the issue as originally planned, even though a date for one had been scheduled April 12, a decision spelled out in a letter from its director of regulatory programs, Charles M. Horner, and emailed March 9 to participants on both sides. It was Horner’s contention in the letter that such a hearing would not be fair to the applicant because the agency’s executive director had died unexpectedly last June and the extensive involvement in meetings and discussions on the matter by the only other senior staffers who could conduct it (of which he was one) would put them in a “conflict of interest.” Horner, in the same letter, instead offered the applicant, Centerline Communications (a.k.a. Tower North) of Bridgewater, Mass., the option of having a hearing conducted by the state’s Office of Administrative Law, whose recommendation would then need to be endorsed by a majority of the 15 commissioners on the Pinelands Commission. In conveying the commission’s latest position on the matter, however, Leakan stated that “the applicant requested that the April 12 hearing before the commission staff (the one that supposedly could not be held) be rescheduled” and “has submitted additional information to try to resolve the issue.” A s ke d t o e l ab o r at e f u r t h e r, t h e com mission spokesman said the new information had been submitted “in an attempt to demonstrate that the proposed tower is accessory to the fire company/ EMS building on the parcel” and that “it is possible” the commission could determine it achieves that aim. “Such a determination would be wholly consistent with the purpose of scheduling a public hearing and the regulations in the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan,” he maintained. “We will review the information as quickly as possible, but within 30 days.” However, a request from this newspaper for further details regarding the nature of the new information, conveyed to the applicant’s attorney, Warren Stilwell of the Atlantic City legal firm of Cooper Levenson, elicited only a general description of FirstNet service attributed to AT&T New Jersey State President Joseph Divis, which appeared to contain nothing that wasn’t already public knowledge. When asked how the how the commission’s
newly announced “review” jibed with the conflict-of-interest concern that was the purported reason why a hearing could no longer be scheduled, Leakan replied via a subsequent email that “if the applicant’s latest submission resolves the issue, there would be no need for a hearing” and that “If there is no hearing, then the conflict about a hearing officer would become moot.” In that case, the proposed cellphone tower, which has already been unanimously approved by the Woodland Township Land Use Board, would seemingly have cleared a final obstacle to its installation on the firehouse/EMS site, where it has b e en voc i ferously oppos e d by some neighboring property owners, one of whom, Andrew Windisch, has h ired prominent environmental attorney Stuart J. Lieberman, of the Princeton-based law firm of Lieberman Blecher & Sinkevich, to oppose that prospect. The ne ed for such a tower i n the t ow n s h ip, wh e r e it wou l d p rov i d e enhanced communication ability to first responders as part of the FirstNet system, an independently operated AT&T-affiliated nationwide wireless broadband network, and to local residents who currently lack reliable cellphone service, is not what’s in dispute. It is rather the proposed location that some residents object to. In addition to aesthetic considerations and the possible effect on property values, they believe having the tower at that site would put their health in jeopardy by constantly exposing them to RF waves, a form of electromagnetic energy. But their concerns about such exposure have no validity under the law, having long ago been rendered moot by a provision of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, under which the amount of radiation involved is considered well within acceptable parameters. That legal limitation has restricted Lieberman’s arguments to the question of whether putting up the tower in the location at issue would meet the commission’s criteria for “a permitted land use in a Pinelands village” by serving as an “accessory use” to the fire/EMS company, which the commission staff determined last fall it would not, based on the evidence so far submitted. That issue, however, was supposed to have been the subject of a full hearing by the commissioners themselves – that is, until Horner proceeded to notify everyone involved last month that such a proceeding would not provide the applicant with the benefit of “due process” as a result of the alleged conflict of interest on the part of the only two officials who could conduct such a hearing following the death of Commission Executive Director Nancy Wittenberg, for whom a permanent replacement has yet to be hired. He had thus recommended that the applicant refer the matter to the Administrative Law Court instead, a process that Horner estimated in response to a query from this newspaper would take another six months to facilitate at the very least. The statement from AT&T’s Divis, emailed from the company’s corporate communications director, Jim Kimberly, in response to this newspaper’s request for a description of the “additional information” that had prompted the reconsideration, noted that “the proposed site is part of our ongoing investment to improve service and coverage for first responders in the Chatsworth area” and “part of the FirstNet platform, providing dedicated connectivity for first responders in the area,” See TOWER/ Page 13
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LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES
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SETTLEMENT (Continued from Page 1)
be replaced with simply regulations on short-term rentals, or, as another option, the ordinance be amended to grandfather existing resident short-term renters, with the public speaking out at borough governing body meetings since December, as well as writing to the governing body. The new law defines short-term rentals as the renting of dwelling units for “30 days or less.” Several of those who have recently conversed with the governing body on the issue have described that the problems they have experienced in the past have actually been with the long-term rentals, not the short-term ones, with the latter, they say, requiring personal responsibility, upkeep and maintenance on the part of the hosts to maintain positive reviews on short-term rental sites such as one maintained by the Airbnb Corporation, ones reportedly critical to the success of such operations. “The borough did receive a complaint on Dec. 23 challenging the Short-Term Rental Ordinance in Superior Court,” declared Heinold on Dec. 28, 2021. “We have 35 days to file an answer. It is a Prerogative Writ case, so there probably will be little or no discovery. Then we will get into probably a briefing schedule with the court, and ultimately oral arguments before the assignment judge to make a determination.” At the time of the announcement, Heinold declared that with litigation pending, it would “hamstring us as far as public discussion.” Several borough residents, as previously reported by this newspaper, had come to borough council in March 2017 to speak out against the increasing number of Airbnbs or bed and breakfast guest houses cropping up in the community. Cited in their complaints at the time was noise, lack of fire safety, lack of “hotel guest”
WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM insurance, property damage and decreasing property values in neighborhoods where these short-term lodging rentals are allowed to exist. Heinold, at the time, advised that council must be “smart and level-headed” before passing any ordinance(s) banning Airbnbs because any litigation could be cost prohibitive to the borough. He pointed out that cities like New York and San Francisco were, at the time, tied up in litigation with the Airbnb Corporation, and that if such big cities that have vast resources are not able to come up with successful ways to regulate Airbnbs, small towns like Medford Lakes would not have a chance. The issue came back to the forefront locally this past summer. While Joe Aromando, an outspoken borough resident, who often participates in borough council meetings and was a one-time borough councilman (seeking re-election again this May), raised the issue of short-term rentals during borough council meetings in June and August of last year, wanting to know “where things stand,” Borough Clerk Mark McIntosh previously told this newspaper that “it wasn’t so much Aromando” who had forced the issue, but rather the borough has been receiving complaints from the owners of properties which neighbor short-term rentals. The complaints, the borough official contended, have been “two-fold,” some raising “noise issues, people coming and going and stuff like that,” while others have pointed to the listings for available short-term rentals in the borough mentioning that there are nearby beaches and lakes available for swimming, as well as the dwellings being within walking distance of Camp Ockanickon (now known as YMCA of the Pines), though the beaches and camp are private. What followed the issue being raised again last year was the October 2021 introduction and ultimate November 2021 passage of the short-term rental prohibition. “Twenty-five, give or take, towns in New
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Jersey have done outright bans,” said Heinold during a Feb. 9 borough council meeting in response to continued concerns about the ban and questions about the litigation. “That is the most common response in terms of local enactments towards short-term rentals. There are a number of reasons for that – not only for substantive reasons, but also that the alternatives can be difficult to manage, enforce and so forth, (especially in) a smaller municipality (like the Borough of Medford Lakes). “So, this council has spent a lot of time thinking about the issue over last four years, trying to make sure the steps we take are supported and careful. So, we kind of have to see this litigation through at this point and that is the direction we are headed in right now.” But during a March 23 borough council meeting, it became apparent the borough was no longer of the position that it wanted to see the litigation through to the end as Heinold had previously indicated. “There is a resolution here that says, ‘settlement agreement,’” Aromando said. “I’m confused, as it implies some kind of settlement happened. I thought you were going to court to defend an ordinance that was approved?” That statement from Aromando prompted Heinold to explain that a settlement was reached on March 16 with the “group of plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit against the borough challenging the ordinance” and that those individuals “were part of the settlement conference before Judge Richmond who is on recall and mediated the case,” in which “we spent the better part of a day with the judge and the parties talking about the issues that were presented.” “I will say that this is a unique group of plaintiffs, as they are also residents of the town, who happen to also own Airbnbs, and had purchased them within the last year with the intent of operating an Airbnb under the belief they could do so,” Heinold said. “It was also clear the ordinance postdated their purchases.” Heinold maintained that the borough has
been “trying to protect against a couple of things,” including “stopping the spread of, as well as the increase of, Airbnb uses,” in addition to “absentee landlords,” or ones who operate such uses from afar, such as in New York and California, and aren’t near their properties often, if at all, to monitor them. “So that was a concern and the impetus of enacting the ordinance, particularly given the fact that we do have so many log homes and lakefront homes that would lend themselves to a better Airbnb market then some of the towns around us,” Heinold said. But in arriving at a settlement with the three resident litigants, Heinold emphasized, “this is not a situation where we have somebody from out of town operating Airbnbs.” Initially, according to Heinold, the “plaintiffs wanted a carveout to continue permanently” with operating their shortterm rentals, while the borough wanted the litigation to “end fairly quickly.” “The negotiated point everyone sort of left the court reasonably happy with, as settlements tend to work, is that in order to allow those residents the opportunity to sort of transition out of their investments without having negative tax consequences and financial losses, … these people were given a three-year phaseout period on their Airbnbs,” Heinold said. “It applies only to them. Nobody else can take advantage of this exception. “It was crafted specifically in response to the fact that they’re the ones who timely filed a complaint in this matter. Under the law, you have 45 days from enactment of an ordinance to challenge it. Nobody else other than these plaintiffs did that. As I said, they shared unique common facts in the fact that they were all residents and specifically acquired these properties for Airbnbs.” In explaining why the borough ultimately took the position that it wanted the litigation to “end fairly quickly,” Heinold noted that as of the March 23 meeting, the municipality See SETTLEMENT/ Page 15
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Photo Provided
Congressman Andy Kim and U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield (left center) poses for a photograph with Pemberton pupils during an April 12 visit to Pemberton Township High School.
AMBASSADOR (Continued from Page 1)
of choice” in which “Russia chose to inflict untold suffering on the Ukrainian people, and on its citizens,” as well as “chose to violate Ukraine’s sovereignty, violate International Law and violate the U.N. Charter.” She has since gained further attention for railing against the “atrocities” of the war so far on numerous occasions, as well as for helping to get Russia suspended from the U.N.’s Human Rights Council, an effort she described on April 12 to the Pemberton high students, as well as to fourth and fifth graders from the Pemberton district’s Fort Dix Elementary School, all of whom were attendees/participants in a 50-minute town hall with both the ambassador and congressman. “Tuesday was just a wonderful day,” said Pemberton Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Havers following the event. “It was a little bit of a blur, right? What a day; what a privilege; and what an honor to have an ambassador come here to give our kids a real, authentic learning opportunity.” In addition to Thomas-Greenfield detailing a recent “emotional” experience she had with Ukrainian refugees in both Moldova and Romania and touching on her career, as well as some of her experiences and responsibilities, Thomas-Greenfield urged the pupils to “develop relationships,” emphasized that “you really have to be able to write well because you have to be able to influence people” with words, encouraged the studying of a second language, and declared that an “English teacher is probably your most important teacher.” In what Havers later called “really specific, challenging questions of real meaning,” posed by students during the assembly, both
