Happy New Year, Neighbors!
As we begin 2024, I’m excited to share plans for special events and upcoming items of public interest:
MLK
Our Borough will honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. beginning on Saturday, Jan. 13 with a walking tour hosted by The Preserving Black Haddonfield History Project at 10AM (tour begins at Centennial Field, 20 Park Place), as well as a lecture at noon by Ellen Alford, esteemed author of ‘Abolition and the Underground Railroad in South Jersey: Not Without a Fight,’ (Borough Hall auditorium, 242 Kings Hwy E). Then, on Jan. 15, our annual MLK March for Peace, hosted by the Haddonfield Human Relations Commission, will begin at 6:30 p.m. (steps of Borough Hall, 242 Kings Hwy E.).
Registration for Saturday’s events may be accessed on the Haddonfield Public Library website: www.haddonfieldlibrary.org; no registration is required for the March for Peace.
Winterfest in Downtown Haddonfield
Beginning Friday, Jan. 19, our Downtown will be the place to be! This year’s Winterfest celebration promises to be full of retail sales & promotions, delicious dining, plus ample opportunities to celebrate with family, friends & neighbors. On Friday evening ice sculptures will line Kings Highway to welcome shoppers; Saturday we will host our second annual Souper Bowl, featuring mouth-watering soups by our local food & beverage businesses, all to benefit Cathedral Kitchen; and on Sunday, be sure to bring your little ones to meet Bluey for winter photo ops and tons of fun in Kings Court! We’ll also have ribbon cuttings celebrating two of our newest businesses, and a festive winter photo station for all ages near our beloved Haddy. For more details, or to purchase tickets to the Souper Bowl, visit www.downtownhaddonfield.com
As the Commissioner Liaison for both our Haddonfield Human Relations Commission and the Partnership for Haddonfield Business Improvement District, it brings me so much fulfillment & joy to contribute to these concepts and bring events like this to life. The volunteers who work on these and our other events are to be commended for their dedication and hard work – thank you, all!
Mayors’ Breakfast, Citizen of the Year (COTY) and Youth of the Year (YOTY) Awards
Also happening on Saturday, Jan. 20 is the annual Mayor’s Breakfast, including presentation of the COTY & YOTY awards, hosted by our Haddonfield Area Lions Club. The breakfast begins at 9 a.m. at Tavistock Country Club; for more information, visit www.haddonfieldlions.org
I hope to see you there!
Before closing, I also want to take an opportunity to make sure residents are aware of the many ways they are able to communicate directly with me and my fellow Commissioners, and reiterate the multiple opportunities to receive Borough news:
- Meetings:
We host public meetings on the second and fourth Mondays of each month (with the exception of public holidays or specific special meetings, all of which are advertised in accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act). Last year, we began hybrid Commissioner meetings to increase accessibility, convenience, and transparency; allowing you to attend from the comfort of your own couch or kitchen table thanks to Zoom. All are welcome, and we open to the public for comments at each of these meetings, including those on Zoom. - Email:
Emails are a preferred method of communication for all Commissioners, as we each hold full-time “day jobs” in addition to our Borough service. Importantly, no Commissioner has a private office at Borough Hall, so email is the easiest way for us to initiate scheduling of calls or in-person meetings with our constituents. In our fast-paced world, email enables us to forward action items & inquiries to appropriate staff persons who can often provide quicker or initially more comprehensive responses because they are physically in Borough Hall each day, with access to files, colleagues, and more.
My email is [email protected]. Please retain and use it to communicate with me; I have it set to send an OOF reply that contains departmental contact information so that if you do need immediate assistance from a specific department or in relation to a certain type of issue, you are provided with the departmental contacts and tel. numbers right away and can take action while awaiting my response if necessary. - Tel. & Text:
Want to reach me directly? My cell is (856) 673-6424. I respond to this number daily. Please be sure to leave your name, number and a brief synopsis of the subject matter, and I will response within 24 to 48 hours, provided I am not ill or on vacation. - App:
We introduced the Haddonfield Happenings App (HHA) last year, making history as we did so – the first Haddonfield Borough Administration to provide urgent and important notifications to residents via an app. The HAA was the most efficient and helpful mode of communication during the 4 Jul storm, enabling us to provide warnings, instructions, and updates on public safety, storm clean up, power outages, etc. at a time when needed most. Download the app to stay up to date on things like upcoming events and road closures, too. - Social Media:
Borough Social media provides updates on municipal services, as well as celebratory & event-related posts, public notices, and press releases. It’s a great place to enjoy photos from our special events, too! Friendly reminder from our fire & police chiefs: Facebook is not the place to report public safety issues or emergencies. This issue, which has grown commonplace in recent years, is one of the reasons we turned off commenting on Borough & HPD social media in 2023.
In case of emergencies, always dial 9-1-1, and to report non-emergencies call the police non-emergency line at (856) 429-3000. - Website:
Stay tuned for the redesigned Borough website, launching in Q1!
With gratitude and wishes for a healthy, happy, prosperous, and peaceful new year,
Mayor Colleen Bianco Bezich
