CNBNews

January 2007

Bills Point of View: HOW MUCH DID IT COST? NOW WE KNOW!-Remember the "sweet-heart" deal announced October 12, 2006 in the Democrat controlled "What's Happening In Gloucester City" newsletter that the City had purchased the dilapidated building at Broadway and Cumberland St. It was one of those Democrat "puff pieces" that came out before the election with the banner "Great Things Are Happening" in Gloucester City. In this article the Kilcourse administration conveniently left out some important information. In particularly,  how much did it cost you and I to buy this crumbling structure?

Dooley's Bar Comes Tumbling Down; Cost to the taxpayer $34,400 The empty tavern/restaurant, owned by Gerald F. Dooley Inc., at the corner of Broadway and Cumberland Street , City, has been demolished. Hired to do the work was Franchi Demolition & Excavating, Inc. from Camden, the low bidder, at a cost of $34,400. The city purchased the building in October for $425,000. The intricate details of the purchase was never released to the public. Supposedly it is to be  the future home of Reel Fish Seafood, now located in Bellmawr.

Brooklawn Council last week approved a proclamation honoring former Councilman Ray Staley for his years of dedicated service to the community. After serving on Council for six years, Staley decided not to seek re-election last year. He attended his last official meeting in December. Mayor John Soubasis presented Staley with a plaque memorializing the proclamation.

GLOUCESTER CITY-The dilapidated Three Corner Park at the intersection of Burlington and Middlesex Streets, has recently been brightened up with brand new equipment. The old playground equipment at the former $100,000 park built in the 1980's wasn't maintained. Broken down swings, park benches unfit for anyone to sit on, and the rusted sliding boards were unsafe  for  the kids to use.  The park was surrounded by weeds and debris. The run down condition of park was featured on ClearysNotebook in August and September  2006.

Gloucester City's Reorganization Meeting Begins With A Number of "Bombshell" Surprises-In November the three unknowns without any political experience knocked their opposition off their feet to win the Mayor post along with two council seats. Even so the majority of power remained with the Democrat machine as the incumbent councilman Hagan was thought to be entrenched with those who had been in control of the city for many years. Apparently though Hagan was not happy with the way the Dem's had been running the community. He showed his displeasure with his vote during Thursday meeting.

February 2007

Letters: Shame on you Mr. Cleary, you are too critical of our firemen-Its amazing how "one bad apple" is convincing people that all the volunteers are bad apples and that they all stole from the pot.  So in return people are deciding not to support the volunteer firefighters by not donating to any thing because someone has blackened their eye.

Update on Missing Marathon Funds- A reliable source said a relative of the man who stole the money has offered to pay back the $7200 he took from the 2006 Marathon. As you know by now this man was in charge of the Marathon's bank account. However, there is a catch. The Association has to agree not to file criminal charges against the crook.  If not the deal is off.

Harwan Theater in Mt. Ephraim is Demolished-The theatre was built in 1929 and first opened its doors on Thanksgiving Day in 1930.  The original owners, Elias and Eva Harwan decided to name it the Mount Ephraim Theatre.  It remained that way for years until a young gentleman bought the building in 1968 from the grandchildren of Mr. & Mrs. Harwan.  It received a facelift in the early 70's and over the next 20 years started showing second hand films which many of the locals regularly enjoyed.

Gloucester City Councilman Marchese issues statement on King Street plans-Re: O'Hara's Parking Lot.First of all the building to be built on the parking lot you speak about is only a possible location to relocate Holt who currently has a lease for the next 90+/- years with the city at the coast guard base building.  They agreed to be relocated at a similar building in the city if we need to have the Coast Guard property back. If this location is to be used for the relocation there would be even more parking added to this area.  This is only in a conceptual stage right now and not in any way a current project.  If we are to develop the Coast Guard base into a future development then a lot will have to happen prior to this building being built.  We are currently beginning an archeological process that has to happen according to a deed restriction if we are to move forward at Freedom Pier.