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WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM Thomas-Greenfield and Kim also revealed who inspires them, as well as what led them to a career in public “service” to their country, in addition to sharing some of their views on domestic and foreign affairs. At one point, Kim shared his optimism that “political stagnation,” as he called it, would end in Washington D.C., as well as declared that he was worried the U.S. was “struggling from a crisis of empathy right now.” That was in addition to the local U.S. representative, whose congressional district includes Pemberton Township and Pemberton Borough, the municipalities served by the Pemberton Township School District, advising the pupils that they were at the dawn of a “new era of global politics” that is still being defined, the result, in part, of “an incredibly historic moment globally as well as domestically” with the Coronavirus pandemic of the past two years, as well as the beginning of the War in Ukraine, in addition to new and emerging technologies. “We are at an incredibly strategic inflection point,” Kim declared. “I really do believe the next four to five years will shape the next four to five decades of not only this country, but the world.” Terry Maldonado, a member of the Pemberton Board of Education who chairs its Policy Committee, later called the town hall with the ambassador and local congressman a “fabulous opportunity for our kids,” one that she said she did not get to have when she attended high school. Kim, in introducing Thomas-Greenfield to the audience, that also included some of the commanding officers of Joint Base McGuireDix-Lakehurst as well as Pemberton Township Mayor David Patriarca and Pemberton Councilman Donovan Gardner, explained that he had heard the ambassador say she wanted to talk about what the Security Council does, as well as all the work it accomplishes, to a group of school students, and that is when he recommended Pemberton Schools (a district that has many military-connected students given the township’s proximity to the joint base and enjoys rich diversity). A later press release from Kim’s office noted that Thomas-Greenfield’s visit coincided with “newly-named ‘Month of the Military Child,’” and that the reason for the selection of the Pemberton district is because 22 percent of its students come from militaryconnected families. “When you give a diplomat a microphone, usually it is the ‘weapon of choice,’” ThomasGreenfield declared at the moment she was introduced by Kim. The ambassador then explained to the pupils that she has “two titles” currently. “I am the ambassador to the U.N. and the permanent representative to the Security Council of the U.N.,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “That means, like Congressman Kim, I represent the American people. He represents you to Congress on the national stage, and I represent you to the world on the international stage.” Currently, she noted, there are 193 member
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states/countries that comprise the U.N., with each one of those countries having a representative “sent there to support their national interests,” as well as to “work on issues of peace and security around the globe.” “We deal with all kinds of global issues,” Thomas-Greenfield explained. “We deal with climate change, pandemics and war.” And “for the past six weeks,” the ambassador described to the students that she has been working “every single day, sometimes late into the night,” on “dealing with daily issues of war and peace in Ukraine,” with the U.S. also part of the Security Council, comprising of ambassadors from 15 different nations, with five countries on the Security Council considered “permanent” – U.S., Russia, France, China and the U.K. “We have something called a ‘veto power,’ where we can veto anything,” said ThomasGreenfield of the Security Council’s individual permanent members. “It is really good when it’s yours, bad when it’s theirs.” The U.S., according to published reports, has been targeting Russia’s veto power on the Security Council, as currently, if any one individual permanent member exercises its veto power on a resolution, that measure cannot pass. Thomas-Greenfield noted that “in my position I get to travel,” and during the previous weekend, she traveled to both Moldova and Romania, two countries that neighbor Ukraine to its southwest, both of which have “felt the impact of the war” due to “tens of thousands” of Ukrainian refugees “crossing their borders, “fleeing and looking for safety.” It was at that moment that ThomasGreenfield recognized that “more than 4 million people have been forced to leave Ukraine” as a result of the war and that a total of “10 million have been forced to leave their home,” with the ambassador pointing out that those figures mean “6 million of them are somewhere around their communities in their country, but unable to return to their homes.” The reason for the refugees being unable to return home, she pointed out, is because of the number of “buildings being destroyed – completely obliterated” from both the Russian bombings and shellings. “When I went to Romania and Moldova, I actually got to meet people whose lives have been destroyed by this extraordinary, unconscionable war that the Russians have imposed on the people of Ukraine,” ThomasGreenfield told the students. “It was very sad. I am a very emotional person, and as I was sitting in the room with women and children, and they were telling me their stories, and were crying, I was crying. “I feel it even right now, hearing those stories, because these were ordinary people just like you. They were going to school every day; they were hanging out with their friends.” The ambassador told the Pemberton students that she had met a 15-year-old kid “who was into sports,” among the children she encountered who were “excited” for school and
athletics, but now, “all of a sudden, their school has been blown away, their homes have been blown away and their families are separated.” “And suddenly they are in a foreign country and they don’t even know if they are going to return back home,” Thomas-Greenfield added. The ambassador – who urged the Pemberton pupils to find Moldova on the map (sandwiched in-between Romania and Ukraine) – said that when she returned home to New York, “I had fight in my spirit!” “I was going to make sure that Russia was not going to be on a Human Rights Council to talk about human rights when they are destroying people’s lives,” Thomas-Greenfield declared. From that point forward, ThomasGreenfield described that the U.S. “carried forward a vote” in the General Assembly to “decide whether Russia can have a vote on the Human Rights Council.” Convincing the majority of the 193 members to side with the U.S. was “hard,” she noted, but she and her team “were on the phone every night” both “pleading” and “begging” fellow representatives in the General Assembly, or “lobbying everybody.” “We cannot have these guys sitting next to us on the council,” she asserted. “We won the vote. The reason why I was so adamant is because I saw lives being destroyed.” There are “fun parts,” however, of the job as ambassador, she noted, including getting to “meet people from all over the world” and “developing relationships, friendships and engagements that will serve you well all your life.” “What I want to tell everyone in the room is that you should develop the relationships you are going to have – these are relationships that you are going to have the rest of your lives.” Thomas-Greenfield told the pupils that she has maintained a close friendship with 17 high school classmates of hers and prays with them every day. While there are “fun parts” to the job, the ambassador noted that, “underneath that fun we deal with life and death issues every single day.” “I’ve done this for almost 40 years,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “I was in the Foreign Service for 35 years. And I hope that one of you, today, will decide that because you heard from me and Congressman Kim, that you will want to pursue a career in the Foreign Service.” The ambassador pointed out that there are also opportunities to serve the U.S. overseas in foreign relations, outside of the Foreign Service, with positions available in the U.S. Military and the private sector. “There are all kinds of things you can do in the international realm, and I hope you will all think about that as you start to look at your future,” Thomas-Greenfield maintained. Kim, who sat beside Thomas-Greenfield during the town hall, asserted that “as the ambassador talked about what is happening See AMBASSADOR/ Page 9
