New Township Manager Ready for Challenges of Running Moorestown

In a way, Scott Carew and Moorestown were made for each other.

The new township manager (as of Tuesday) grew up in Maplewood Township, in Essex County, and said the similarities to his boyhood hometown drew him to Moorestown.

“It’s the size, the makeup of the downtown, the architecture,” he said. “It’s the whole community.”

Once his children reached school age last year, Carew and his wife “decided to make the move we always wanted to make.”

After the move, Carew continued on as Eastampton township manager—where until just the other day he’d worked for six and a half years—but when Moorestown began its search for a new manager following  in May 2011, Carew immediately threw his hat in the ring.

He’d applied already a few years ago, but the township went with Schultz instead. This time around, Carew as the township zeroed in its search. Township council unanimously approved Carew’s hire last week. Carew will earn $112,000 annually.

Though Eastampton, in terms of population, is only roughly a third the size of Moorestown, Carew said he’s not at all intimidated by the demands of the new job.

“I was a department head (parks and recreation) in Mount Laurel, which is twice the size (of Moorestown), and I was only 27,” he said. “I’ve been involved in big projects before, multi-million-dollar projects.”

He added, “Moorestown was always the job that I wanted.”

Carew acknowledged his new position will present unique challenges and said his number-one priority in the first couple weeks, and months, will be simply familiarizing himself with the ins and outs of how the township runs.

On the plus side, he said, revenue in Moorestown won’t be as scarce as it was in Eastampton, where the commercial ratable base was much smaller. Out of six budgets Carew crafted in Eastampton, in only one did general appropriations (expenses) not go down, he said.

And he’s already aware, as a resident, of the major issues facing the township: , , the budget.

“I look forward to hearing more from both sides on (the issues) and finding a compromise both sides can live with,” he said. “My ultimate goal is to make sure Moorestown continues to thrive as the  to live … and not be bogged down by doing things a certain way just cause that’s how they’ve been done.”