Edgewater Park Mayor Hall Speaks out of both sides of her Mouth

I received the following e-mail today from JC of Edgewater Park;

"I am a resident of Edgewater Park and I think the tax problem is out of control. I did email the Mayor a few times and all she does is pass the buck and blame someone else for Edgewater Parks growing tax problem. The first time she told me Christie Whitman was to blame now she says they are not receiving any Federal help. I belive these people need to educate themselves as to how to run a township budget. I don't know what credentials these people have but money management is something they need to learn how to do.

J."

J. did sign his name to his e-mail, but for his and his families safety, and to keep the inspectors from his door, I will not divulge it. Thank you J. for your thoughts.

The Big question of the month is;

WHO IS TELLING THE TRUTH about the Sewerage Authority 1/17/08 Eviction letter, MAYOR HALL or ADMINISTRATOR/ DOUGHERTY?

The Mayor claimed during her public statement, made at the Sewer Authorities Feb. 13 meeting, the "Business Administrator" and Township Solicitor wrote the 1/17/08 letter without clearing it with Committee or herself. Of course the letter shows ALL Members of Township Committee were copied.

Do you realy think Administrator/Clerk Dougherty would send a letter, giving notice to the EPSA, of Township Committee's intention of evicting them, and to have the EPSA out of the building by 8/30/08, without first clearing it with the Mayor and Committee?

Now I know Linda likes to order township employees and vendors around, and that she rules the office like Capt. Queeg, but I don't think she would go this far with her quest for power and control.

My vote is for the Mayor, as I have noticed when she talks, her mouth sort of divides and the words come from both sides.

You then hear the words of why; what you know to be true, is not what really happened because how could she, the nice school lunch room lady do such a thing. It is those evil people who don't agree with her, and would dare to question her motives, that are making her life so miserable. How could they do this to her, after all, she only wants to help the people and that she is new at this (4-yrs) .

Sob! sob! sob! O my, I just got all choked up, and started to feel sorry for our Mayor, but I am feeling the evil eye on me and the "did you know" "have you heard" street talk of her gosip gang.

I guess Mayor Hall fancies that she is Robbin Hood, except with a new concept; Take from the Taxpayer and Give to the Government. They (Twp Committee) need it more than you, after all, she has all kinds of special people that she needs to take care of, so those people can contribute to her campaign and give the Committee free tickets to sports events. Of course we pay when the township is billed for professional services.

Well have a good weekend, save your money for the tax increase and remember the Township Work Session, Tuesday (3/4/08) 7 PM. Of course the posted times for meetings can change and often do. Also, get your Organic Eggs from the Cooper St. Farm.

The Edgewater Park Reporter

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NJ DOT Rt 130 Pedestrian Improvement Recommendations

This information was sent to me from John Boyle of Edgewater Park. John is very active in bicycling circles. John has his own blog site the Philadelphia Bicycle News

I think you will find that it contains a lot of good and interesting information on the Philadelphia/South Jersey area other then Bicycling, and that you will find it very helpful with all things pertaining to bicycling.

The following is information John received from Sheree J. Davis, Bicycle & Pedestrian Manager, New Jersey DOT. John's e-mail started with; 

"Hi EP Reporter, Sheree Davis NJ DOT State Bicycle and Pedestrian Manager sent me this email. The DOT and the County conducted a safety audit at the intersection 130 and Woodlane and made recommendations following the death of Maria Carrion who was struck by vehicles while crossing the street Valentine's Day."

From Sheree;

"John: Just as an update to your concern about Route 130 and Levitt Parkway. Staff visited the site an have made recommendations for improvements. The recommendations are being forwarded to our Rapid Design Unit and once they are finished, the work will be done by our Region South Maintenance Crew. Recommendations include: moving the signal pole and the barrier back to make room for new crosswalk (across Rt 130), a new crosswalk on the Southeast and Southwest corners, count down pedestrian signals and signage.

Please know that our rapid design unit is very backed up, but we have the work in cue. No time frame can be given at this time.

Thanks again for your concern about this intersection and for bringing it to my attention.

Sheree J. Davis"

John is very much concerned about pedestrian and bike safety, and I am glad that he is on the case.

