Monday, August 6, 2012
Beleaguered Moorestown Patch columnist Marsia Mason continues to exercise her First Amendment rights.
One of my all-time favorite writers is the late Mike Royko, a newspaper columnist born and raised in Chicago who was well known for taking on Mayor Richard Daley (the first), Big Boss of The Windy City. He also famously tangled with Frank Sinatra when Ol’ Blues Eyes made a Chi’town appearance, guarded by a huge contingent of Chicago policemen. Sinatra publicly called Royko a “pimp” when Mike had the audacity to question why a celebrity with an already huge entourage needed the extra muscle of a platoon of cops. Mike was frequently criticized for “telling it like it is,” or at least HIS opinion of whatever political maelstrom he was covering. And although I can only dream of being the writer he was, my last column ruffled many feathers, …
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Moorestown council members continue the debate over using Open Space Trust Fund money for field improvements after a last-minute lawsuit threat stymies a resolution.
Township council had hoped to resolve the longstanding matter of funding the fields projects Monday night, but was thwarted at the 11th hour by the threat of a lawsuit. Mayor John Button opened the meeting explaining council had received a letter only an hour or so before threatening an “immediate injunction” against the township if it passed a resolution authorizing the use of the Open Space, Recreation, Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund to pay for field improvements at Wesley Bishop North. Township attorney Thomas Coleman said the letter was addressed to the township by the Baron & Brennan law firm out of Voorhees, who are representing an “association of Moorestown residents,” none of whom are named in the letter. “I take the…
Monday, May 21, 2012
Yet another special meeting about using Open Space funds for recreation is on the docket tonight. Will we see a resolution to this never-ending debate?
For those of you eagerly awaiting Part Two of the library saga, you will have to be patient a little longer. The research takes time and, well, we at the library occasionally put down our cocktails and do something called “work.” Apparently we haven’t been doing enough of the right kind of work, like sweeping, changing light bulbs and general building maintenance, as all the other township employees apparently do in their workplaces. Rumor has it township manager Scott Carew is quite adept with the vacuum cleaner. At the last town council meeting (which I missed) it was announced yet another special public meeting would be held to decide whether Open Space funds should be used to pay for field improvements. Someone please cue Dionne …
Midge Ingersoll, a longtime resident and former president of the Historical Society, urges council to preserve the trust fund solely for open space.
To the Editor: After reading the article that Moorestown's current council is considering using the Open Space, Recreation, Farmland Preservation, and Historical Preservation Trust Fund to develop recreational facilities, my heart sank. As a person who spent 12 years combined on the Recreational Advisory Committee and the Open Space Advisory Committee, I feel that this decision is not the best for Moorestown's citizens. In this real estate market, opportunities to acquire or place easements on larger properties is still a possibility and those funds should be available if needed to preserve open space and restrict further residential development. Council might argue there is a recreational component in the open space legislation that …
Monday, April 16, 2012
Discussion on athletic area enhancements will be on the agenda at the early meeting. Also, municipal complex, property revaluations and capital projects are some business topics on the regularly scheduled council meeting tonight.
Township council is holding a special meeting at 6 p.m. tonight in the auditorium of Wiliam Allen Middle School. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss in further detail the funding and progression of the town's field improvements. The regularly scheduled town council meeting will convene at 7:30 p.m. in the Middle School following the special session. There are a few items of interest on the agenda. To view both agendas, visit the township website.
Monday, April 2, 2012
“I think we can put a strong ticket out there. It’d be interesting for the town.”
With the Democrats and Republicans having set their respective tickets, Mayor John Button is “strongly considering” running as an independent for township council this fall. The 4 p.m. petition filing deadline came and went Monday afternoon with no surprises. The Dems filed for their already announced slate, as did the Republicans. After finding out he’d been passed over by the Moorestown Republican Municipal Committee (MRMC), Button initially weighed either challenging the official Republican ticket in the primary, or running as an independent in the fall. Monday afternoon, the mayor said he did not file a petition and hadn’t yet made up his mind on an independent run, but was giving it very serious thought. “I’m getting a lot of …
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Resident Edward Nice tries to clear up what he calls the "confusion" surrounding the open space debate.
To the editor: It is clear to me most people are confused by the open space fund. Before I did any research, I admit I was a little too, so I did some research. The first thing that bothered me was the references to it being the open space fund. It is not the open space fund, it is the Open Space, Recreation, Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund. The fund is established pursuant to NJSA 40:12-15.1 and, as the name states, it allows our tax dollars to be used for all permitted uses. Each use is clearing defined in the law. http://www.state.nj.us/dca/lgs/lfns/98lfns/98htms/mc98-2.htm Despite that fact, some continue to claim it is not what they “intended” or what they were “led to believe" when they voted for the Open Space, …
Friday, March 30, 2012
A special meeting on open space, more progress on getting Moorestown liquor-ready, and council plans to ban dumpsters from township streets.
For those who couldn’t make it to Monday night’s township council meeting, there were a few items on the agenda that didn’t make it into a full story, but were nonetheless noteworthy. Here a few leftover tidbits from the meeting: Council will hold its next meeting at 7:30 p.m. April 16 at William Allen Middle School.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
The open space debate should be settled after the fall election—and with input from the community, writes Jeff Tait.
Several years ago, Moorestown voters passed a referendum approving a tax assessment for open space acquisitions in the township. There have been several worthwhile acquisitions since then, and the open space fund continues to grow. However, recently there has been an effort by the governing body to consider using these open space funds for improvement of township sports fields, not located at the schools, but rather for fields used by intramural and sports clubs. These open space funds are proposed to be used for things like artificial turf, bleachers, rest rooms, and other structures. These uses are clearly not what voters approved when voting for the open space assessment referendum. Residents have been told that the state statute …
Monday, March 19, 2012
Recent town council appointments smack of revenge or, at the least, an unwillingness to bend.
Get out the liquor licenses and let’s all rejoice! ABC claims to have a “hit” show this season called Revenge. I put quotation marks around the word hit because it is ABC that's touting the show’s hit status. I’ve asked around and nobody seems to be watching it. The program is set in some steamy, wealthy place where everyone is steamily attractive as they push forward their steamy agendas. Sounds a little bit like Moorestown these days, what with the balmy weather and the town council meltdown. Obviously, this is not a television program about good neighbors, harmony or the gastric explosion known to afflict us snowbirds when in Mexico. It is also not a show about politics in Mo’town or the upcoming Republican slate for town council. …
Luci Cobb-Wirth
9:38 am on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Thank you for writing... You speak for many people who love this town dearly!!!! more ›