Sleep In Heavenly Peace is a national non-profit which was in Mount Holly today conducting a “Bed Build”. That included lots of the parishioners of the Seventh-day Adventist Church which is located on Route 537 just north of the Mount Holly boundary. The Mount Holly Reporter showed up to help with some bed building and get the story on Sleep In Heavenly Peace’s mission.

If you are interested in this organization, check them out at the link below.

https://shpbeds.org/volunteer-2/

The ratification vote starts this coming Tuesday and goes on for a few days.

Complaint One:

I submitted a complaint alleging that Ms. Saucier accessed Fire District camera’s for a May 26th 2026 complaint to Mount Holly police about individuals which Ms. Saucier accused of placing lawn signs around town. The signs made allegations about her behavior. While Saucier was perfectly within her rights to make the complaint about harassment, it was her access to and use of Fire District records that are alleged to have crossed the ethical line.

Saucier was Chair of the Fire District during the waning days of 2025. Commission Chair is a purely elected position in the District, not an operational position. As such, Commissioners have the same status as an ordinary resident with regard to access to certain FD operational spaces, equipment and data. But during the last days of 2025, Director of Fire Services Carty was on suspension and Saucier assumed his role as operation Director. Once Jules Thiessen was voted in as Chair in January 2026, Ms. Saucier lost that Director designation which passed to Thiessen. Accordingly, her operational access to the powers of Director should have also stopped by May 2026. But the access was not shut off and as of the May 26th police complaint, Saucier still had access.

• Allegation 1: Use of Official Position for Personal Advantage

The law states at N.J.S.A. 40A:9-22.5(c) that No local government officer… shall use or attempt to use their official position to secure unwarranted privileges or advantages for their-self or others.

As to “privilege”: When I [a resident] sought access to Fire District video during 2024, I met a wall of bureaucratic obstruction. They claimed video access posed a “security” risk. The rejection from the Fire District was for video of the intersection in front of Good Intent Firehouse. The response was worded as follows: “your request for surveillance video is denied under N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 – Security measures and surveillance techniques.” Getting access to FD video is a privilege and advantage that ordinary residents do not have.

• Allegation 2: Misuse of Public Resources / Public Confidence Eroded

The law states at N.J.S.A. 40A:9-22.5(a) & (d) that

Officers must maintain “the highest standards of ethical conduct” and avoid conduct which undermines public confidence. Officers shall not act in matters in which personal involvement impairs judgment.

By accessing and disseminating Fire District security recordings for a personal dispute, Saucier used public resources to advance her personal agenda. I allege that this conduct bypassed the operational chain of command and took control of public resources which Saucier did not have authority to access. I allege that this conduct, which involved access the general public does not have, undermines trust in government.

Complaint Two:

Former commissioner Joseph Sams submitted a complaint which alleges that Ms. Saucier used her access to Fire District spaces not available to the general public to stage a photo shoot for her daughter during Prom time. The photos were later posted on Facebook.

Sams’ complaint alleges that

At all relevant times, access to the Fire District building was restricted and not open to members of the general public. On or about April 13 2024, the Fire District building was still under construction and closed to public access. During this same period, volunteer firefighters were subject to access restrictions and not provided keys to the building. Nevertheless, Ms. Saucier, her daughter and her daughter’s friends [none of whom were Fire District authorized personnel] entered the Fire District building.

Sams claims these allegations violate the same New Jersey statutory restrictions that I listed in my complaint.

The Reporter will provide updates regarding whatever action the state of New Jersey takes, or doesn’t take.

Readers may recall that The Mount Holly Reporter reached out to Virtua management and press office about the contract negotiations but received no reply. This is similar to the behavior Virtua modeled during the hospital expansion meetings.

However, the Health Professionals and Allied Employees [HPAE] nurses union reached out to reveal that Virtua has only recently begun providing offers, and while those offers are not close enough for a settlement, the progress was enough to put off the strike which was recently authorized.

The strike is now pushed off until June 23rd unless negotiation progress justifies pushing it back again.

HPEA gave its bargaining position to Virtua on day 1 of negotiations back in March.

Virtua has been well aware of that position and the contracts HPAE settled with competing hospitals like Cooper. See below for a sense of what other hospitals have been willing to accept in terms of staffing.

Editorial Content: Healthcare Secret Hides In Plain Sight

Its no secret that management at many hospitals looks for savings on labor. But did you know that a prime way of saving on labor costs at hospitals is by adjusting staffing ratios to a shifting patient census?

Each hospital will do it differently and The Reporter is not suggested how Virtua handles its staffing because they do not share much in the way of information. But nurses have sounded off on that very subject which you can read in a previous article here.

Based upon research done by The Reporter, its clear that some hospitals emulate a restaurant business model where staffing is cut in real time as a reaction to slow business. Below is a rather extreme example which I found at a web site called “all nurses.com.” I confirmed with a nurse friend who experienced a version of this type of practice at a hospital where she worked.

