Mt. Laurel Township Council used its Feb. 8 meeting to honor Adath Emanu-El synagogue for outstanding service to the township.
Council specifically highlighted a recent initiative at the synagogue in which teens in seventh grade and older hosted a holiday party for 17 young adults from Covenant House, a facility that provides shelter for homeless youth in Atlantic City and also performs counseling at a drop-in center in Camden.
During the event, the teens from Adath and Covenant House youths made sure to mingle with those they did not already know by sitting at tables based on birth month and seeking out kids with the same first name or similarly colored shirts.
According to the proclamation honoring Adath and the nearly 60 teens who hosted the party, the goal of the Adath teens was to go beyond simply donating to the less fortunate during the holidays and instead reach out in other ways and to give of themselves.
Ultimately, the event celebrated the similarities of all the youths involved, and Mayor Linda Bobo thanked the synagogue and teens for their service to the township.
“On behalf of the township of Mt. Laurel, we really appreciate all of the good work that you do, and I always say that one of the things that makes this community such a great place to live and work and raise a family is because of people like you,” Bobo said.
In other news:
— Four members of council voted to reappoint Mt. Laurel Municipal Utilities Authority board member Geraldine Nardello to the MUA board, with Councilmember Jim Keenan casting the lone vote against the reappointment.
Keenan said he was concerned council did not have the chance to question Nardello in person on her wish to be reappointed to the board, as Nardello was not present at the Feb. 8 meeting. Keenan was also upset Nardello’s wish to continue to serve on the board was relayed to the township through the township clerk by email from the MUA director and not from Nardello herself.
Keenan also questioned the finances of the MUA regarding increases in employee salaries.
“It’s a person who spends million of dollars. When you read those minutes and you look at all those water and sewer lines being broken down, water pumps breaking, I would have liked to have spoken to that person in particular and asked why she would like to be back on that board,” Keenan said.
Before the vote, Councilmember Rich Van Noord noted that if Nordello did not want the job, she could turn down the job and the position would remain vacant.
— The next meeting of the Mt. Laurel Council is scheduled for Feb. 22.