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AD HOTLINE: (609) 801-2392 or SALES@PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM things through, but reduces the threshold, especially in the Senate, to be able to have a simple majority, rather than 60 votes needed to break what is called a ‘filibuster.’ As long as we have this political stagnation right now, as long as we have this situation where people are often voting against things that make perfect sense simply because of politics, we are going to continue to struggle to do the types of things you are talking about.” Kim, however, asserted that he “still has hope we can try to return to that kind of engagement, or governance that is focused on delivering for the people grounded in respect for one another.” “We can have disagreements, but still be able to have civil discourse, and think about the greater good of what it is we are trying to accomplish,” said Kim of his optimism. Kim then cited what he referred to as a “lesser known line” from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, “‘Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.’” “I say that to you because I think we just need to make sure that we, as a country, are engaging with each other, and talking to each other,” Kim said. “I do sometimes worry that we are struggling from crisis of empathy right now, struggling to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, seeing the world through someone else’s eyes. I hope that we are able to have that kind of a deeper connection. I think that is the kind of thing that will help us break this fever right now and have a legislative body that is much more productive.” Both the ambassador and congressman were asked by a Fort Dix Elementary student, Jett, who inspired them throughout their lives. Thomas-Greenfield said that for her, it is her mother, as “kindness guided her every single day.” “The best leadership skill I have is kindness,” she declared. “If you can’t be kind, you can’t be a good leader.” Kim replied that for him, it is the late John Lewis, who was a former congressional colleague for a “short-time,” but more importantly a civil rights activist/icon (who represented Georgia’s 57th Congressional District), known in particular for leading protesters over the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama in 1965, advocating for the right of African Americans to vote, but suffered a fractured skull in a violent clash with police. “To see a young John Lewis – someone who was a teenager when he took on the work that he did, it made me feel like anyone could do this,” Kim said. “I say this with all due respect – he was an ordinary man in extraordinary times. I think that is what I found so remarkable about him. He empowered me. He made me feel like I could do something.” “When you have an opportunity to meet presidents and prime ministers, as we have had, they are all just ordinary people just trying to figure out their way to make an impact – no better, no smarter than anyone else.”
(Continued from Page 8)
in Ukraine, and when you think about what has happened over the last two years with this pandemic, I really do believe this is an incredibly historic moment globally, as well as domestically.” “You are all going to be, in the coming years, growing up and entering into the workforce, entering into this moment, and I just want to express how pivotal this is,” the congressman told the pupils. “For me, as someone who was a sophomore in college when 9/11 happened, I saw how right in front of my eyes the world was changing as we go. And right now, that is happening as well. We are entering this new era of global politics.” Kim further declared that the country and world is “firmly” no longer “in the post 9/11 era,” but rather in a “new era.” “But we don’t know what it exactly is going to look like just yet,” the congressman added. “How will it be shaped with our competition with China, the aggression with Russia, and the new technology like artificial intelligence or quantum computing and other things like that, all of which is going to affect how this new era is shaped?” T he c ong re ssman c ontende d it is “important” to think these things through “strategically” to “make sure this decade is line with our values, priorities and responsibilities.” A Pemberton high junior, Robert, pointed out to Kim that “it seems as though all bills” in Congress contain “billions or trillions” in spending as well as “are filled with various complicated components and issues,” before asking the congressman, “Why can’t there be an increased amount of single-issue bills that could increase bipartisan voting action?” “I agree with you,” Kim replied. “We should be able to pass clear-cut, single-issue bills.” The congressman explained that the U.S. House of Representatives had just passed one such bill the week prior “to lower the cost of insulin to $35 a month,” with one father telling him that he was paying some $2,500 a month for insulin for a child. Kim then declared the insulin bill “should become law” but that “right now it doesn’t look like it is going to.” “We have two problems, one is we have procedural issues that prevent it from happening, but the overarching problem is that we live in a time right now when I think too many folks think politics means non-stop campaigning rather than actual governance,” declared Kim, who is facing re-election this upcoming November. “We have a hard time understanding that we need to get things done across the board and deliver for the people. “One of the reasons why we have big packages is one of the only ways to break political deadlocks right now is to use a concept called ‘reconciliation.’ This is a process that was never intended to be the only way to get
Both the ambassador and congressman were asked by Pemberton high junior, Clohey, whether they had always known they wanted to be involved in politics when growing up, to which Kim responded, “No, but I always wanted to go into ‘service’ in one way or another.” “My parents taught me that service just isn’t a job, it is a way of life,” Kim said. “It is not just something you do from 9 to 5 and hang it on up. It is not just about what your job title is. It is about your fundamental responsibility to the people around you – whether friends, family or strangers alike.” Kim noted that his parents both served their communities with his father a medical researcher and mom a nurse at a hospital, and that service “didn’t mean government” for them. “I wanted to serve, but it didn’t necessarily mean government,” said Kim, contending that it was the 9/11 attacks that led to him to work in Afghanistan ten years later “on behalf of the U.S. government,” a country he had never heard of prior to the terrorist attacks. “If that day didn’t happen, I probably would have been a microbiologist or a geoscientist,” Kim said. “That was what I was interested in.” Thomas-Greenfield, in offering her reply to the question, declared she doesn’t “see myself in politics, but I do see myself serving the American people.” “My goal was to always to help people, to do something to change people’s lives,” she added, noting she initially gave consideration to becoming an attorney to help indigenous people, but decided to go to Africa instead in her early 20s. “I became enamored with working with the people on the continent of Africa,” said Thomas-Greenfield who ultimately would become the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs from 2013 to 2017. “I spent the first part of my career working on continent of Africa. So, when President Biden called and asked if I would take this position, I was really flabbergasted because I had not been political.” It was only when she retired, ThomasGreenfield said, that she started working a little bit with political campaigns, but before that, “I had never even made a contribution to a political campaign.” And even though she is a political appointee, Thomas-Greenfield noted she approaches her current job as ambassador under the premise “she is a career professional” who can advise the president based on her experiences in foreign affairs. “But, of course, when you start doing this, and working for someone, and you start feeling their passion, and their interests, then you become a little more political,” she said. “So, I got a little bit more political, and I am a political appointee now in the administration, as a member of the president’s Cabinet. So, I am career, but in a political position.” A couple of other questions posed to the ambassador dealt with other global affairs, particularly in Africa, in which ThomasGreenfield pointed out that “technology is missing in so many of these countries” and