This is offered to reveal that the practice is apparently common at some hospitals to one extent or another. We shall see if Virtua nurses can get contract language that protects them from an “ad-hoc census” staffing model.

See AllNurses article

Nick Sodano of The Mount Holly Reporter pointed out that the voting recusal of Commissioner Jules Thiessen’s on the question of removing Carty has resulted in a tie vote between Saucier/Gaskill, who favor Carty, and Logue/Sheppard who do not favor him. This is at the heart of a 6-month administrative paralysis that has resulted in indefinite paid administrative leave for Carty. Sodano called upon Thiessen to explain his recusal.

“Mr. Carty and I have a long history together in politics. I was the bookkeeper for one of his PACs at one time. So, I believe that if I had come to this board and voted for him, there would be a huge public uproar that I showed favoritism. And that’s why I believe that if I can’t vote for him due to a a conflict-of-interest perception, then I likewise can’t vote against him. I asked Amy Guerin [the conflict attorney from Parker McKay] about all the recusals, and at that point in time, she agreed with me.” Jules Thiessen, Chair, Mount Holly Fire District

Thiessen added that he “asked the new solicitor to review this matter so maybe we can move in a different direction”.

Resident Joyce Scott called for the termination of Mr. Carty saying to Thiessen,

“Search your soul and you will know what’s right is to vote.” Resident Joyce Scott

A number of retired speakers objected to the fiscal irresponsibility to keeping Carty employed since their incomes are taking serious reductions this year due to pending tax increases. They were incensed that the Fire District had paid at least $20,000 to Director Carty while he sits at home on leave.

Despite the Board of Commissioners breaking for a 2-hour long “executive session” to discuss personnel matters and litigation, when the Board returned, it was announced that they were not taking any actions.

Other Issues Addressed At The Meeting

• Allegations against Commissioner Nicole Saucier. Resident Stone Laraway and others accused Commissioner Saucier of filing a false police report regarding political placards. The residents demanded a formal apology.

• Vendor Consolidation: The Board authorized a contract with Confires ($4,610/year) for fire alarm, sprinkler, and extinguisher inspections. This saves the Fire District $1,800 annually and replaces a fragmented vendor list (Keystone, Herring, etc.).

• Volunteer Duty Crew Program: Fire Chief Mason formalized new stipend-based duty crew requirements. Recruits must now provide 12 hours of monthly volunteer time in addition to their paid shifts. This structure is designed to extend operational hours while staying under the $9,700 per person state-mandated stipend cap. It was noted that since the new policy was put in place, the District signed up 12 new members which eclipsed the 8 out-of-town stipend firefighters who quit when they heard of the volunteer requirement.

• IT & Security Overhaul: All IT administration has been centralized under a single contractor. Key card access is being audited to eliminate “ghost” keys held by former contractors, and a new visitor log system has been implemented at the front door.

• Meeting Reschedule: The meeting originally scheduled for July 1st is canceled. The board will reconvene on July 15th to allow for the completion and approval of the municipal audit.

• American Water Dispute: The board is investigating high assessments on South Avenue and Mill Street. There is a concern that the district is being double-charged for “double hydrants” (newly installed units alongside old ones not yet removed).

• Historic Site Event: A trolley event is scheduled for June 14th (1 PM – 6 PM), featuring the firehouse as a stop. Street tours will be provided from 1 PM to 4 PM.

EMERSON NJ — After bargaining for 21 hours with Virtua last night, HPAE Local 5105 nurses have handed in a strike notice to the employer. This follows two months of bargaining, during which Virtua Health refused to agree to the most important issues of staffing, wages, and cancellation of shifts. The nearly 850 nurses intend to begin the Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike at 7 a.m. on June 16, 2026, at Virtua Memorial Hospital in Mount Holly.

“Although Virtua is a very wealthy employer having made hundreds of millions of dollars in profit alone last year, they seem not to want to invest in what is most important to patients: nurses. Virtua seems to have other plans for the money that do not include wages, safe staffing on all units, and health and safety of nurses,” said Debbie White, RN and HPAE President.

Virtua Health has expanded across Southern New Jersey, which operates five acute care hospitals and a large network of outpatient facilities. In 2025, Virtua Health made $676 million in profit, and the Virtua Memorial Hospital in Mount Holly made $164 million in profit. (2025 unaudited financial statement Q4 YTD)

Sheryl Mount, President of Local 5105 said: “We have been very clear about what is needed to settle this contract, including enforceable nurse-to-patient ratios, wages that promote recruitment and retention of staff, safety language and language that limits cancelling of shifts. Virtua seems to not want to invest in nurses.”

“HPAE did a survey of nurses a few years ago and found that nurses are leaving hospitals in large numbers. If we do not address the issues that are causing them to migrate away from our hospitals, we are exacerbating the nursing crisis,” said Debbie White, RN and President of HPAE. “We know nurses will not stand for the status quo anymore, nor should they.”

In a historic vote, 92% of Local 5105 Nurses voted in favor of the strike if we could not reach an agreement.