I just want to add that this past Sat. I was driving north on Rt. 130, and was stopped at the light at Levitt Parkway, when a car with PA tags made a U-turn as the light changed green. If a car was making a right turn from Woodlane, there would have been an accident. I think the running of lights and the illegal turns taking place on 130 are going to cause more serious accidents along this stretch  of 130. The count down pedestrian signals are a great idea and we should have them at every location that presently have the old type.

Thanks John

The Edgewater Park Reporter

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Guest Post "The Squad" by DJ

To read Page 1 click on this Link

To read page 2 click on this Link
To read Page 3 click on this Link

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Cooper Street Flashing Lights

I hear that the contract for fixing up Cooper Street and West Franklin should be awarded soon. Well, thats great, because Cooper Street has become the gateway into Edgewater Park and I can't believe it has taken four years to get started. 

Mayor Hall blamed the delay on the Feds, but I remember two years ago when she attended a function at the Coopertown Meeting House, Mayor Hall was blaming Ex Committeeman VanBrunt (Chris works for the Cnty. Engineers Office I believe) and the county. She told this story when she was asked why nothing was happening. 

By the way, the township project engineer at that time didn't know that Cooper St was a County Road, but he got paid for the engineering and for screwing up.

Now a little history; Ex-Mayor Carol Ashinoff (2003) found information on street revitalization project grants being available to towns like Edgewater Park. Carol brought this to the attention of Administrator/Clerk Linda Dougherty. Linda didn't think the town qualified, but after reading information in the application she finally agreed to move forward, but asked to have West Franklin added to the request. The grant application was submitted by the Grant Writer working for Edgewater Park at the time and the grant was approved in 2003 for $410K. 

The engineering for this was started the following year (2004) and after a year of changes and screw-ups; sometime in 2005 the final drawings were completed and presented to the public. If you have old copies of the Beverly Bee you can read the comments of Committeewoman/Mayor Hall on this project. Compare the story in the BCT several weeks ago and the articles Mayor wrote in the Bee to see how the story changed.

If you are in any way familiar with construction and material cost, you know how much they have increased between 2004 and 2008. What we could have received in improvements in 2004 was a lot more then we will receive today. The four year delay has been very costly in the amount of improvements and benefits, Edgewater Park will receive for this project.

Now what are we going to get for Cooper Street, not a lot. We will get a total of 2 new historic street lamps, new sidewalks, curbs, street signs and trees, between the Railroad and the Franklin Ave intersection. And 2 new historic street lamps, no sidewalks or curbs from Franklin to Hendrickson. Wow!!! all of that for $400K. 

But I forgot West Franklin, home of many good friends of township committee and the mayor. Remember how Linda wanted W. Franklin added? Now many of you long time residents will remember, this will be the third revitalization of W. Franklin in 20 some years. Some of you may wonder why this street gets so much attention, well the way it works in Edgewater Park, it is who you know. 

We are going to spend money on a street that has had more than enough attention these past 20 years, at the expense of our "gateway street" Cooper St. The north side of the block, between Hendrickson and E. Franklin has no sidewalks and will get none with this project.

Well, this brings me to the meaning of the title. I was driving home this past Monday night coming from Rt. 130 and I was again blinded by the flashing lights on the "COOPER ST SIGN" and I realized that maybe this will be part of the new historic lighting our Mayor speaks about. One thing I am confused about, on the sign it list "Organic Eggs for Sale" what is that all about?

The Edgewater Park Reporter 

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Burlington City and the BCT Public Relations Alliance

By now I am sure you have read the story in the Sunday edition of the BCT "Cameras could limit crime in Burl. City" by Lauri Sheibley.

The BCT story states Mayor Jim Fazzone wants the city to purchase 12 surveillance cameras to keep an eye on crime in the New Yorkshire neighborhood along with other crime ridden areas of the city. Some of the cameras would be able to detect the sound of gunshots. The city would hire new staff, to monitor the cameras and they would be able to adjust the cameras to zoom in on any illegal activity they spotted. The staff would then dispatch police to the site of the incident.

 

Mayor Fazzone would like to include the purchase of surveillance cameras in his annual 2008 budget, that has not been formally introduced to City Council by him.

 

Some members of the City Council are questioning the cost of the project and wondered if the city could get by with fewer cameras. Police Chief John Lazzarotti stated that, "This is what we thought we needed to get the job done". 