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that “only 1 percent of Africa has been able to get access to COVID vaccines” with “poverty still such a huge issue” globally. On the subject of the Ethiopian Civil War, Thomas-Greenfield declared, “We talk about ‘Black Lives Matter,’ but they clearly don’t matter in Ethiopia.” She maintained “nobody is doing anything” about the situation but “watching this happen,” including “people being killed, raped” as well as people dying from famine. She did, however, acknowledge a recent “truce or ceasefire” to allow for humanitarian aid, and declared, “for me it is not political, it is truly about people’s lives and what we need to do to ensure people can live in peace.” And, in recognizing there are other issues out there requiring global involvement, Thomas-Greenfield said “there is no issue around the world that we can ignore,” noting she is often reminded by Secretary of State Antony Blinken of the phrase “ROW,” or “Rest of the World.” “The ‘rest of the world’ is out there, needs us and we have to focus on it all,” ThomasGreenfield declared. A Pemberton high senior, Antinella, was tasked with asking the ambassador the first question of the town hall, which inquired about what classes one should take if they wish to pursue a career such as the one of Thomas-Greenfield, in addition to whether the diplomat would have done anything differently leading to her career path. “I wish I had paid more attention to my English classes,” Thomas-Greenfield replied. “You really have to be able to write well because you have to be able to influence people. Everyone can write a 15-page paper, and throw garbage in it to make it 15 pages, but you have to write a two-page paper that the President of the United States is going to read – because you can’t put a 15-page paper in front of the president, or a 10-page paper in front of an ambassador.” Writing, she added, must be done “distinctly” and “so clearly” so that one can “read the first paragraph and get it,” with ensuing paragraphs having to make people want to read a “little further” and “say, ‘This is interesting.’” “Being able to write well is really, really important,” the U.S. Ambassador emphasized. “I also had an English teacher always tell me that I needed to speak proper English, and always taught us to speak proper English. An English teacher is probably your most important teacher. It doesn’t matter if you want to become a lawyer (or whatever profession you choose) … you have to be able to write. It is more important than Math. Because even if you are a great mathematician, you have to be able to write so that people know you are a great mathematician. “You can put it all on paper, but if you can’t write it in a good English sentence, people are not going to get it. If you can’t speak it, people are not going to understand it. Whatever career you are in, pay attention to your English teacher!” See AMBASSADOR/ Page 10
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AMBASSADOR (Continued from Page 9)
As for what courses she would recommend, Thomas-Greenfield urged the Pemberton pupils to pursue learning a second language. The response of Thomas-Greenfield to the Pemberton high senior’s question happened to impress a lot of attendees, including Pemberton board member Lionel Lee, who later asserted he was “glad she came here and told our kids the message she gave them, especially about being able to write.”
CONSULTING (Continued from Page 2)
with bond counsel, “we decided on $1 million” for the bond ordinance. In addition to the potential acquisition, the bond, he noted, would provide funding for the “title searches and various things.” Haines said that Tabernacle officials are “not expecting the environmental study to cost that much ($1 million),” but if the Tabernacle governing body moves forward with acquisition of the property, an existing house on it may require a “subdivision” or “breaking the house off the property lines.” The bond ordinance, he said, also anticipates “survey work and various other things that have to be done.” “The ordinance is written in such a way that you can start working with an architect, kicking around designs,” he said. “It is written in a way that you can use these monies for costs associated with it.” Mayor Samuel “Sammy” R. Moore III read the title of the bond ordinance aloud, but the Tabernacle committee only discussed the measure, scheduling its introduction for April 25.
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“Because I talked to so many kids about that,” said Lee, also a former district basketball coach and retired corrections officer. “The way she laid it out, and the way she explained it, and told them why they need to be able to do that, I thought it was a very good message.” Havers, in a press release that followed the Pemberton event, called it a “great honor” for Pemberton Township High School to “host the ambassador and congressman.” “Both our students and staff members were privileged to have them share their experience, wisdom and passion for public service,” he said. “It was an exceptional opportunity for our students, and one they will surely not forget.”
“As was discussed at a previous meeting, we are looking to move forward with a property and do some environmental testing to make sure we do our due diligence on the proposed lot where the new municipal building is proposed to go,” said Maryalice Brown, appointed earlier this month as the township administrator of Tabernacle through a shared services agreement with neighboring Woodland Township following an adverse job action that had been taken. “We do need to allocate funds to pay for those things. I spoke to CFO Haines. He thought $1 million (is good) to start with – that would include the purchase price of the property, along with environmental testing and appraisal of the property.” After discussion of the bond ordinance, Brown asked the Tabernacle committee if it would approve authorizing Township Engineer Tom Leisse, of Pennoni Associates, to perform an “environmental assessment of 144 Carranza Road,” noting the engineer submitted a $6,600 proposal. The Tabernacle committee gave its approval in a 4-0 vote, with Tabernacle Committeewoman Kimberly Brown absent from the April 11 session. See CONSULTING/ Page 14
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Uhl, however, said at the time that the Galloway agency ultimately “agreed to cover them as a primary” and to “make sure an ambulance arrives in Bass River within a reasonable timeframe,” for now. “As far as our agreement is concerned, I am concerned about the amount of time it takes our ambulances to get up there,” said Uhl last December. “The best-case scenario – it takes 10 to 12 minutes. The worst-case scenario – it takes 20 to 25 minutes to get there.” But the deciding factor that Uhl said last year led him to agree to the temporary arrangement is that “fortunately, for Bass River,” the New Gretna Volunteer Fire Company maintains a “first responder unit” that “provides oxygen and all life-sustaining stuff” until EMTs arrive on-scene at a medical emergency. “Quite frankly, had something like that not been in place, I probably would not have agreed to something like this,” declared Uhl last year. But Uhl, in previously maintaining to this newspaper that the temporary arrangement “can’t sustain itself” and “has got to be temporary,” pointed out, as Bourguignon did at the time, that “we cut down on non-essential mutual aid to neighboring communities in Atlantic County.” Uhl did not return this newspaper’s messages seeking comment on the latest arrangement as of press time. However, Buzby-Cope, upon emerging from an April 4 Bass River Board of Commissioners’ executive session in which EMS services for the municipality was reportedly discussed, revealed Bass River had “had meetings” with the Galloway Township Ambulance Squad since last December
AD HOTLINE: (609) 801-2392 or SALES@ PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM (when Galloway was officially OK’d by the commissioners to provide ambulance service to Bass River on a temporary basis) and declared the agency was “doing a fabulous job here in our town, getting our folks to the hospital.” “They have been covering us since November and we wanted to see where we were with that relationship, and, so therefore, we would like to move forward with them, but they would need to go to their Board of Trustees and discuss finances with that,” Buzby-Cope added. Uhl, who attended the April 4 Bass River Board of Commissioners meeting, as well as took questions from the public during the session, revealed providing emergency medical services to Bass River on a more permanent basis was “something we have been talking about now for a while.” follow us on “If we take on the responsibility of Bass facebook.com/MedfordUMC River, we will go ahead and work with the towns (that Galloway currently provides primary or backup services to and vice versa),” Uhl said. “We will make sure we make plans with the people we utilize for our backup service. Obviously, that would include the volunteer service out of Washington Township.” This newspaper previously reported that the Green Bank Volunteer Ambulance Squad, which provides EMS service to neighboring Washington Township, was one of the area entities that has been impacted by a national trend of declining volunteerism, down to a handful of members, with Barbara Cavileer, it’s chief, indicating earlier this year that with Galloway no longer responding with the same “efficiency” as a backup provider, it was adding additional strain on the Green Bank organization. Uhl, on April 4, said that he had met with the Atlantic County EMS Chief’s Association, and, in doing so, advised them See AMBULANCE/ Page 13