“No nurse wants to strike. We prefer to be at the bedside caring for patients,” White continued, “but nurses are burned out and stressed, and they’re leaving bedside nursing. Current conditions in the hospital are simply unacceptable. When nurses fight for better work environments, patients get better care. What benefits nurses, benefits patients.”

“The time for excuses is over,” Mount said. “Virtua has plenty of nurses to meet the staffing ratios that we proposed and plenty of money for fair wages. The time is now and Virtua needs to get it done.”

HPAE has bargained enforceable safe staffing ratios in 13 other contracts over the past two years, including Cooper University Health Care and all of Inspira Health’s hospitals. Click here to review a list of current HPAE contracts’ staffing ratios. For more information on the decades of studies that have been conducted to show that Safe Staffing Saves Lives, please click here to learn more.

www.hpae.org • www.facebook.com/hpae.aft • @hpaeaft • @hpae_aft

# # #

HPAE is the largest union of registered nurses and healthcare professionals in New Jersey representing more than 15,000 nurses, social workers, therapists, technicians, medical researchers, and other healthcare professionals in hospitals, nursing homes, home care agencies, blood banks, and university research facilities. HPAE is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO.

See also our previous article for Additional detail

EMERSON NJ — After bargaining for 21 hours with Virtua last night, HPAE Local 5105 nurses have handed in a strike notice to the employer. This follows two months of bargaining, during which Virtua Health refused to agree to the most important issues of staffing, wages, and cancellation of shifts. The nearly 850 nurses intend to begin the Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike at 7 a.m. on June 16, 2026, at Virtua Memorial Hospital in Mount Holly.

Forty-one-year nursing veteran Sheryl Mount drove her car in motorized picket around Virtua Hospital in Mount Holly on Thursday May 27, 2026 as she explained a negotiation deadlock to The Reporter. “Virtua is greedy”, said Mount. “They cut staffing to a bare minimum”.

Mount continued that in the past “We weren’t allowed to tell patients how many other patients we had, because they [management] didn’t want patients to know. Now nurses have had enough, so they’re speaking out. We want the community to know what is going on inside their hospital.” Mount said nurses have done the “caravan” demonstration before, but “its never been this successful before. People have had enough.”

Currently, nurses are routinely assigned six, seven, or eight patients, which compromises clinical safety and patient care. For safety, nurses should not have more than 4 patients on medical-surgical floors.

Mount is President of Health Professionals and Allied Employees union (HPAE), Local 5105. She said the health car caravan demonstration is designed to inform the community and mobilize support for safe patient-to-nurse ratios. She pointed out that the HPAE has negotiated 13 contracts with safe staffing standards including “sister local” at Cooper University hospital. Virtua negotiations began on March 30 and Friday’s final session will mark the 10th formal meeting. Mount stated that HPAE held a strike authorization vote and of the 800 members who voted, 726 voted yes to authorize a strike.

Virtua has claimed they have made generous wage offerings, but the union characterized the offer as uncompetitive compared to regional peers such as Cooper University Health Care.

Readers will recall, that in a previous article, the Mount Holly Reporter observed that despite its status as a non-profit, Virtua is so profitable that it was able to self-fund its major construction projects [like the one in Mount Holly] without borrowing. Virtua compensates its CEO at $3.5 million annually.

Mount noted that there is no structural shortage of licensed nurses. Rather, there is a shortage of professionals willing to work under unsustainable bedside conditions. Thursday’s demonstration indicates the depth of commitment by the HPAE rank and file. Mount said, “We sent a message today”.

The Reporter reached out to various Virtua Administrators including Shannon Stillwell, Julie Herb, Tom Gordon and CEO Pullin. None responded as of the publishing date of this article.

If you wish to help support the nurses in their struggle to get a new contract, HPAE has public petition that Local 5105 is compiling to present to management.

The petition link is here.

https://newjerseyglobe.com/local/police-respond-incident-at-laplaca-home-charge-husband-with-strangulation/

This editorial focuses on a related question:

In light of legal advice to fire Carty and the most recent police charges, what would it take to convince Fire District Chair Jules Thiessen to vote for termination of Jason Carty as Director of Fire Services?

Recap of Carty’s Fire District Personnel Investigation and Subsequent Vote to Terminate:

As previously reported, Mr. Carty was the subject of a personnel investigation by the law firm Parker McKay after allegations of misconduct arose. As the investigation began during November 2025, Carty was placed on paid administrative leave. By March 2026, Parker McKay finished its review and recommended to the Fire Commissioners that Carty be terminated. But three of the five Commissioners, including Thiessen, did not vote on that matter because they were either advised by the attorney that they had a conflict, or they chose for undisclosed reasons to refrain from the vote. This left 2 commissioners to vote which resulted in a 1-1 tie. Commissioner Saucier voted to retain and Commissioner Logue voted to fire Carty.

This left Mr. Carty in a status of paid administrative leave. Carty has taken to social media where he claimed his employee rights were violated, despite being on paid leave. The Reporter notes that he has been paid approximately $20,000 while on leave.