March 2007

A joint investigation by Gloucester City and Bellmawr Detectives has led to the arrest of Dennis J. Morrison Jr., age 19, from Gloucester City.  Mr. Morrison and several co-defendants have been charged with thefts of two motor vehicles and one motorcycle stolen from Bellmawr.  It is believed that Morrison and several other adult males had been stealing mid-90's Honda Civics from several area towns.  They then stripped the cars and dumped several car parts in areas around Gloucester City.  Car parts have been recovered, however, the investigation is still ongoing.

State Sen. Wayne Bryant was indicted by a federal grand jury in Trenton today on federal charges of corruption and fraud.The influential Camden County Democrat was charged with using his position as a state senator to funnel millions of dollars in public funds to the state's medical university, after he was essentially given an no-show job to pad his pension. He was also charged with defrauding the state's pension system.

Citing a $7.2 million shortfall in state aid, the Gloucester City school board on Tuesday adopted a 2007-08 budget that is expected to force the district to lay off 17 percent of its work force and eliminate key programs.The $38.3 million budget will force layoffs of about 45 teachers and guidance counselors as well as 25 aides, custodians, security and support personnel, Superintendent Mary T. Stansky said.The district will also eliminate summer school, a counseling program for students and families, all field trips and assemblies, building repairs and textbook purchases, Stansky said.

Mayor William James said Tuesday, that the Gloucester City Senior Citizens are the new owners of the Gloucester Heights Fire Hall. An agreement was reached today between all sides said James. At last Thursday council meeting the public was informed that Gloucester City received a $400,000 grant from the state to build a new Senior Citizens Community Hall. But for some reason the previous administration did nothing with the money, they just let it sit there.

The Gloucester City News/ClearysNotebook first broke the story about the funds being missing on February 12. This is the second time money has been taken from the Softball Marathon Event. In the 1980's a fireman stole $10,000 that was to be used to support  the the Crozier Burn Center in West Chester.The defendant is Robert Kephart, 35, of South 3^rd Street, Gloucester City.

Lt. George Berglund of the Gloucester City Police Department announced today that the reward for information leading to the return of the Department's  K-9 dog has increased to $5,700!

The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is developing the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the I-295/I-76/Route 42 Interchange in Bellmawr, Mt. Ephraim and Gloucester City in Camden County.The purpose of this project is to improve safety and reduce traffic congestion at the intersection of I-295, I-76, and Route 42. The project will address quality-of-life issues as they relate to motorists, residents and the environment.

GLOUCESTER CITY, N.J. - March 18, 2007 - Police in Camden County are warning people to be on the look out for one of their police dogs, which is missing and could pose a danger if not handled correctly.The dog, named "Scotty," escaped from his Gloucester City Police kennel Sunday morning between 3:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m.

The Gloucester City Streets Department has begun work on removing a section of the Fort Nassau playground on Johnson Blvd.  The city held a number of meetings to discuss the condition of the playground which was pictured on ClearysNotebook in September 2006. The caption posted in September read, "The playground at the Johnson Blvd Jogging Field was constructed in April 1999 using donations from the business community along with the hard work of over 100 volunteers. It took four days to build and when completed it was a site to behold. Just seven years later the Fort is showing wear and neglect. '

APRIL 2007   

Gloucester City is one of 40 communities to be named by Philadelphia Magazine as  A Community to Watch.  The March magazine article, written by Michael Callahan looked at hundreds of towns both in the Philadelphia region and in the South Jersey area before picking the next hot neighborhoods.

Gloucester City School District being audited by State-If you pick up the Courier Post today you will see the good name of Gloucester City has been splashed across the front page of the paper in banner headlines. As in the past whenever the Courier prints a story about our fair city it isn't good news. And this time it is no exception. The state Department of Education seized control of spending and hiring of the Gloucester City School district and has demanded reams of documents concerning operations.