Mayor Fazzone admitted that the cameras would be expensive, and that he would seek out grant money to help cover the cost.

Mayor Fazzone said he believes the cameras would be worth the price. He stated "My question is, can we afford not to?"

Of course, the story doesn't give credit to the proper origin of the camera idea, the Police Department.

Why would Mayor Fazzone, be involved with a story about a project he doesn't have funding for? Could he be trying to give the impression to the residents, that he is doing something about Burlington's serious crime, and quality of life issues?

What you have in Burlington City, is a public relations campaign on the mayors behalf. Get enough "feel good" news stories in the BCT and the public thinks you are doing something to solve the problems, when in reality, nothing is changing except the jobs for his friends!

 

I am amazed  by the number of stories the BCT, that Lauri Sheibley has written in the past month on Mayor Fazzone. The stories; Cameras could limit crime in Burl. City 2/24/08, City razes 2 homes in New Yorkshire section 2/22/08, Burlington City to begin renovation of Lyceum Hall 2/21/08, Catered cruises may be on board in Burlington City 2/17/08, and Floating catering firm may move to Burlington City 1/27/08.

Wow, that is five big stories in the BCT written by Lauri Sheibley, about Mayor Fazzone in a one month period. I can't think of another town in the county, especially Burlington Cities size, that has gotten such press coverage. Hell the BCT reporters don't show up for meetings in Edgewater Park. They only publish stories when the E.P. Administrator and Mayor put out a press release.

Did you notice that the real substance of these BCT stories? Nothing in them is definite. The stories are full of wording like; "may move", "may be on board", "need additional loans", "demolition of six homes is a start", and "If the City Council Agrees to purchase". I call it, wishing language.

The BCT increased coverage, seems to have started with the newly elected Mayor Fazzone's term of office. Could it be that his friend John Alexander Director of Public Planning, is feeding stories to the BCT's  Lauri Sheibley?

One of John Alexander's previous careers was as a public relations writer. John also, may still be into a catering business with Edgewater Park Committeeman Tom Pullion.

I am amazed, that the BCT Editor hasn't sniffed this out, but then again, if you don't have to spend money sending a reporter to investigate the facts behind a story, but instead have them just write what they were given in a press release, you look good to the BCT owners. Maybe the BCT also likes the murders and crime stories in Burlington City, because it helps sell the paper.

Why didn't Mayor Fazzone wait until he had the projects funded, and a commitment from the businesses, before making a big news splash about wannabe projects? Why didn't he give credit to the department and city personal, who came up with the ideas'?

 

My congratulations to John Alexander, you are doing a good job for  Mayor Jim Fazzone. 

Lauri Sheibley and the BCT, you need to get out into the real neighborhoods, attend town meetings regularly, and ask tough questions of our elected officials and administrators. Quit giving them a free ride in your paper. Your circulation will continue to drop if you don't invest in good reporters and have the reporters visit our towns, and look for real news stories. I do miss the old beat reporters that you use to have, and their local interest news stories.

To my friends in Burlington City, please keep the information coming and I will post it. 

To Edgewater Park Mayor Hall, you see I don't just pick on you, I am an equal opportunity blogger, by pointing out inconstancies, and PR bull in the Burlington City Mayor's actions also.

 

The Edgewater Park Reporter

 

  

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Apology to Anonymous Feb 20 Comment Response, Ten Questions for Edgewater Park Township

I want to apologize to Anonymous (DJ), for my response to his comment posted Feb. 20 to my Jan. 21 blog post, "Ten Questions for Edgewater Park Township".

Anonymous said; 

"On questions concerning the Emergency Squad responses, you should be able to contact Burlington County Central Communications and get any information you are looking for through OPRA (the Open Public Records Act). As far as billing for service and the township contribution goes, feel free to contact the Beverly Squad at 609-386-7304 and leave a voicemail for the Chief or Deputy Chief."

My response was the subject of the Feb. 21 blog post "Comment Response to Ten Questions for Edgewater Park Township Committee"

I stated incorrectly that I thought Jim Daly or the Pony Lady sent the Anonymous Comment of Feb 20. The comment was sent by DJ. I will only use his initials here because I have not received his permission to use his full name.

