This year Evesham has two open seats for Evesham Township Council.
Every week, The Sun will ask candidates in the Nov. 8 election for council seats to respond to questions pertinent to local issues. This week’s questions:
1. How do you feel about current and future residential and commercial development/redevelopment taking place in Evesham? How do you think it affects residents and the township as a whole?
2. How would you rate the municipality’s ability to communicate with residents and respond to their needs? What would you continue or change?
1.) How do you feel about current and future residential and commercial development/redevelopment taking place in Evesham? How do you think it affects residents and the township as a whole?
We think growth is great — without it, our town’s economy and finances can stagnate and put us in a very difficult financial position. However, we do not think that the stance council has taken on development is right — it has repeatedly told residents and neighborhoods what is going to happen when it’s too late for any meaningful input from the community. It’s a “developer-first” mentality, and it erodes the ability for the community as a whole to properly invest themselves in the process and the end product of redevelopment projects.
Council, township professionals and developers must embrace a “community-first” approach to development. That means receiving early and meaningful input from residents about potential development projects and incorporating residents’ concerns and ideas into the project before it’s too late to change anything.
This is an approach that has been adopted in other towns and can go hand-in-hand with revisiting the Vision 2020 plan that the township uses to guide redevelopment projects.
2. How would you rate the municipality’s ability to communicate with residents and respond to their needs? What would you continue or change?
Frankly, our council has failed at effectively communicating with residents. Multiple examples exist, from residents not being able to have meaningful input into redevelopment projects to council outright refusing to respond to residents’ concerns and questions at public meetings.
As well, too many council meetings have been combative in nature, with lots of negativity and a lack of civility from our mayor and sometimes other council members toward the public.
Furthermore, our elected and Township officials have increasingly relied on social media to communicate with residents, but that has left many of our seniors disconnected from current events and news in town.
Too many neighbors of ours aren’t on Facebook, NextDoor or Twitter, and the township and our elected officials must make attempts to communicate with more traditional media and means of communication so that no resident is left in the dark, while continuing to strengthen the current and future technology-based means of communication.
1.) How do you feel about current and future residential and commercial development/redevelopment taking place in Evesham? How do you think it affects residents and the township as a whole?
Enhancing the present tax base, residential and commercial development, redevelopment and revitalization are the lifeblood of a municipal budget.
Combine these programs with solid and proven business planning and practices, plus disciplined spending, and you have the template for keeping municipal taxes stable and under control.
Also, this planning and resource management enables our township to maintain and increase services rather than cut or reduce them.
2. How would you rate the municipality’s ability to communicate with residents and respond to their needs? What would you continue or change?
Constituent services have been, are, and will continue to be part of the DNA of Evesham Township. Performance of mayor, council, township manager and professionals, department heads and staff is held to the highest standards and constantly monitored for efficiency and improvement.
This assures our residents that their needs and concerns will be addressed in a timely and effective manner.
1.) How do you feel about current and future residential and commercial development/redevelopment taking place in Evesham? How do you think it affects residents and the township as a whole?
While Evesham Township is the largest community in Burlington County, we still maintain that small town feeling. The Evesham Celebrations Foundation, which I helped to create, is able to provide programs for the residents to enjoy in our historic downtown area using no taxpayer dollars such as the Taste of Evesham, the Independence Day Parade and the Harvest Fest.
Recognizing the community asset that is our historic Main Street, we commissioned a study which led to the creation of the Evesham 2020 plan.
That document, created with the input of hundreds of residents, is used to guide our work revitalizing Evesham’s Main Street and the surrounding areas. We employ highly qualified professionals who use smart growth principles to ensure that to the greatest extent possible this development provides maximum value to new and existing residents alike.
There are a number of existing buildings around town that need to be revitalized as well, and we continue to work to see that happen. New Jersey’s economy has evolved, and the usage of these spaces must keep pace. We are continually looking for ways to redevelop existing commercial properties into mixed use spaces that attract a variety of tenants and broaden the tax base for the township without straining services. Examples of these practices are seen in several areas along the Route 70 and Route 73 corridors.
Our community continues to be a great place to live, shop, work and raise a family. Our continued efforts to renovate vacant and dilapidated properties allow us to maintain that desirability.
My parents raised me in this town. I have continued that tradition with my wife as we raise our two kids here. Evesham is in my blood. I feel it is important to have someone on town council who understands the history of this great township through a lifetime of experience so that the balance between future development and preserving the culture of our community can be maintained.
2. How would you rate the municipality’s ability to communicate with residents and respond to their needs? What would you continue or change?
Communication to the residents has greatly improved over the last four years.
We have adopted new technologies such as Nixle and Nextdoor and have increased the flow of information shared through Facebook and Twitter. The township website has recently been upgraded to allow online payments and now includes an “Ask Evesham” function allowing residents another channel to communicate with their local government.
Our police department also continues its successful outreach through its “Coffee with a Cop” community events along with its police academies and trading cards with the ultimate goal of establishing their presence in an approachable way.
We also developed a program by which an initial survey is sent to new residents allowing them to offer feedback and comparable insight from their former location that helps us in our development of priorities.
However, there is always room to improve. We will continue to seek out ways to enhance our outreach and obtain feedback from our community.