Gloucester City's Middle School Just a Pipe Dream it Seems- (Bill's Point of View) Seventy homes along with one business were demolished to make way for a New Elementary Middle School that was promised several years ago. State and County politicians continue to tell Gloucester City residents that the school will be built. However, the more you read about what is going on around the state the more it appears this school like others will never be built.  The reason is clear, there is NO MONEY!

Brooklawn-Acting Camden County Prosecutor Joshua M. Ottenberg reported that a Grand Jury indicted a 34-year-old woman today on Murder, Child Endangerment and related offenses in the November 2006 death of a 3-week-old baby in Brooklawn, N.J. Gloria J. Carter, 34, (photo) was indicted in the death of Sean Colvin on Nov. 19, 2006. An initial post-indictment court appearance will be scheduled in the coming weeks. Carter remains incarcerated in lieu of $200,000 bail, cash only.

The results of last week's Gloucester City School Board election is being challenged by one of the write-in candidates, Douglas Ziegler. Ziegler filed an appeal with the Camden Board of Election on Friday, April 20, asking the Board to include with the votes he already received the 28 write-in-votes that were filed in the wrong column. He believes he would be declared the winner if those votes were allowed.

Dear Mr. Countryman and Mr. Cleary: In response to your inquiry about the absence of City Clerk/Administrator, Paul Kain, we are writing to inform you of the current status of the City Administration. Mr. Kain has been out on extended sick leave since early March.  During this time, we the elected officials, department heads, and staff have voluntarily stepped in to ensure that current projects and the day-to-day duties are completed.  In appointing Mr. Kain as Administrator we were well aware of the necessity and importance of his duties.

TRENTON -- The sport-utility vehicle carrying Gov. Jon S. Corzine when it crashed last week was traveling 91 mph, the State Police said this afternoon. Corzine remains in critical but stable condition at Cooper University Hospital in Camden after sustaining several critical injuries during last Thursday's crash on the Garden State Parkway in Atlantic County.

More Information on Senior Citizens Community Room- "This money was a grant from the state Department of Community Affairs; the grant is scheduled to expire in November of this year.  The fire hall is owned by the Gloucester Heights Fire Company.  Original stipulations of the grant called for the construction of senior citizen community center but now due to time constraints and the soft costs related to land acquisition, engineering and architectural work a new avenue was sought out," Mayor Bill James.

Bill's Point of View-Watching the Channel 19 broadcast of the March Gloucester City council meeting I am amazed how the "Lame-Duck" incumbents (Loebell, Kaye, and Kormann) tried to defend their practice of giving some city employees longevity pay increases and vacation bonuses. For years certain employees have been receiving vacations bonuses of between four and nine percent. Do the math; a vacation bonus for some supervisors at the tune of $9,000 or more would be quite possible. 

Gloucester City Taxes to increase-Marchese said the City applied for Extraordinary Aid Funding from the State to offset the increase."If we received the aid then the rate will go down. Otherwise a property owner assessed at the average of $70,000 would pay an estimated $259 more in local taxes in the fiscal year of 2007-08."

Political Fences Have Been Mended-For all those political fanatics in Gloucester City looking forward to an exciting June Primary election it appears you will have to look elsewhere for the "war of words". Yesterday (Monday, April 9) was the filing deadline for the Primary. There will be no contest for the council seats as there are only three people running for the three vacated seats that expired at the end of this year.

Lt. George Berglund of the Gloucester City Police Department announced today that the reward for information leading to the return of the Department's  K-9 dog has increased from $5,700 to $6,200!

MAY 2007

A special dinner meeting was held Tuesday, May 22nd to discuss the concept of bringing a retired U.S. Navy warship to Gloucester City as a museum ship. The meeting, at Vincent's Seafood Restaurant in Gloucester City, was hosted by Dr. Jim Doster and brought together Gloucester city leaders, from the government and business sector, with experts in marine issues and Navy procedures pursuant to museum ship donations.

