Township Council

The Township Council has canceled the annual Franklin Day Festival for 2020. Uncertainty over whether the state’s ban on large group gatherings would be lifted in the next two months led the township to cancel the annual Franklin Day Festival. Township Manager Robert Vornlocker suggested the cancellation of this year’s September fest, which draws upwards of 20,000 people to Colonial …

Viewers of the Mayor’s Town Hall heard that township restaurants are preparing for outdoor dining starting June 15. The township is helping local restaurateurs prepare for outdoor dining, the Williams pool is getting ready to open, and all parks are open for full capacity. Those were some of the topics covered June 11 during Mayor Phil Kramer’s virtual “Town Hall.”

Township Councilwoman Crystal Pruitt kicked off a Council discussion about racial equality at the June 9 Township Council meeting. The issue of racial equality and equity was discussed by Township Council members during the June 9 Council meeting. This was the Council’s first meeting since two racial equality and anti-police brutality marches were held in the township. Some Council members …

The Township Council on June 9 passed a resolution condemning the murder of Minneapolis resident George Floyd. Floyd was killed when a former Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes. The former cop has been hit with several charges, including 2nd Degree Murder.

Business and property owners in the Hamilton Street Business District will not be charged an assessment this year, thanks to action taken April 28 by the Township Council. Business and property owners in the Hamilton Street Business District will not have to pay an additional assessment this year, thanks to action taken by the Township Council on April 28. The …

Township Councilman Ted Chase displays a reusable bag that could be substituted for single-use paper or plastic bags. A township ban on single-use plastic and paper bags, Styrofoam food containers and single-use straws – Somerset County’s first, if enacted – was the subject of a more than two-hour discussion at the January 28 Township Council meeting. At the heart of …

A New Brunswick attorney who is under a state ethics investigation for comments he made to a defendant while serving as Franklin Township’s presiding Municipal Court judge was not reappointed to that position at the January 6 Township Council reorganization. The Council chose to not reappoint Hector Rodriguez, who had served as the Municipal Court presiding judge since 2014. Instead, …

Township Councilman Charles Onyejiaka, right, is given the Oath of Office for Deputy Mayor by state Assemblyman Joe Danielsen at the Jan. 6 Council reorganization meeting. Township Councilman Charles Onyejiaka made history January 6 when he became the first West African to be voted in as Deputy Mayor. Onyejiaka (D-Ward 3), has been a member of the Council since 2016, …

Township Councilman Rajiv Prasad was feted for his 13 years on the Council Dec. 10 by the same Council members who voted to censure him a year earlier. The Township Council chamber was awash in love for Councilman Rajiv Prasad on December 10 as friends and Council colleagues honored him for his 13 years on the governing body. Prasad decided …

Township Manager Robert Vornlocker said he and township attorney Lou Rainone are reviewing information on the FTPD’s use of “union time” paid leave to see if any of it was granted inappropriately. In the wake of allegations of “substantial mismanagement” by the township police department’s former top brass, officials are determining which FTPD officers may have inappropriately used a benefit …