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Saturday, April 23, 2022
Local
BUSINESS & SERVICE DIRECTORY
PEST CONTROL
♦ Page 13
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of the plan. “We will be including Bass River in the strike plan of ambulance plan,” declared Uhl, when asked what Galloway’s plan is in the event of a mass casualty incident. The “next closest” reliable ambulance ser vice provider to Bass River, Uh l contended, is Stafford Township Emergency Medical Services, with the Galloway chief maintaining that Great Bay Regional EMS, based in Little Egg Harbor Township, which
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(Continued from Page 11)
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provides emergency medical transport services to nearby Eagleswood and Little Egg Harbor townships in Ocean County (the latter bordering Bass River), “answering only about 15 percent of their calls right now.” “We’ve been very transparent with the mayor (Buzby-Cope) from the start – we want to make sure everybody is aware that if you guys find something in your local area that is a better deal, a closer deal, and a regional deal, we are certainly going to back off and allow the town to do what is right for them because of where we are coming from,” Uhl said. “But the reality is, and I think the thing everybody has to understand is, to have an ambulance sitting
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further pointing out that “FirstNet is the only nationwide, high-speed broadband communications platform dedicated to and purpose-built for America’s first responders and the extended public safety community.” FirstNet, the email added, “is built with AT&T in partnership with The First Responder Network Authority, an independent authority within the U.S. Government.” Kimberly, however, did leave an opening by saying, “Let me know if you have any questions,” to which this newspaper
responded with a question about what “new information” his organization had that might cause the Pinelands Commission to reverse itself. His response was, “We’d appreciate it if you would include the statement we sent.” When asked via email by the Pine Barrens Tribune whether he could provide any new input, Lieberman, who has not previously been at a loss for words on the issue, replied, that at this time, he “unfortunately” had “nothing to add to this.” But he did suggest this newspaper speak with his client (Windisch), “as he might have something for you.” Windisch, however, had failed to respond to a couple of emails sent to him by this newspaper’s deadline on April 20.
in the town 24 hours of the day, 7 days a week, it is not cost-effective. It is not something the town is going to be able to afford.” Uhl added that a common misconception is that an ambulance service provider can “just bill a patient” for services rendered and “that is how you are going to pay your people.” “Unfortunately, that is not the way it works with medical billing,” the Galloway chief declared. Despite some social media postings reportedly to the contrary, according to Buzby-Cope, “we feel that they are answering the calls as quickly as the other squads we have had here in town, adding that the
Galloway Township Ambulance Squad has “fabulous people working for them” and “all their equipment is in wonderful shape.” Bourguignon further contended that the decision to continue with Galloway was based on the New Gretna fire chief, who “recommended” the arrangement be continued. “It’s been an unbelievable response time,” Bourguignon added. “I know they come a pretty good distance, but their time is better than what we had before.” Uhl, when a Bass River resident asked him on April 4 what is the “average response time” to the “center of town” responded that it was around 20 minutes.
(Continued from Page 4)
Page 14 ♦
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CONSULTING (Continued from Page 10)
Maryalice Brown then made a second request, asking the Tabernacle committee if she “could get a motion” to approve an appraisal of 144 Carranza Road, noting a $4,500 proposal had been submitted for the appraisal work. The Tabernacle committee approved the request in a 4-0 vote as well. This newspaper, in a later interview with Burns, asked the Tabernacle solicitor the circumstances behind the governing body approving the motions authorizing expenditures prior to the bond ordinance being OK’d. “In anticipation of entering into a Letter of Intent (LOI) with the property owner, the township committee has authorized certain township professionals to begin due diligence investigations related to the property, including title work, appraisal work and environmental work. Though these costs may be covered by the anticipated bond, in an effort to expedite the project, the township committee has approved the expenditure of the funds, which are immediately available in the township’s operating budget.” Leisse, during the April 11 Tabernacle committee meeting, noted that his office should have the environmental testing results completed “within 45 days.” Resident Stuart Brooks, during public comment, said that he attended a recent municipal Land Development Board meeting and that the board’s chairman, Noble McNaughton, asked about plans for the current municipal building and complex, something that Brooks pointed out he too has been asking about for several meetings now, but has yet to receive an answer. Brooks noted that when McNaughton asked the question, however, Moore, who was apparently in attendance at the Land
Saturday, April 23, 2022
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Development Board meeting, had replied, the “‘committee is discussing all the options.’” “So, what options have you been discussing and where have you been discussing them?” Brooks asked. Following that question, Brooks began to make comments critical of a recent policy to limit public comments to two minutes, also pointing out that the members of the public making comments recently have been getting “no response.” He was, however, unable to finish his statement as Moore abruptly cut him off after the resident apparently reached the two-minute mark. “Thank-you for your comments, Mr. Brooks,” Moore declared. Brooks wife, Fran, then was asked by Moore if she had public comments to make for the April 11 session. Fran Brooks, in making public comments, pointed out that “closed session resolutions have to provide enough information so the public knows what is going to be discussed.” She called one about the recent shared services agreement and personnel matters “insufficient,” as “it didn’t indicate what personnel matters you planned to discuss,” in addition to not detailing that the shared services agreement would be about “administrative services.” “Tonight’s closed session resolution is also deficient,” Fran Brooks declared. “All you do is talk about litigation you are going to discuss. If you are going to do that, you are supposed to be specific about that litigation. If you are discussing the case I filed last week alleging violations of your closed session ordinances, then your resolution should indicate that, as well as anything else from a legal perspective that you plan to discuss.” Fran Brooks contended that not only does “case law and consent orders in numerous New Jersey municipalities” support her position, but also “your prior counsel’s advice.” “Thank-you for your comments, Mrs.
