MICKLETON– At the beginning of their meeting on Oct. 25, the East Greenwich Township Committee honored 12-year old Cody Mann as the Young Entrepreneur Small Business Owner of the Year. Mann was recognized by the Committee for building and operating a produce stand with his father on Kings Highway.
But the young man ran into some adversity along the way. The Mann’s stand was robbed two times by vehicles with out-of-state license plates. Mann was presented with a proclamation by the Committee for keeping the stand going with his hard work and perseverance.
Committeeman Rick Schober called Mann’s produce stand “not something you see every day.” Schober praised Mann for his steadfastness, saying, “Steadfastness upon not achieving success right away is perseverance.”
“Perseverance will take you to success later in life,” Schober added. “I look forward to seeing your stand up there in the future.”
Deputy Mayor Jim Philbin observed, “When you take the initiative to start a small business, it is very impressive.”
“If you keep working hard, you’ll have a bright future,” commented Committeeman Stephen Bottiglieri. “Keep up the good work.”
East Greenwich Mayor said Mann’s story really touched him. “It’s great to see a young man who is dedicated and committed,” praised Archer.
The mayor also gave Mann a Theodore Roosevelt quote, partly reading, “There is no effort without error. You have to have the courage to get out there and do it, and not worry about criticism.”
Elsewhere, the Committee passed a resolution authorizing participation in the local prescription drug program provided by New Jersey State health benefits plan, and adopted another one allowing them into the state health benefits employee dental plans. “The dental plan will provide better dental care to all of our employees at no increased cost to the township,” Bottiglieri noted.
Bottiglieri also discussed a Best Practices Worksheet that is being used by East Greenwich. It’s kind of a pass/fail grade on some elements of the township, the Committeeman explained. “Some suggestions are made, and some may be used when we reach out to our department heads to work out our 2017 budget.
Bottiglieri pointed out that East Greenwich is on budget or under it in all departments at the time of the meeting.
Elsewhere, East Greenwich Township Police Chief Chris Everwine reported 1,454 calls to service for his department during September, along with 252 motor vehicle summonses. Everwine mentioned that local police get a number of calls about speeding in town, but noted that enforcement was up, as 147 motor vehicle summonses were issued during September 2015.
Chief Everwine also added that East Greenwich’s monthly crimelogs were now being posted on Facebook.
During the public portion of the meeting, the Committee received praise for its new newsletter. The first edition, 20 pages, came out the same day.
“One of our goals upon joining this Committee was to increase transparency,” commented Archer. “Our newsletter is funded entirely by its vendors and advertisers.”
— by Robert Holt