Failed Attempt to Reinstate Carty:

In early May 2026, Fire Commissioner Nicole Saucier made a public statement that advice by the personnel attorney is not binding. She then introduced a resolution to reinstate Director Carty and it appeared that Commissioner Gaskill would vote despite her previous recusal. Commissioner Sheppard then stated that if Gaskill voted to reinstate despite attorney’s advice, Sheppard would also ignore the same advice and vote. But the vote on reinstatement did not occur because Thiessen, Logue and Sheppard voted to table Saucier’s resolution. Saucier and Gaskill voted against tabling.

What is Now Keeping Thiessen From Voting To Remove Carty?

Thiessen’s vote to scuttle Saucier’s resolution may indicate a reluctance on his part to bring Carty back. The Reporter inquired twice with Thiessen to explain why he recused, but as of the publication of this story, Mr. Thiessen has not replied.

The Reporter does not know why the personnel attorney advised certain members to recuse from voting on Mr. Carty’s termination vote or if Thiessen was advised by them at all.

Here are facts about Thiessen and Carty’s relationship which might be at play.

1. Mr. Carty ran Thiessen’s Fire Commissioner campaign via direct mail, social media and yard signs paid for by the “Burlington County Labor Voice”

2. Mr. Thiessen and Mr. Carty are both board members of the “Mount Holly United” charity.

3. Carty and Thiessen have a long political association in Mount Holly.

SUMMARY: Our county engineer’s office conducted a Mount Holly traffic study that carefully measured speed and vehicle type. They methodically compared these measurements to federal standards and generated conclusions that they claim are faithful to federal criteria. The conclusions are also wildly out of step with what Mount Holly residents want based on door to door canvassing of residents who want to see the number of heavy trucks reduced along with the reduced speed limits.

SPEEDING STUDY

The recently released county engineer’s evaluation of traffic on Garden Street classifies it as an “urban minor arterial” road. See Traffic Study

The study found that that nearly 2 of 10 vehicles were traveling 7 MPH or more than the posted 30 MPH speed limit. That is, 15% of vehicles measured had speeds HIGHER than the “85th percentile”. But since 8 of 10 vehicles measured had exceeded the limit only “slightly” [traveling up to 36 MPH], therefore “the posted speed limit of 30 mph is appropriate for the current roadway conditions and driver behavior.”

While they apparently measured speeds right, this conclusion could not be more disagreeable to most residents, despite its apparent faithfulness to federal guidance.

To be fair, the report also noted that at the 50th percentile, vehicles traveled at 31 MPH or less. As a layman reading the report, its the 50% percentile that I would have classified as “slightly exceeding”, not the 85th percentile that are doing 36 MPH.

The engineer almost made my point for me by stating in an email that “approximately 17% of vehicles were traveling between 35 and 40 mph.” And this does not even acknowledge the 5% or so going faster than 40 mph. How is that an acceptable outcome on a residential street that has parked cars opening doors, bicycles entering traffic, pedestrian children crossing and multiple driveways?

The measurements square with my experience living on Garden Street, where something like every 5th or 6th vehicle seems to be going way too fast. Some are clearly in excess of 40 MPH.

INCONSISTENT SPEED LIMITS

While the engineer’s speed limit conclusion for Garden Street relied on recent measurements and federal standards, the decision is inconsistent with speed limits throughout the rest of the town. If you look at other similar “minor arterial” streets in town, the speed limits are 25 MPH. See the map: High, Mill, Pine and Madison.

It should be noted that the mapped green section of Garden Street is owned by the Township of Mount Holly. And county engineer William Sheaffer stated:

“The Township may pursue its own traffic studies or roadway measures on the municipal portion of Garden Street, including consideration of speed limit changes or weight restrictions, subject to applicable regulatory requirements.”

The Mount Holly Police Department commented on the speeding issue as follows:

“15% of vehicles traveling 7+ mph over the limit is not something we would casually dismiss. In fact, that’s a meaningful number when you’re talking about safety, especially on a roadway like Garden Street where we’ve already had complaints and incidents.” Chief Spencer

The Reporter calls on our elected leaders to reduce the speed limit on Garden Street to 25 mph from Mount Holly Avenue to High Street.

TOO BIG TO STOP

The county study also looked at traffic volume and type. Vehicle type was determined by length because they were not going to weigh each vehicle. The study surveyed 4,209 vehicles and classified them into 3 groups:

1. Motorcycles/Passenger Cars 86.6%

2. Single Units/Buses 11% [less than 40 feet length]

3. Tractor Trailers 0.4% [168 total vehicles]

The only vehicles counted at “Heavy” by the county study were the Tractor Trailers. This is a category error in my opinion.

The county used the proxy of length to determine weight. While its understandable given the limitations of the study, they apply a catch-all category of “Single-Unit” for any vehicle less than 40 feet long. This causes a serious category error and undermines the county’s decisions about weight. The “Single-Unit” category puts F-250 pickups and dump trucks in the same weight class. A person doesn’t need to have an engineering degree to know this is wrong.