In the follow-up email sent to me from DJ, he said;

 "I read your blog, and if you don't know me, I am also a tax payer in Edgewater Park and have some interest in our emergency services. Feel free to e-mail me regarding questions you may have, and I will do my best to answer in factual, non-biased way. Please understand that as a member of the emergency services, I feel that the general public does not understand much about how and what we do and I would like the opportunity to explain things before anything can become blown out of proportion.

    Sincerely,

DJ "

DJ will be sending in an guest editorial for the Blog's Wed. Guest Post, in the near future. I am looking forward to receiving and posting it.

The Edgewater Park Reporter 

  

  

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Edgewater Park Mayor Hall's Sewer Authority Eviction Letter Explanation

I just received an e-mail from someone who was at the Edgewater Park Sewer Authority Meeting last week on 2-13-08. They said that Mayor Hall spoke about the mysterious 1-17-08 Eviction Letter sent to the Authority. The Mayor claimed that the letter was not an eviction notice, but a notice about the need for more space for the Township Staff and Storage.

The Mayor stated that she talked many months ago, with a E.P. Fire Commissioner about moving them to a house on Cooper Street that the Township was negotiating to acquire. The Mayor said that the Township Committee planed to move the EPSA to the same location, if the deal went through.

One Authority Board Member stated that he didn't know what the Mayor's copy of the 1-17-08 said, but that his copy clearly stated the Authority was to be out of the Municipal Building by 8-31-08, and nowhere in his copy, did it mention the Township's idea of relocating the Authority to the "Cooper Street House".

Mayor Hall stated that the Township Committee didn't mean for the letter to be a notice of eviction. Mayor Hall publicly blamed the Business Administrator (is this a new township position ?) and Township Solicitor for the language in the 1-17-08 letter. She stated publicly, "The Township Committee was not aware of the language in the 1-17-08 letter". As you will see by going to the link below, the Mayor and Township Committee were copied on the 1-17-08 letter.

When I heard of the Mayor Hall's public comments made during the Public Portion of the EPSA 2-13-08 meeting, my reaction was, well my picture above says it all.

I find it hard to believe that the Township Administrator and the Township Committee, never reached out to the EPSA, to let them know what Township Committee's plans for the EPSA were.

According to the Mayor's 2-13-08 public statement, the Township Business Administrator (is this a new position?) and the Committee have been working on this for a long time.

Why didn't the Mayor, Township Committee and Administrator include the EPSA in the plan?

Why did the Mayor neglect to mention to the Fire Commissioner that she spoke to, that the Township planned to move the EPSA into the Cooper Street House along with the Fire Commission?

Why did the Mayor misstate the contents of the 1-17-08 letter, in a phone conversation with a resident she spoke to about it?

What is she hiding?

Again inquiring minds want to know.

See the link below for copies of the 1-17-08 letter, $12,000 check copy dated 1-9-08 that the Administrator returned to the EPSA and a copy of the Mayor's 2-5-08 letter to the ESPA.

To link for copies click on http://www.lpcnj.org/OGTF/EPSA.pdf to see the copies.

I received the information listed in this post from EPSA Board Member's statements, e-mail's from residents who were in attendance of the ESPA meeting and from the Host of the link above. I have also received an e-mail to expect copies of all letters of correspondence between the EPSA and the Township of Edgewater Park between January 14, 2008, and February 21, 2008, as a result of an OPRA request. As soon as I receive the copies, I will post them.

Now honestly, the chutzpah of the Mayor Hall, who wants us to believe that the Township Administrator/Clerk, Linda Dougherty, would send a letter of this magnitude and not make the Mayor and Township Committee aware of it, especially since the Administrator sent it in the committee's name.

I don't believe it for one minute, but if it is true, the Township Committee has a big problem with our Administrator/Clerk.

The Township Committee held a public meeting, January 16, the night before the date of the 1-17-08 letter. During that meeting, the Township Committee never spoke publicly about sending any letter to the EPSA. The Township Committee did go into Closed Session that night, and may have discussed writing a letter, but they would be required by law, to come back into open session to take action on it. They did not do this!

So when did the Township Committee publicly take action and request the Township Administrator to send the "relocation letter" as the Mayor called it, or the "eviction letter" as the EPSA member called it? Riddle me that Batman.

More to follow,

The Edgewater Park Reporter

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