Township Council

Tips on staying safe in the wake of an uptick statewide of car thefts and home burglaries were given during a virtual town hall meeting February 15. The town hall was hosted by Mayor Phil Kramer and Public Safety Director Quovella Maeweather.

ASKING FOR HELP – Shani Madaminova, co-owner of the Leaf Haus cannabis dispensary on Easton Avenue, told the Township Council on February 13 that her business is suffering because of the Township’s current signage regulations. A plea from a local small business owner at the February 13 Township Council meeting spurred the governing body to create an ad hoc committee …

The Township Council on January 23 approved a contract with senior department heads that will extend through the end of 2025. The contract, with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, covers senior department heads and is retroactive to January 1, 2021.

(Photo: East Millstone UMC.) An ordinance that would allow the purchase of property in East Millstone for open space preservation was introduced by the Township Council on January 23. The ordinance would allocate $261,500 from the Township’s Open Space Trust Fund to buy the property at 4 Elm Street.

MAKING HISTORY – FTPD officer Patrick Kanu is ceremoniously sworn in at the January 23 Township Council meeting. Officials said Kanu is the first West African uniformed officer in the township. Five new Franklin Township Police officers – two of whom are graduates of the Youth Police Academy – were ceremoniously sworn in at the January 23 Township Council meeting. …

TAKING THE OATH – Mayor Phil Kramer takes the Oath of Office while his wife, Laurie, looks on. Councilmember Ed Potosnak was voted in as Deputy Mayor at the January 2 Township Council reorganization meeting. Also at the meeting, re-elected At-Large Councilmembers Kimberly Francois and Ram Anbarasan and newcomer Alex Kharazi and Mayor Phil Kramer were sworn in.

HEALTH MATTERS – Saffie Kallon, foreground, discusses the health assessment report with the Township Council as Tara Kenyon looks on. The results of a nearly two-year study of data, demographics and surveys on the factors that affect the health of Franklin Township residents was previewed at the December 12 Township Council meeting. The information was presented by Tara Kenyon, the Township’s …

SAYING GOODBYE – Township Councilwoman Crystal Pruitt reads her farewell address during the December 12 Council meeting. The Township Council said goodbye to Councilwoman Crystal Pruitt at its December 12 meeting. Pruitt, a Council member since 2019, decided to not run for re-election this year. Alex Kharazi, also a Democrat, won Pruitt’s seat.

A long-term tax abatement plan for a township low-income senior citizen apartment building was approved by the Township Council recently. The Payment in Lieu of Taxes, or PILOT, program was deemed necessary by the Council to aid in the rehabilitation of the Wilentz Senior Residence at the Wilf Campus for Senior Living on DeMott Lane.

REQUEST DENIED – Mayor Phil Kramer said he did not think it was appropriate for the Township Council to pass a requested resolution calling for a cease-fire in the Hamas-Israel War. The Township Council on November 28 declined requests to pass a resolution supporting a cease-fire in the Hamas-Israeli War. Council members, led by Mayor Phil Kramer, said they did …