With due respect to the County Engineer’s office, pickup trucks and dump trucks should not be together in the same weight category. A fully loaded large pickup might weigh almost 6 tons. A dump truck can weigh 13 tons and should have been classified as heavy. The conclusion that there is “minimal heavy truck activity” should be changed because it was based only on tractor trailer traffic.

The petition campaign to convince Eastampton and Westampton to support Mount Holly’s truck “pass-through” ordinance has begun and signs are being deployed along Garden and Branch streets. This campaign has a goal of 300 signatures.

Resident Raises Objection About Failure To Discharge Carty: In the Public Comment section prior to the effort to reinstate Carty, resident Jeff Eversmeyer noted that the personnel investigation which recommended termination of Mr. Carty cost over $10,000 which Eversmeyer said was wasted due to a defect in the “moral compass” of certain Commissioners who refuse to take legal advice to fire Carty.

The Mount Holly Reporter estimates that Mr. Carty has received approximately $20,000 so far while on paid leave.

Saucier Attempts To Reinstate Carty

Commissioner Saucier’s resolution to reinstate Jason Carty to the Director job was read aloud. After the reading, Commissioner Logue objected to the language in the resolution which claimed that Commissioners gave “due consideration” to bringing Carty back. Logue said that there would be only 5 minutes of consideration prior to a vote and that was not sufficient. Logue therefore moved to table the resolution.

This prompted heated discussion from Saucier and Gaskill who insisted that the reinstatement resolution should receive a vote. Commissioner Sheppard stated that if Commissioner Gaskill intended to vote on it, despite the lawyer’s recommendation that Gaskill should not vote, then Ms. Sheppard would also disregard the lawyer’s advice about recusing herself from voting.

At that point, Commissioner Saucier stated that the lawyer is only meant to give legal advice and that “we [commissioners] are not required to follow the advice”.

• “We Are Not Required To Follow The Advice” Commissioner Nicole Saucier

Chairman Thiessen said the tabling motion had to be done first and called the vote which was carried with Logue, Sheppard and Thiessen voting in favor to table.

Saucier then commented inaudibly to Thiessen. Sheppard directly addressed Saucier using her microphone stating that Saucier should make her comments into the microphone. Saucier said, “You heard me”. Sheppard replied that she did not hear and that Saucier should make her comments into the microphone. Saucier stated into the microphone that “Letting this be tabled, instead of letting this go through, is a prejudice, period.”

Bid Investigation Concludes, Malamut Law Nominated, Saucier and Gaskill Vote No on Malamut

Readers will recall that at the April 1, 2026 meeting, it was revealed that all 3 law firm bids were spoiled because an unauthorized person opened a bid from the Malamut Law firm. This required that the bidding process be repeated. At the time, Commissioner Sheppard stated that neither she nor Commissioner Logue had access to the office where the bids were stored. Commissioner Logue introduced a resolution amendment requiring an official investigation into how the bid was opened. Commissioners Saucier and Gaskill voted against the investigation.

At the May 13^th meeting Chairman Thiessen announced that the investigation found the person who opened the bid, but that the person claimed it was accidental. Thiessen did not reveal the name of the person who opened it but later told The Reporter that a commissioner opened it. After the meeting, a source close to the investigation told The Reporter that Commissioner Saucier opened the bid.

At the end of the May 13^th meeting, Chairman Thiessen said that 3 new bids for General Counsel serving the District through December 2026 were reviewed by the QPA Mike DeHoff. All Commissioners had a summary of the 3 bids from Mr. DeHoff. Thiessen opened the floor for nominations of a law firm and Commissioner Logue moved to nominate Malamut Law. Commissioner Sheppard seconded that motion. Saucier and Gaskill voted against Malamut, but the firm was confirmed anyway by the votes of Logue, Sheppard and Thiessen.

Other Decisions and Insights

· The board approved 11 new volunteer fire recruits.

· A walk-on resolution to hire a temporary administrative assistant was made by Thiessen to rectify a critical lack of up-to-date public records and meeting minutes.

· Financial oversight remains a priority as the district investigates potential overbilling by New Jersey American Water and missing revenue from the Local Enforcement Agency (LEA).

· Special Counsel: A separate resolution was passed to retain Parker McKay as secondary special counsel for labor policies and specific projects, leveraging their existing familiarity with current district issues.

· Utility Discrepancies: An investigation is underway regarding New Jersey American Water fire hydrant rental fees ($14k–$15k/month). The district suspects it has been overcharged for at least one to two months.

· Painting Restoration: Significant discussion occurred regarding the restoration of a historical painting (valued by some at nearly $1M). The Board is implementing stricter protocols for the handling and curation of historic fire district artifacts to ensure insurance coverage.

· Curatorial Authority: Terry Matthews (President, Relief Fire Company) confirmed that Carl Shaw is the authorized curator. No artifacts are to be moved without his direct approval.

Residents know about the fishing tournament and the muck race. But the latest scheduled meeting on the controversial 9.7% tax increase? Its not on the calendar or the “News and Notices” page or the home page.