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Contact with resume to jobs@pointintegrity.com or call 609-859-4323. Brooks,” Moore declared. Burns later announced during the April 11 Tabernacle governing body meeting that the Tabernacle committee had “two litigation matters to discuss,” and gave the docket numbers for them. While it was not revealed to this newspaper when the announcement about the shared services agreement was made, a new posting on the Woodland Township website notes that Brown works Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., “two days per week, mornings in Woodland; two days per week, mornings in Tabernacle.” But residents are asked to “call ahead” if they need to see the township administrator. Brown, in her first, full-official meeting as Tabernacle administrator, said that after “reviewing some of the agendas and the way they were laid out” with Tabernacle Clerk Everett Falt, “I just want to tweak things a little bit, change the order a little bit and break it down a little bit further.” A resolution was then presented by Brown to the Tabernacle committee, “adopting Roberts Rules of Order establishing order of business for the Township of Tabernacle.” It ultimately passed, 4-0. Tabernacle committee meetings have been held virtually since the beginning of the pandemic some two years ago, with officials last year saying that a return to inperson sessions has been delayed because of the committee chamber in the current town hall deemed no longer capable of holding the expected load of people, as well as the building itself being ruled unsafe for occupancy until repairs to it are made, in addition to a new emergency services building down the street previously used as an alternate location for such sessions considered to have inadequate parking, resulting in safety issues that can only be addressed through cost-prohibitive measures such as adding sidewalks and streetlighting to New Road.
The virtual sessions have rarely contained any visual of the Tabernacle officials. Stuart Brooks, in attending the Land Development Board meeting, pointed out he “literally saw” the mayor because that session was “livestreamed with both audio and video,” which he said made for a “much more informative format.” “Why are you restricting residents to ‘audio-only’ (for township committee meetings), when Tabernacle obviously has technology to provide audio and video?” he asked. “What are your plans to hold live meetings?” Stuart Brooks, whose question went unanswered, noted that McNaughton had declared during the Land Development Board meeting that it was “‘time to get back to in-person meetings,’” with the former inquiring why the $4 million emergency services building is unable to accommodate such meetings. Appearing to somewhat indirectly answer an earlier inquiry of Brooks, Tabernacle Committeeman Robert Sunbury said that “one thing he would like the committee to think about in a sense, later down the line,” is perhaps transforming the current town hall into “storage” and “winterizing it,” but using the grounds as “basically a park for residents.” “Maybe we can add restroom facilities so people could come bring their bicycles – where they can use it as a base of operations, park their cars, ride bikes and support our businesses,” he said, noting that a Public Works yard there could possibly be modified in some capacity as well. He added that maybe future modifications could allow the area to be used for “community events,” pointing out that the existing Tabernacle complex lot has been used for “our Memorial Day parades, veteran memorials and Christmas tree lighting ceremonies.”
Saturday, April 23, 2022
SETTLEMENT
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(Continued from Page 6)
“expended north of $8,500 on the case just from the time of the receipt of the complaint to the settlement agreement.” “We also had a JIF-assigned attorney because there were damages counts,” the borough solicitor added. “So, there was a second attorney under our JIF policy who was essentially charging a fee to Medford Lakes. Obviously, the plaintiffs also had attorney’s fees on their side.” Heinold said he was asked by a borough councilman about what if “others may step forward in town,” who may currently be seemingly unaware of the Short-Term Rental Ordinance, listing Airbnbs for rent, and, in replying, the borough solicitor said the settlement agreement “applies only to who it applies to” and that “we have a valid ordinance on the books.” “We can enforce our ordinance,” the borough solicitor maintained. “There is nothing in the ordinance that we can’t enforce beyond those three properties. But I think it is incumbent upon us to educate the public on it, and when we are informed of situations where short-term rentals are occurring, it will be incumbent on us to enforce. I think work has to be done to make sure the public is aware of this (ordinance).” Heinold noted that “one other person” has come forward to the borough “who rents out their house,” and while he didn’t provide many more details about the arrangement, he contended “their circumstances are different than this circumstance.” The borough, he added, is also aware of a “situation” in which an “elderly parent moved out of a house and someone from a younger generation took it over” who is now “living out of state.” That person, thus far, he said, has been “not responsive.” As for the three borough residents who fall under the settlement, Heinold pointed out that they are subject to “obligations,” including “inspections and an annual registration fee.” “The agreement is very clear that at the very end of the three years they have to come into compliance with our ordinance, whether they choose to sell, go to long-term rentals, or someone else occupies the properties. ‘Short-term’ goes away. With the effective date of the conference March 16, in March 16, 2025, we will have full compliance.” But numerous borough residents have been calling on borough council, since December, to rescind the ordinance, with the measure being raised in some capacity at just about every governing body since its enactment. Resident Robert Catanea, during the Feb. 9 borough council meeting, noted that he and his wife have rented out a home on Chippewa Trail in Medford Lakes “for the last few years” and that while “we elected not