For the second time in several weeks, murder suspect John Creamer asked a trial judge on Tuesday for permission to act as his own attorney when he goes to trial in the beating death of a Gloucester City woman.

Former Brooklawn resident Bill Higgins has been hired by the South Jersey Port Corporation to the position of Director of Security, safety and human resources. A newly created position Higgins will receive a salary of $78,000.

Army Staff Sgt Joseph Weiglein of Audubon New Jersey has been  killed in Iraq. Before going back to Iraq, he made a special visit to Haviland Avenue Elementary School, the school he attended when he was a youngster.

Acting Camden County Prosecutor Joshua M. Ottenberg and Camden Police Executive Arturo Venegas Jr. reported that a 17-year-old Brooklawn resident was shot and killed early today on the street in Camden, N.J.

Tony Sidoti, the 28-year-old athletic director at Gloucester Catholic High School, is in Cooper Hospital recovering from a medical condition, school officials announced Tuesday. Sidoti is listed in serious but stable condition, according  to acting Gloucester Catholic athletic director Tony Powers.

Gloucester City HS edged fourth-seeded New Egypt 2-1 to give Lions coach Dave Light his 200th caree win as a head coach.

Sgt. Allen James Dunckley, age 25, of Glassboro was killed last Monday, May 14 in an ambush in Salman Park, Iraq by small arms fire and an improvised explosive device.

A relative went to check on 50-year-old Charles Hagen at 20 Yale Road in Gloucester City when no one had heard from him. The relative saw soot on the curtains and called 911. Police went in and found Hagen dead in his bedroom. He apparently died of smoke inhalation.

Gloucester City Mayor and Council at Thursday's work session (May 17) approved the hiring of Robert Bevan (photo) to the position of Community Relations Specialist at a salary of $28,000.

Radio Commentator Slams Gloucester City-For two minutes Lamont badmouthed Gloucester City saying (and I am paraphrasing) "it's the armpit of South Jersey" and that when you go there all you see is drunks walking up and down the street and how nobody is sober and that he's been here and would never dream of investing here."

On Sunday, June 10, The Right Reverend George Councell, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey, will visit Gloucester City to celebrate the 160th Anniversary of Incorporation of The Episcopal Church of the Ascension.

Beezer Homes Cancels Plans to Build Meadowbrook II- Rumors have been circulating for several weeks about the housing project planned for the old GAF property at Charles and Water Streets being cancelled.  The plans for the development, which was called Meadowbrook II, were announced in October 2004. Butch Berglund, one of the principals of Gloucester Point Inc., said that the project will continue forward without Beazer. "Gloucester Point owns the property. We have most of the permits needed to begin construction of single family homes and condos on the site.

David Sciarra, perpetual point man for the 31 so-called "Abbott" districts, returned on April 12 to the state Supreme Court - where he's had considerable success - and filed a petition demanding the state upgrade its school facilities in the poorest districts.  Gloucester City School Superintendent Mary Stansky stands on the empty lot where the planned Middle Street School was supposed to be built. Seventy homes were demolished along with one business to make room for the school. Stansky still believes the school will become a reality even though the state has run out of funds.

Mount Ephraim Residents Have Spoken; Unofficial Returns Show Newcomers Upset Incumbents. Joe Wolk, Bruce Greenwald and Andrew Gilmore are the new Commissioners of the Borough.

Gloucester City Council approved an ordinance on first reading last week authorizing funds for the replacement of the Water Treatment plant. The estimated cost for the new plant is $9,445,000. The ordinance also authorized the issuance of general obligation bonds for the amount $9,445,000, and authorized certain related actions in connection with the water treatment plant.

Bill's Point of View ….Did the Gloucester City School Board have to lay off nearly 50 employees? Pink slips were handed out last week. We all understand that some moves had to be made because of the reduced Budget. And the Board was able to reduce the original number of cutbacks from 70 to around 50. But how many more jobs could be saved if a little more thought and effort was put into the process?

