Silence is often described as golden, but at the March 17 meeting of the Evesham Township Council, it was the absence of silence that several residents were praising.
For the first time since February, Mayor Randy Brown and members of council interacted with residents directly as a meeting was in session and responded to residents’ questions as they were asked during the multiple public comment portions of the meeting.
This was a departure from several previous meetings during which Brown and council had taken a stance of not immediately answering questions asked during public comment portions of the meeting, instead choosing to respond during the council comments session at the end of meetings or not at all.
The issue received coverage from several news outlets in tri-state area, with stories also eventually popping up on news websites and outlets across the nation.
As the meeting took place, Brown, a Republican, the other four Republican members of council, the township solicitor and township manager answered several questions from residents regarding bond ordinances, land development and other issues.
Resident Kenneth Mills complimented council on things seemingly changing, himself having had several questions answered earlier in the meeting, and said the speech he had prepared was rendered moot.
“Even though the mayor called me Harry Reid on the radio the other day, I’m still willing to let bygones be bygones, but I hope that this council will take some action and be more independent,” Mills said. “This is what should happen at every meeting. People should ask questions, they should get answers.”
In the past, Brown had identified Mills as a political opponent who has consistently campaigned against Brown.
The March 17 meeting was also heavily attended, and Mills said he believed that might have helped turn the tide regarding residents having their questions answered.
“We’re not here to crucify anybody, but we do like to have answers, and I want to compliment all of the people that showed up tonight, and I think that helped turn the tide here on the idea not to comment on public comments,” Mills said.
Former Democratic council member Mike Schmidt, who served from 2005–2009 and ran against Brown in the 2010 mayoral elections, said he hadn’t attended a meeting in awhile but had read the media accounts.
“It’s nice to see some interaction with our residents here, so I think we got to keep that up. It’s what I knew when I lived here on this council, so I’d say keep the discussion flowing,” Schmidt said. “Our residents deserve, there’s 50,000 of us represented by 100 people in this room tonight, so they deserve answers if they have questions, to the best of your ability. So I think that’s a fair expectation of council.”
Schmidt also suggested council consider televising meetings or putting recordings online for people who can’t attend in person.
“I think it will serve you well as you articulate your vision for this town, and it will also serve our residents well because even if they can’t get to a meeting, they can go to a website,” Schmidt said.
At the end of the meeting, Brown reiterated a point he has made in public before that it is his belief that a majority of those attending meetings and asking questions are doing so for political motivations.
“This is 100 percent politically motivated,” Brown said. “The interaction, as Michael knows, as he sat up here with us, has not changed with the public from the moment I sat here as mayor to where I am today.”
In the past, he has expressed his belief that the majority of residents speak through elections, and Brown said those who disagree with him should run for office.
“As I look out there, at least the people that we beat in elections have the courage to put their names on a ballot,” Brown said. “But some of you, who as I will say, lead the for-nothing, against-everything charge, put your name on a ballot.”
