On behalf of our entire community, I want to commend Lt. Brian Hauss, Lt. Drew Hayes, Det./Sgt. Rob Layton, Det./Cpl. Jeff Krieger, patrolman Greg Sweeney, patrolman Alex Stewart and patrolman Andrew Glaser of the Mantua Township Police Department for participating in this year’s upcoming Police Unity Tour.
Our incredible team of officers will ride their bicycles during National Police Week (May 11 to May 17) more than 200 miles from here to Washington, D.C., to honor those in law enforcement who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
On May 9, our amazing Unity Tour participants and more than 100 other riders were expected to stop at McCarson Park here in Mantua to pay their respects to state trooper Eli McCarson, who perished in the line of duty back in December 2015. The park on East Mercer Avenue was subsequently dedicated in trooper McCarson’s honor back in 2016.
On May 7, our unity tour team met with Deputy Mayor John Legge, Committeeman Jay Snyder and me at the new “We Support Mantua Police” sign at Chestnut Branch Park, recently donated by Mike Layton of Car Effex. We took this opportunity to graciously thank our officers for their dedicated service to our community and for proudly representing Mantua Township during National Police Week.
Committeeman Jack Steen and I had a great time attending the Pups in the Park and Community Yard Sale events at Chestnut Branch Park on May 3. For us, it was much more than just another community event, it was an opportunity to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Chestnut Branch Park being made a “dog friendly” facility. The weather was beautiful, and much fun was had by all who attended, especially those who celebrated with their four-legged fur babies.
Also on May 3, it was a tremendous privilege for Committeeman Steen and I to participate in District 13’s annual VFW car show in support of the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home of Vineland. We pride ourselves on fostering a positive relationship with local veterans and maintaining a very supportive environment. This is another example of our veteran community doing great things here in Mantua. We’re always honored to have their backs and to align with them for worthy causes.
We filmed Mayor’s Message #30 with a panel from the police department’s leadership team on April 30. Capt. Bill Murphy, Lt. Hauss and Det./Sgt. Layton discuss the police department’s recent statewide ranking for drug-related arrests. Learn why this is positive proactive policing and not something that should be overly alarming to our residents. Look for this valuable information on our social media platforms and on our website at mantuatownship.com/mayors-message.
On April 27, Deputy Mayor Legge, Committeewoman Eileen Lukens and Committeeman Steen attended the 4th annual Casey Power Foundation 5K walk and run at Chestnut Branch Park. Many attendees came together to walk and run in support of the foundation’s incredible mission to raise awareness of domestic violence.
Our thoughts and prayers are always with Casey and her family, especially her mother, Maryanne Powers. Maryanne has turned tragedy into a positive for our community by helping to spreading domestic violence awareness. For this, we are truly grateful.
Committeewoman Lukens, Committeeman Steen, Committeeman Snyder and I were honored to attend Mantua’s annual Lawson-Cox VFW Post 7679 annual community awards banquet on April 26. We would like to congratulate all this year’s honorees, but want to give special recognition to the following individuals who graciously serve our township:
Police officer: Arthur Ettore
Police Explorer: Andrew Meeks
Firefighter: Matt Repas
EMT: Josh Myers
Citizen of the year: Jeff Gellenthin
This is why Mantua Township is such a wonderful place to live and raise our families. We have so many incredible people who contribute effectively to our successes and who look out for one another. We are truly blessed to have great emergency services, great schools and passionate volunteers like Jeff Gellenthin. Thank you to all the award recipients for the extreme dedication and hard work.
On April 18, I presented a special proclamation to William T. Hoffman and the Hoffman Exterminating team for their outstanding commitment to Mantua and beyond. Beyond business, Hoffman Exterminating is known for giving back, supporting everything from Police Night Out to the Ronald McDonald House, Habitat for Humanity and Camp Out for Hunger.