Why does our township have such difficulty providing timely updates on important meetings?

Notice of this meeting was distributed to Council Members on Thursday May 13th. An update to the web page takes minutes to do. The township is closed on Fridays.

As of 3 PM on Saturday May 15th, the public has no notice on the township web page.

The state Open Public Meetings Act mandates that the township provide a minimum of 48 hrs notice to the public. That means the latest time the meeting should be noticed to the public is Monday at 6 PM.

But such late notice should be avoided. The Reporter emailed township clerk Sherry Marnell about this apparent failure to communicate a critical meeting and asked when the township intends to notify residents.

Residents are advised to attend this meeting. The Reporter will be there and provide updates after the meeting.

I visited the Lyceum on Wednesday May 13^th to take in one of the history lectures that are regularly given. This one was delivered by Marisa Bozarth, the museum curator. Check this link for more information about the wide array of events the Lyceum and the parks program has to offer.

Parks Program

The May 13th session served as a historical retrospective for the month of May, detailing significant events across the 19th and 20th centuries. The presentation covered architectural milestones, labor history, cultural shifts, and criminal justice.

Here are some highlights:

Industrial Milestones • Volkswagen (May 28, 1937): Founded as a state-owned Nazi enterprise to produce an affordable “People’s Car.” Post-WWII, the brand struggled in the US due to its Nazi origins until a 1960s rebranding as “The Beetle” shifted public perception.

Media & Culture • Death of a Salesman (May 2, 1949): Arthur Miller’s play won the Pulitzer Prize. Miller drew from personal tragedy, including his father’s business failure during the Depression and his uncle’s suicide, to critique the “American Dream.”

Social & Labor History • Haymarket Square Riot (May 3, 1886): A day after police shot and killed labor protestors at the McCormick Machine Company, a Chicago labor rally turned violent when a bomb was thrown into a police line. The subsequent trial of eight “labor radicals” was highly controversial; several were executed, though later governors questioned their guilt and eventually pardoned the survivors, reframing them as “activists.”

Science & Sport • The Ethics of Construction: There was a brief discussion regarding the “creepy” and dangerous conditions for workers on the Empire State Building, noting the lack of modern safety equipment.

Political Scandals: The 1806 duel between Andrew Jackson and Charles Dickinson was highlighted. Interestingly, Jackson’s reputation suffered more from his wife’s technical bigamy (due to an unfinalized divorce) than from the fact that he killed a man in a duel.

Reached for comment about student contribution to the selection, RVRHS Superintendent Dr. Karen Benton said students conducted a survey which revealed that RV’s next principal should be a “visible, responsive communicator and a student-centered community builder.”

Dr. Benton stated that a video is in production which highlights the “school community process” that channeled student and staff perspectives into a “Principal Leader Profile”. Regarding the selection scope, Dr. Benton said “I can share that for this principal role, we had over 30 candidates apply, and our selection process included initial screening, three rounds of interviews and a performance-based task. Mr. Counard rose to the top of that applicant pool.”

The RVRHS press release stated that Counard led efforts in Moorestown which reduced the number of students exceeding the school’s class absence threshold. The Reporter asked Mr. Counard how he accomplished this outcome and he replied:

“I believe strong leadership starts with effective communication. I implemented proactive strategies to alert families of attendance concerns well before students reached credit-loss thresholds. I integrated this focus by including the attendance policy in the student handbook acknowledgment, highlighting it during grade-level meetings and Back-to-School Night, and establishing a system of weekly warning letters for students nearing the limit.”

Counard holds a Master of Education in school leadership from Wilmington University and a Bachelor of Arts in history and education from Rowan University. He has more than 18 years of experience in K-12 education, including the past nine years in administrative roles. He served as assistant principal at Moorestown High School since July 2023.”

RV enrolls about 2,100 students which come from sending communities of Eastampton, Westampton, Hainesport, Lumberton and Mount Holly.

Consider volunteering for the June 14th, 2026 “bed building event” organized by an “Sleep In Heavenly Peace, Inc” [SHP] which has the motto is “NO KID SLEEPS ON THE FLOOR IN OUR TOWN!”

SHP is a registered business with the State of New Jersey with chapters all over the country. Its New Jersey chapter is in Morris county and its most recent “hub” was organized in Mount Laurel.

The Mt. Laurel hub has scheduled a bed “build” event at the Seventh-day Adventist Church at 700 Monmouth Rd, Mt Holly NJ on Sun Jun 14th at 10AM. Its an outdoor event.

If you want to volunteer follow this link Volunteer Signup

Local organizer Jane Oswari said that the Morris county chapter added the Mt. Laurel delivery hub in Sept of 2025.

Oswari says “the Mt. Laurel delivery hub operations cover Bordentown, Mt. Holly, Burlington and Trenton and has delivered 97 beds to date. The Morris county chapter has delivered over 300 beds statewide.

