Local News

Second District Rep. Van Drew Condemns Vaccine Mandates as ‘Un-American’, Predicting They’ll Worsen Labor Shortages

GOP Congressman Also Opposes COVID Shots for Kids, Virus Survivors

By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer

MAYS LANDING—Second Congressional District Rep. Jefferson “Jeff” Van Drew, a Republican whose congressional district includes Bass River and Washington townships, has come out swinging against the COVID-19 vaccine mandates that the administration of Democratic President Joseph R. Biden has ordered imposed on businesses with at least 100 employees as of Jan. 4, 2022.

Van Drew, who in an emailed press release recently labeled the edict requiring such businesses to make their workers get vaccinated or wear masks and be tested weekly as “authoritarian,” “completely unacceptable” and “un-American,” and claimed that it “will only exacerbate the labor shortage we currently face,” having already resulted in “walkouts from our police officers, firefighters, and first responders” and threats of similar actions from the trucking and rail industries, expounded on his views in a Nov. 10 phone interview with the Pine Barrens Tribune.

While he himself has taken the vaccine, he said, “because I wanted to be a good example,” Van Drew contended that “people should have the right to make a determination about their own health” and called it “extreme to say someone will be fired and removed from their position because they won’t take a particular medication.”

As for the basic idea behind the mandates—that they’re intended to keep the virus from being transmitted to others in the workplace— the congressman maintained that should not really be all that much cause for concern among those who have already been vaccinated and who are thus supposed to be protected from COVID.

Van Drew, a retired dentist who switched his party affiliation two years ago after being initially elected as a Democrat, also said he is strongly opposed to the idea of administering COVID shots to young children, as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends now that a modified form of the PfizerBioNTech vaccine has been approved for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in those aged 5 to 11.

“I can only put it in a personal way: I have a 5-year-old grandchild, and I absolutely do not want him to be vaccinated,” said Van Drew, concurring with an estimated 30 percent of parents of kids in that age group who say they won’t allow them to get the shots. (The approval is also one that has generated vociferous opinions from medical professionals on both sides, with the CDC claiming on its website that “vaccinating children will help protect them from getting COVID-19 and therefore reducing their risk of severe disease, hospitalizations, or developing long-term complications,” while several physicians at a recent COVID-19 Summit conducted in Ocala, Fla. warned that the shots themselves pose more of a risk to healthy children than the virus does.)

Van Drew further contended in the interview with this newspaper that trying to force vaccinations on the many See VACCINE/ Page 7

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

PEMBERTON BOROUGH—A new, part-time tax assessor has been chosen for Pemberton Borough, replacing one who retired on Oct. 31 after working for the municipality since 2009.

But the new hire’s appointment was not one that was unanimous, nor did that individual get the warm reception that he might have otherwise expected, the result of a growing political rift on Pemberton Borough Council. In fact, the appointment of a replacement for the outgoing tax assessor seemed to only deepen the rift.

Some of the old guard on the municipal governing body, including Mayor Harold Griffin and Councilman Robert Brock, have been at odds with Council President Bonnie Haines over the last several months about the legalization of cannabis businesses, a return to in-person meetings, paused by the Coronavirus pandemic, and funding for the Pemberton Borough Police Department.

Haines, who would like to see council allow at least some form of cannabis businesses in the borough and hold at least hybrid meetings (in-person with the option of remote attendance), if not just resume having in-person meetings, as well as wanted to see the borough police department get new police cars rather than new SUVs with the purchases spread out over time rather than all at once, hasn’t gotten her way, being outvoted every time, as previously reported by this newspaper.

The latest skirmish involving Haines came when “Resolution 2021-77” for the appointment of a new, part-time tax assessor, apparently already containing the name of Martin G. Blaskey, III was presented to council.

“I presented a resume from another individual,” said Haines in observing Blaskey’s name on the resolution. “Is that (person) not even going to be considered?”

Griffin replied that “it was considered.”

“My nomination is the person who the present tax assessor (Doug Kolton) recommended,” Griffin added.

The mayor then emphasized he “shared all three” resumes that had been received for the open position, with Borough Administrator Donna Mull adding that the resume Haines provided was “shared with all of council.”

Haines replied that she “saw and appreciated that.”

“So, Mr. McMahon (appearing to refer to Glenn McMahon, tax assessor of Bordentown City) isn’t even up for consideration – is that what you are saying?” asked the council president in a somewhat pointed fashion.

Griffin, who seemed to quickly become irritated with Haines, quipped in reply, “Did you read the resolution?”, causing the council president to reply that she did.

“I am asking a question!” Haines maintained. “Is he not even up for consideration?”

After Griffin reiterated his claim that he selected the person who was recommended by Kolton, Haines maintained that Blaskey “never worked in Burlington County.” Griffin then maintained that Blaskey actually did work in Burlington County.

“Not according to his resume!” quipped Haines, pointing out that it only listed his prior experience as a tax assessor in both Westmont and Millville (towns outside of Burlington County).

The two elected officials continued to quarrel for a few minutes over whether Blaskey had indeed worked previously in See TAX/ Page 14

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