HHS students in their
finest for promenade
p. 31
Friday, May 18: 25th
Cruisin’ MainStreet
p. 17-22
Head to Hershey, Pa.
for a fun weekend
p. 47
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
BOE GIVES
SEAT
TO
BERMUDEZ
School board OKs 1.84-cent tax hike
Volume 22 • Issue 19
www.hammontongazette.com
by Lauren Bucci
G AZETTE S TAFF W RITER
HAMMONTON—After failing to pass
on its first vote, the Hammonton Board of
Education approved a motion to appoint
prior board member Manny Bermudez to the
vacant board seat with a second vote of 5-3
at its meeting on May 3.
Two candidates — former board member
Bermudez and Erica Polito, who was less
than 50 votes shy of being elected to the
board in November — interviewed before
the board for the opportunity to fill the va-
cant seat. The candidates were asked the
same seven questions addressing their skills
and abilities, budget experience, institutional
evaluation experience, situational awareness
in dealing with parent concerns, their view
of the role of a board member and their
availability to carry out the duties of a board
member.
“There are seven prepared questions, very
similar to what we have used in the past, ob-
viously … our solicitor had changed it up a
little bit just because we weren’t going to use
the same exact questions that we just …
used in the past December,” Hammonton
HPD make several All together at HHS Prom
arrests locally
by Gabe Donio
G AZETTE S TAFF W RITER
HAMMONTON—Police made
a number of arrests locally, includ-
ing the following, Hammonton De-
tective Sgt. Edward Slimm said.
• On April 30 at 8:35 p.m.,
See SCHOOL, Page 4
Dashone Casper, 23, of Berlin Bor-
ough was arrested at the Hammon-
ton Police Department, Slimm
said.
He was arrested for a warrant
from Pine Hill Municipal Court for
$1,000, Slimm said.
Casper was released on his own
Plng. Board OKs
minor subdivision
by Stephen Pistone
G AZETTE S TAFF W RITER
HAMMONTON—During its
meeting on May 2, the planning
board unanimously approved a
minor subdivision that will allow
for a property, located at 2 Girard
Lane, to be subdivided into two
See POLICE, Page 10
parcels of land—one of which
will be the site of a future home.
The applicant, Ann Marie
Silipino, attended the meeting,
accompanied by project planner
and professional land surveyor
Robert Scott Smith, of Key
Engineers in Berlin. Silipino is
seeking to subdivide the 0.75-acre
THG/Kelly Hunt. To purchase photos in The Gazette, call (609) 704-1940.
Hammonton High School held its promenade before the big dance on May 4. Following the promenade in front of
fellow students, relatives and friends, the students headed to the Prom at the Sheraton in Atlantic CIty (above). Paige
Beaudry, Gionna Perna, Destiny Rayner, April Sandoval, Ava Procaccini, Sean Cocuzza, Alex Lanutti, Jade Lauria, Devin
Puri and Hailey Christon getting ready to head to the Sheraton in their rented limo bus. For more pictures from the
promenade, see Page 31.
Giving out some tasty hoagies Council completes
Kramer land swap
See PLANNING, Page 3
by Stephen Pistone
G AZETTE S TAFF W RITER
HAMMONTON—Council con-
cluded its role in a land swap with
Kramer Beverage Company during
its meeting on April 23 by holding
and approving second readings of a
pair of ordinances that will vacate
a parcel of town-owned land and
transmit its ownership to Kramer in
exchange for a parcel of land that is
more highly-valued, according to
town officials.
Ordinance No. 017-2018 pro-
posed to vacate the town’s owner-
ship of a portion of the right of way
on the roadway Commerce Way
(Block 1201, Lot 45 on the town
tax map) that is located in between
two properties owned by the town
and Kramer respectively. The land
Hunter speaks at
HSH monthly mtg.
by Stephen Pistone
G AZETTE S TAFF W RITER
THG/MarySusan Hoffman. To purchase photos in The Gazette, call (609) 704-1940.
Primo Hoagies in Hammonton distributed hoagie trays throughout the week of April 30 to help promote National
Hoagie Day, which was held on May 5. John Perrotta with Hammonton Vol. Fire Co. No. 1 Second Lt. Eric Adkisson
on May 2. More pictures inside.
SUBSCRIBE TO The
HAMMONTON—Ralph E.
Hunter, founder and president of
the African-American Heritage
Museum of Southern New Jersey
(AAHMSNJ) was the guest
See COUNCIL, Page 2
speaker during the Historical So-
ciety of Hammonton’s (HSH)
community program at the Ham-
monton Canoe Club on May 3.
During the program, Hunter re-
counted the story of how he
founded the AAHMSNJ, which is
Gazette • $20 FOR 52 WEEKS • CALL 609-704-1939
See HSH, Page 8