“While most of our deliveries have been in Trenton, we have recently expanded into Mt. Holly where 3 families have received beds. I think many here are just unaware of our service.” Oswari added that “Lowes sponsored the wood at events we did in Trenton last April and they help us with discounts. But at the upcoming Mt. Holly build, SHP will be paying for the wood.”

Oswari noted that “we run 100% on donations and all of our administration is on a volunteer basis. Donations come through our NJ chapter website”. Donation Link

Another way to help is to hold bedding drives. Several businesses have put a donation box where people can drop off new twin sheets, twin comforters, twin bed in a bags, or pillows. Due to health regulations, they have to be new and not used.

Questions can be directed to jane.oswari@shpbeds.org

Key Township Professionals Absent

The April 28, 2026 council meeting introduced the “first reading” of the 2026 municipal budget [resolution 2026-69]. But the township professionals who wrote the budget and could answer questions about it were not present. Their absence became a glaring problem as Astor and Burkus raised budget issues. Town Clerk Sherry Marnell resorted to texting the missing CFO, but that proved insufficient to resolve mounting questions and suggestions about the budget.

Points Of Information, Points of Order

Due to the administrative power granted to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, the meeting was set up as a Yes or No vote for the “first reading” of the budget. However, Council Members Astor and Burkus have parliamentary powers to force debate by making “points of order” and “points of information” regarding budget specifics.

The first “Point of Information” was made by Ms. Burkus who asked

• “Who is prepared to answer specific questions about the budget?”

Clerk Marnell shook her head NO and Mayor Banks said:

• “We’re not here to answer any particular items, that will be provided on May 27^th” [the anticipated second reading]

But Astor and Burkus were unwilling to vote on a first reading resolution without having their questions and suggestions addressed. The Mayor, Clerk and Solicitor tried to focus debate on state budget deadline requirements with Mayor Banks stating:

• “We have to introduce [the budget] to allow the township to operate”

A quizzical Councilmember Burkus then stated:

• “We have to introduce it to allow the town to operate? That is not true.”

Ms. Astor pushed back against the notion of a hard deadline, recounting that the 2024 budget was not submitted to the state until June 2024 without consequence.

The Mayor asked for the Township Solicitor Tom Coleman to explain the budget deadlines and its affect on the operation of the township. Solicitor Coleman said:

• “Mayor, I believe we are still operating on a temporary budget. And I don’t know when that expires, but we must adopt a budget, however you all collectively decide to do it.”

Councilmember Astor then inquired whether amendments to the first reading could be introduced.

This prompted the Mayor to question why Council should amend the budget to which Ms. Burkus responded:

• “Because there is a $600,000 increase in taxes. And I don’t want this to go one step further with that type of increase on our taxpayers. So, the first reading of the budget is important. Don’t try to undersell the importance of the first reading. And while I understand that we have deadlines, I only got this budget 8 days ago and I’m not going to be backed into a corner with a 9.7% increase for 2026.”

The debate continued for some time and delayed the vote. There were multiple, noisy cross-talking episodes. Mayor Banks sought to cut off debate and force a vote.

The Mayor said:

• “Are we going to introduce this tonight or not?”

Mayor Banks pointedly asked whether Ms. Astor had scheduled a sit-down meeting with the Township Manager to discuss her questions and suggestions.

Reached for comment after the meeting, Ms. Astor told The Reporter she was initially provided with only a budget summary. When she contacted the Manager about a sit-down meeting to go over the full budget, his response was to email the full budget and state that he was on extended personal leave but would be available by email for questions.

Astor said that she and Ms. Burkus chose to respect the Manager’s leave. So instead of emailing him, they studied the 2026 budget and prior budgets so they could discuss it at the meeting.

The Reporter reached out to Mayor Banks and Deputy Mayor DiFolco for comment but has not heard back as of the publication date.

Budget Tabled, Public Work Session Scheduled, Then Canceled With Almost No Notice To The Public

Solicitor Coleman provided legal guidance during the debate. Opposing arguments were offered by Banks and DiFolco regarding why the first reading should be passed. This prompted Ms. Astor observed that Council was engaging in the “public work session” which is what she believed should have happened all along.

But the two council factions were deadlocked and it was clear that Astor and Burkus would not vote to approve the first reading of the $600,000 budget increase.

And so Deputy Mayor DiFolco made a motion to table budget resolution 2026-69. Astor and Burkus voted Yes, while DiFolco and Banks abstained.

Abstention is treated as a vote of “present”, meaning the member counts toward the quorum, but the vote is not added to the tally for or against a measure. So, essentially the resolution was tabled with a 2-0 vote.

After the budget was tabled, Township Clerk Marnell initially offered council members public “work session” dates of Saturday May 2^nd or Monday May 4th. The May 4^th date was selected and noticed to residents on the township web page. But an email from Clerk Marnell to council members said the meeting had to be postponed.

Public notice of the cancelation was provided on the web page with almost no lead time before the meeting was to take place. Some residents who did not get that late notification showed up to the meeting location to find a notice of the cancelation posted on the door. No alternative date has been offered yet.

