Mayor Joann Gattinelli announced Memorial Day celebration ceremonies and a new community event, Coffee with the Mayor
Memorial Day ceremony
As we approach Memorial Day, it is always important to remind ourselves of the purpose of this holiday. Memorial Day is time to recognize those who have given their lives in exchange for our freedom in this country. To remember our fallen heroes and pay homage to them and their families, Washington Township holds a Memorial Day ceremony in Veteran’s Park, next to the police station and high school. This ceremony will be held on Memorial Day, Monday, May 29 at 11 a.m. The ROTC will open with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the singing of the National Anthem by Antonia Brunetti. The Washington Township High School Wind Ensemble will also play music throughout the ceremony. We are lucky enough to have William Bleiler, chaplin of the state, giving an invocation. Colonel Kennedy, the wing vice commander with the 177th Airwing out of Atlantic City, will be the guest speaker. I will also offer a few words reflecting on the importance of recognizing and remembering our heroes. There is a plaque to remember the deceased on the wall at Veteran’s Park. The wall was expanded by one of our Eagle Scouts to create more room for plaques to be hung in remembrance of those who gave their lives for our country. I encourage everyone to attend to experience a time of reflection and remembrance for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
Coffee with the Mayor
As many of you now know, my administration has been working hard to make sure we do things in the most efficient way possible so we can improve services without increasing taxes. I am passionate about the issues that are important to our residents. We have received positive feedback from those who took advantage of the small group budget workshops with the business administrator and chief financial officer. Now, I want to provide residents another way to express positive and constructive ideas for our community directly to me. I came up with the idea to have a small, casual meet-and-greet conversation, limited to four people, where residents can ask me a couple of questions in advance so I can prepare some information, which we will discuss over coffee. These meetings will be held each month from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., starting in June. Please stay tuned for the specific starting date. Residents will have the opportunity to send questions in advance to allow me time to prepare any background information that would be helpful for our discussion. To stay up-to-date, be sure to check the website events and our social media pages for this and other upcoming events.
Joann Gattinelli is the mayor of Washington Township. She can be reached at mayorgattinelli@twp.washington.nj.us.
