Jan. 28 Evesham Council Meeting: Mayor Randy Brown Not Running For Congress
More than 100 Evesham residents were in attendance for the Evesham Township Council meeting on Jan. 28, most of them families of students who were there to be honored with various proclamations from the council.
It was there in front of the crowd before the meeting officially began that Mayor Randy Brown, standing with his daughters by his side, made a special announcement.
“I’m not going to run for congress,” Brown said. “I’m going to run for mayor again.”
And with that, Brown ended recent speculation that he would be running for New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District seat and that his current term as mayor of Evesham Township would be his last.
Brown said over the past few months, he had spoken to many different party leaders, both local and national, and ultimately decided he could not devote the time and effort needed to raise money and run for national office, citing the toll such a run would take on his ability to raise his daughters.
“I didn’t think this was the right place and time,” Brown said.
Instead, Brown will once again seek another term as mayor, running along with current council members Debbie Hackman and Steven Zeuli.
Brown said making a difference in Evesham residents’ lives was the biggest thing driving him, and he would continue to focus on areas such as the new sports complex, ongoing commercial development and other infrastructure projects.
“We’ve tried to make this town the best place to live every day,” Brown said.
After his announcement, the meeting was officially called to order, and Evesham Police Chief Christopher Chew presented council with a report on the falling crime rate in Evesham.
Chew told the council the department had been utilizing the Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety law enforcement model, which uses data to map the areas where crime and traffic most likely occur and allows for a smarter placement of patrols based on that data.
Chew also noted the success of the four separate DUI checkpoints the department operated at different times throughout 2013.
Brown praised Chew and his department for their work, and consulted with the township manager and attorney to determine if there was anything more outside of financial measures the council could do to assist police.
“Legally, is there anything that prevents us from doing as many DUI checkpoints as we want?” Brown asked.
Brown said the matter would have to be discussed in future council work sessions.
Later during the meeting, council approved a resolution executing the shared services agreement with Burlington County for snow plowing activities.
At the meeting on Jan. 6, council discussed entering into a shared services agreement where Evesham would be permitted to assist in treating county roads.
By the time of the Jan. 21–22 snowstorm Evesham Township was granted snow-plowing duties of all county roads in Evesham, and Brown praised the work of Tom Kohl, superintendent at the Public Works department, for the work his department did handling the snow.
“It’s a win for the county, it’s a win for us,” Brown said. “We’ve had a lot of positive feedback.”
In other news:
• Council issued proclamations honoring several fifth-grade student government bodies from Richard L. Rice, J. Harold Van Zant and Robert B. Jaggard elementary schools for their charity work and efforts to improve both their schools and surrounding communities.
• Council issued a proclamation honoring Marlton Recreation Council’s cross country team. The team recently placed eighth in the nation at the Amateur Athletic Union National Championship.
• Council issued a proclamation honoring Whole Foods Market Marlton for having received the Whole Foods Market Mid-Atlantic All Star Award. The award notes Whole Foods Market Marlton as the №1 Whole Foods Store in the Mid-Atlantic region from New Jersey through Virginia.
• Council issued a proclamation honoring the Evesham Township Environmental Commission for having received Sustainable Jersey Bronze certification. Sustainable Jersey is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization leading a certification program for municipalities that want to go green, save money and take steps to sustain their quality of life over the long term.
