Photo courtesy of The Philadelphia Inquirer
Democracy prevails in Evesham, New Jersey when a ban that prevented the public from having their questions answered at council meetings was lifted.
For the past two months, Mayor Randy Brown has largely refused to answer any question or complaints proposed to him by his constituents and only occasionally answering them during the comment section at the end of the meeting.
This silence originally began when Brown was told that he was “acting like a jerk” during meetings for not answering the questions which were posed.
After two long months of forced silence the rule was finally lifted and residents were once again allowed to speak during the meetings, a welcomed change.
"I see tonight things have changed, and I compliment the council for that," said Kenneth Mills, an 81-year-old Eversham resident who frequently attends meetings.
Mills had been the person who called the mayor a jerk in December.
The meeting was attended by 60 people — an abnormally large amount for the township — and residents believed that the size of the crowd was what changed the mayor’s mind.
Brown, a kicking coach for the Baltimore Ravens, has thrown his support behind a $1.5 million artificial-turf field that residents have expressed health concerns over. Brown had played football at Catawba College from 1985-88.
The questionable actions of the mayor go beyond a turf field and a strict cone of silence during meetings, the residents of Evesham are plagued by other worries about their elected official.
Concerns include appointments to the senior advisory board committee as well as possible tax breaks for the mayor because of the land which he owns.
Whether the lift on the silence ban will halt the shady going ons in the township remains to be seen, but residents should be looking on the bright side.
The mayor may be disregarding the town’s health and making questionable committee appointments, but at least the town can comment on it during town meetings.
state@dailytarheel.com
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