to join the class-action suit,” the ordinance is based on issues of overcrowding, public urination, public health, illegal parking, and noise complaints, “none of which applies to our property or rental.” There also, he maintained, have not been any complaints filed with the Medford Lakes Police Department regarding his rental or property. “I feel you are doing this community a disservice,” Catanea declared. “… Our average guest is between age 40 and 80. And many have family living in Medford Lakes. The nearest other accommodation options are at least 10 to 15 minutes away.” Jolynn Howell, a resident whose letter to borough council about the matter was read aloud during a Dec. 28 borough council meeting, maintained the governing body has “left those of us with distant families nowhere for them to stay nearby when visiting” the borough, while another resident who wrote to council, Cindy Yingling, pointed out that the “nearest motels are a 20 minutes’ drive from the borough.” “Most homes in Medford Lakes do not have extra space for overflow visitors,” Yingling added. “Why not put regulations in place to monitor them? Maybe have a minimum rating requirement or require registration. There are many options. It just seems unfair.” Catanea, who noted that he and his wife have required of guests a minimum twoweek stay, in addition to capping the number of guests to two to provide for control, as well also require their identification, pointed out that among “the type of guests we normally get” interested in renting shortterm was an individual who wanted to see their “first grandchild” in Medford Lakes, while another wanted to visit their father in the borough “dying of cancer.” “A nd we se e noth i ng but positive statements about the beauty of Medford Lakes, so much so, some who stayed went to find a home based on the reviews,” Catanea contended. Yingling pointed out that “my father, in the early 1940s, came to Medford Lakes for two weeks in the summer, renting a shortterm rental.” “That is how Medford Lakes began,” she declared. Howell, a lifelong borough resident, in expressing her “disappointment” with borough council’s decision, noted it is that “nostalgic nature of this town” that both she and her neighbors “are extremely proud of.” “And I love the idea to be able to share it with close friends and family through a rental property,” Howell declared. Howell noted that “while I do agree with regulations, I feel an overall ban has direct, negative impact on our residents.” Renter Jay Bertsch, during the same council meeting in which Howell and Yingling’s letters were read aloud, along with those from many others, maintained that “rental properties are important to Medford
Lakes” with some five percent of homes in the borough rented, and declared, “This is easy to regulate rather than eliminate.” “Short-term rentals are far preferred from our standpoint,” said Bertsch, whose wife is an area realtor. “You have better control and a better way to get people (causing trouble) out of there quickly. People are paying good money (to be) here to enjoy. Things are profoundly better with short-term rentals than long term rentals and are a positive to the local community and economy.” Many of the borough’s visitors who rent short-term, he maintained, often visit the local businesses, including Sand Stand (an ice cream parlor in the borough) and Lakes Coffee (a coffee shop in the borough), and therefore, “pour money into the community.” Eric Voss, one of the other residents who wrote to borough council, provided an account that supported the point Bertsch had made, with the former describing that a property across the street from him has been a rental unit, one that was a long-term rental ultimately turned into an Airbnb. Two of the three long-term tenants were not a problem, he described, but “the third was” with “high school-aged kids playing music in their car daily and using profanity,” with the parents of the children “not much better.” “This went on for a year or more, and there was not much the owners could do, since they were tied up in a lease, and we all know how difficult it is to move out tenants,” Voss wrote. “But for the past four years or so since the home has been an Airbnb, I have to say in all this time I have interacted with many short-term renters … and all of them have been very considerate. Many are former residents or friends of local families. “After being on both sides of the coin, I feel short-term rentals are less impactful than long-term. I’d much rather deal with something for a few days than for a year or more.” Christine Fretz, yet another resident who wrote in to protest the decision, noted that there are “shabby homes out there” on her trail, but the “short-term rentals are two of the nicest on the trail.” Bertsch pointed out that Airbnb hosts and other short-term renters are already subject to “significant self-regulation” because “everyone who owns one (a shortterm rental) has to get reviewed.” “If you get negative reviews, you not going to be able to rent,” he maintained. “We want to make sure we get good reviews, if we don’t, people won’t come to rent. You have to ensure they are comfortable and safe. You have to do all those things in order to get reviews.” Bertsch, who contended he was the “longest running operator” of a short-term rental in town after renting for the past five years, noted that he has had “150 reviews over that five year period” and “every single one is five-star.” “We have not had one negative experience,”
LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES
♦ Page 15
he added. “Of seven (long-term tenants), two of the seven had significant issues … So, zero out of 150. Two of seven. The math is simple. … Rescind this ordinance.” Others expressed they believed existing short-term rentals should be “grandfathered” at the “very least,” particularly those owned by those who live in the borough, including resident Jim Fretz when the protests first began in December, who described at the time that he has lived 10 houses down from a cabin rented and has had “zero problems.” “I think being able to have some shortterm rentals kind of adds to charm and allows people from outside of the community to experience our community for a short period of time,” he added. Borough residents Jacquie and Ed Verish, whose letter to council was read aloud on March 9, just a little more than a month before the borough’s decision to settle, maintained, “We are not sure the extent of the issues that have been documented regarding bad behavior from the tenants of these properties.” “A more detailed report about this would serve all,” the couple said. “We could then see the context of the concern regarding behavior and damage to property value for homeowners as a result.” Specific details regarding the recent complaints have not been released at council meetings. Heinold, however, on March 23, noted that the long-term goal of the ordinance “limits the dangers we were concerned about.” Additionally, the borough solicitor acknowledged, “these property owners (that were the subject of the settlement) have not been the genesis of the complaints or what I would call quasicriminal activity in terms of zoning, code enforcement and those sorts of things.” “Everybody left the courthouse a little bit unhappy and that is the way settlements work,” Heinold added. Council man William Fields called the settlement a “fair agreement” that “accomplishes the ultimate goal, but at same time helps the people involved as well.” “I appreciate the work Doug (Heinold) has done on this; I appreciate the work our administration has done on this; and I appreciate our residents for the way they handled themselves,” said Dr. Gary Miller, another borough councilman. “We can have disagreements and approach them in responsible and civil ways. And that is what has happened here. “And we reached a compromise. And anybody who has been in an interpersonal relationship understands what ‘compromise’ is – it is necessary. So, you don’t always get what you totally want, but you get something, and it is for the greater good. I appreciate all the work that has gone into this with everybody.”
Page 16 ♦
LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES
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Saturday, April 23, 2022
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