Repairs of Ft. Nassau taking too long-Mr. Cleary-I am a concerned parent who was quite upset that the city chose to tear down the park instead of repairing what was broken. My children were quite concerned with how long it was going to take the city to make the necessary repairs. We waited about 3 weeks for the caution tape to be removed from the park.

June 2007

Pickets Demonstrate at Soldier's Funeral, CLAYTON -- Three people singing and carrying signs that read "Pray for more dead soldiers" and "America is doomed" were drowned out by a group of veterans who shouted the Pledge of Allegiance here Friday morning.The pickets were positioned across the street from the Clayton Post Office at Delsea Drive and Costill Avenue, far enough away from St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church that those attending the funeral for Army Pvt. David J. Bentz III couldn't see or hear them.

Gloucester City -Fire at Amspec Chemical, Sodium ignites, no injuries, no danger to surrounding neighborhood says Chief Hagan

Letters: Mr. Cleary, Are you aware of the fact that our DARE program has been suspended for the Saint  Mary's school children?  This program has had a positive influence on our children.  The police presence in our school has been a positive one and we would like to see that continue throughout the years.

Camden County Freeholder Board making a mistake-The freeholders chose to gamble tax dollars by running their legal advertisements in the Philadelphia Inquirer while a court battle takes place to determine whether it is legal for a New Jersey government entity to place such public notices in an out-of-state newspaper. If the county loses the court case, it's possible all sheriff's sales, public meetings and government actions could be face legal challenges because the notices would have been illegally publicized, according to media experts.

Richard Kotter, of the 400-unit block Market Street, Gloucester City, is upset over the City owned parking lot at the corner of 5th and Market. The lot abuts his mother's well-maintained residential property that extends the full length of the parking lot. It is also situated close to the future site of the School District's Middle School.

Gloucester City School Superintendent Mary Stansky  is happy to announce that the district has received additional state aid.  As a result the district will be able to re-instate between 42 and 43 employees.  In March the Board adopted a $38.8 million budget which represented a $7.2 million shortfall because of flat state funding.  At a public meeting the students, parents and teachers heard devastating news; the shortfall would force the district to lay off 70 employees and trim programs. Class sizes would increase to 36 students, some programs may be cut.

New York Times Reports-Abbott districts, the urban school systems that sued the state 26 years ago to gain equal footing with affluent districts, are now among the highest-spending school districts in the country, according to newly released data from the United States Census Bureau.

Cheer-Gloucester Catholic High School baseball team won the State Championship Title this past weekend with an 11-6 victory over Newark Academy. Trailing by a run going into the top of the seventh inning, the Rams rallied for six runs winning the game. Gloucester Catholic's Zach Sorg, Steve Dougherty, Ryan Cass and P.J. Tighe helped the Rams Golf team capture three titles within a span of three days, including the Tournament of Champions crown.  CHEERS: To the Rams and Lions Softball teams. What thrills these two teams gave their fans this year.  Each team put up a great fight and almost made it into the state finals. Cheers also to the Lions baseball team for their fighting spirit too.

Gloucester City-The Pirate's Den was demolished on Tuesday by a contractor hired by the City. Phil Franchi Demolition, the low bidder for the job was paid $38,000. The bar and restaurant located at 300-306 N. Broadway was gutted by a three alarm fire last December. For the past six months the building has set empty and was a safety hazard. The owner of the property, Brian Cohan had no fire insurance to make the necessary repairs. There was also Sheriff Liens filed against the property.

Staff Sgt. Joseph M.  Weiglein, beloved husband, son, brother, uncle, friend and soldier, was killed in action on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 in Iraq. Joe was born on June 6, 1975 in Voorhees, NJ to Michael and Ellen (Marquardt) Weiglein. He grew up in Audubon, NJ and graduated from Audubon High School in 1994. He was a member of the school's soccer, golf and swimming clubs.

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