Pennington Borough Council held their regular meeting on Monday, November 1 via Zoom.
Halloween
Pennington resident Mark Blackwell opened the meeting with a concern about Halloween. He explained that while closing certain Borough streets to traffic provides the ability for children to trick or treat safely, some neighbors are not pleased. Blackwell stated: “We usually have about 100 trick or treaters and now we have five. I noticed that they closed down part of the town. Me and my neighbors, we feel left out.”
Borough Council member, Charles “Chico” Marciante recommended a possible roving street closing. He suggested rotating it since some people had no tick-or-treaters and some had too many. The Council agreed to discuss the issue further and plan for next year.
Police Promotions
Mayor Davy presented three resolutions regarding personnel changes in the police department, including two promotions and one new hire.
Senior Patrol Officer Novin Thomas was promoted to sergeant. Davy noted Thomas’s positive attitude, which gained him the nickname “Mayor of Pennington.” Thomas was hired in September of 1997 by Pennington Borough, making him a 24-year veteran of the police department. Davy noted that, “throughout his tenure, Officer Thomas has earned the respect and gratitude of residents receiving letters of appreciation from the public for his service. In 1997 he received the Knights of Columbus shield award.”
Thomas shared his gratitude with the Council. “Thank you to each and every one of you for this promotion,” he said. “It is kind of overwhelming at this point in time. I just want to say thank you.” Thomas continued: “I just want to say one more thing. Thank you to my father, he could not be here with me tonight. This is really dedicated to him and all he did.”
Davy also promoted Senior Patrol Officer Daryl Burroughs, Jr. to sergeant. Another long-term veteran of the department, Burroughs was hired in 2008. Davy listed the many accolades Burroughs has received including the Shield Award from Knights of Columbus, the Life Saving Award from Pennington Borough, the Knights of Columbus Officer of the Year and the MADD award for most DUI’s issued in the year 2018.
Mayor Davy stated “Officer Burroughs is a valued member of Pennington Police Department and the Borough is proud to support his promotion to Sergeant of the Pennington Police Department.”
Finally, Mayor Davy announced the hiring of Mark G. Caruso as a probationary police officer. The Council voted unanimously to approve both the promotions and the new hire. The oath of office was administered by Borough Attorney Walter Bliss.
Borough Business
Mayor Davy introduced the Government Management Advisors Report, which was compiled and submitted to the Council by Greg Fehrenbech. The report stated that the Borough suffers from” tissue paper thin” administrative services. Many municipalities face the same issues but the effect is a lack of support and services. “The Borough not only has no bench, but at times it can’t field a full line-up.” Fehrenbech submitted his full report to the Borough Council which will be reviewed and remedies will be weighed.
Two important resolutions were passed by the Council regarding the Pennington Police Department. One was for purchasing new body cameras and the other authorized purchasing of new rifles under the NJ State contract for the department.
Pickleball received a temporary, surprise reprieve. The Pennington School has offered players the opportunity to use their tennis courts for Pickleball play through the winter months. The school offered to assist the Council by volunteering court time to players and taping off the courts to make play possible. Davy expressed thanks to The Pennington School for their generous offer.
Edited 11/12 to correct date.