Additional Significant Points From The Meeting

• Ms. Astor “walked on” a Council Salary Ordinance. A motion to pass an ordinance to reset council salaries from $4,500/yr to $0 was introduced by Ms. Astor. DiFolco and Banks voted it down due to procedural objections. It will be formally re-submitted for a future meeting.

• Astor and Burkus say they identified approximately $596,000 in potential savings, including Eliminating council salaries ($22,500 total), removing travel/hotel reimbursements for the League of Municipalities conference ($6,000).

• PILOT Programs: Some residents linked the tax increase to “PILOT” (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) agreements given to corporate landlords, which they claim shift the tax burden onto long-term residents. The notion behind a PILOT is that it gets underutilized properties renovated and boosts economic activity. Arguments against granting “too many” PILOTs is that it severely reduces revenue, especially to the school district. It should be noted that the school district had proposed a large tax increase. [A story is being produced on the school budget]

If you are willing to sign the petition and possibly join us on our visit to Eastampton Council chambers, please email The Reporter at nick.sodano@verizon.net .

The Off-again, On-again, Off-again Township Budget meeting kept getting re-scheduled for 5 PM. Even though regular Council meetings start at 6 PM.

Why?

Some speculate that Township Administrator’s like a 5 PM start time because it discourages resident participation and thereby assures the meeting is short and ends early.

As it turns out, two of the residents who find the 5 PM start time unreasonably early are also elected Council members.

“That’s just unacceptable.” says council member Tara Astor.

“I struggle sometimes to make the regular 6 PM start times, and that’s as a business owner who has a relatively flexible schedule. Many working residents who would like to attend the public meetings can’t make it to these ridiculously early start times. So, I told our Administrator’s to push it back or I would not be able to attend.”

As it turns out, Council member Kim Burkus also couldn’t accommodate the re-scheduled meeting for Tuesday, stating that her schedule did not free up until 7:30 PM.

And so, faced with a budget meeting that would have at least 2 council members unable to attend, the Administrators reluctantly rescheduled to the meeting for 8 PM on Tues, April 28th.

With regard to the content of the budget, resident Gary Brotz tells the Reporter that Township Clerk Sherry Marnell refused to provide a copy of the draft budget to him. She stated that its not an official government record until it gets passed by Council.

This means that residents do not get a chance to review the 2026 budget until its too late to object to the “First Reading”. But residents will be able to obtain a copy before the 2nd reading, which has yet to be scheduled.

Light supper and program of strategies for dealing with bullying.

Mt Holly Friends Meetinghouse, corner of High & Garden St, Mount Holly, NJ

“Walking Tacos” 5:30-6:00; Program 6:00 - 7:30 pm.

Childcare available for those under 5 yrs if registered.

Program appropriate for ages 5 and up.

At least one adult must be present for children participating. For more info or to register, email mthollyfriends@gmail.com or scan QR code on attached flyer.

The Law Works

As I relayed in the article “Peek Behind The Curtain”, the Municipal Clerks’ Association made their hatred of the Open Public Records Act [OPRA] clear in 2024 when they urged our Legislature to make hard reforms.

But the reforms didn’t go far enough for some Clerks who seem to indicate that OPRA compliance is the last thing on their to-do list. If not for OPRA, requests to municipal officials would often go without response. Unfortunately, Mt. Holly seems to be one of the townships where that is the case.

I have submitted so many complaints to the State Government Records Council [GRC] that I may be on a first name basis with GRC staff. That is regrettable since it means that the township of Mount Holly has an OPRA compliance problem. My latest complaint was dubbed 2026-146 by the GRC. It was a 2/24/26 request for the invoices and contract documents associated with the vendor who stores Mount Holly files.

The township has 10 working days to respond by law. And for a couple weeks I thought that perhaps Mount Holly didn’t get my email, because I got no response. But after more emails to them, on the third week I lodged a complaint with the GRC. And that prompted Mount Holly to “lawyer up” and acknowledge my existence again. Ah, they were getting my emails after all.

Don’t Fall Behind

Not to excuse Mount Holly’s non-compliance, but records management can be overwhelming and it seems that our town needs to hire a new employee for that task. It would be helpful in more ways than one. Firstly, the township would be able to avoid the waste of legal resources for a case they are going to lose. Secondly, they could have that employee train up on records retention law and do an inventory of the files that are costing Mount Holly nearly $100,000 per year. Who knows, perhaps 50% of the documents we are storing could be destroyed, which would be a huge savings. Our records storage vendor states on their web page that if you don’t inventory your documents and assign destruction dates to files:

“Your records could sit in file rooms or on storage shelves in perpetuity.” Iron Mountain

Thanks to the State GRC, The Records Dispute Was Settled

If you decide that you need to use OPRA to get info that somehow was not being provided by the municipality, be prepared to get some spicy emails if you wind up in a dispute. Complaint 2026-146 was settled after 2 months.

So a task that is supposed to take about 10 days took more like 60 days. I finally received not only the information requested but a lecture about how I should manage my expectations for communication: