The BERKELEY Times Vol. 28 - No. 32
In This Week’s Edition
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Community News Pages 9-12
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 14
Inside The Law Page 17
This land north of Mastapeter Funeral Home will be preserved. By Chris Lundy BERKELEY – An open space north of Mastapeter Funeral Home will likely remain that way – open space – as the township and county work to
preserve it. This is the small lot adjacent to the funeral home that has the white fence in front of it. Although it might not look like much, it’s approximately 2.5
─Photo by Chris Lundy
acres. A photo from the 1930s on display in town hall shows that the land used to house Scherrer’s Gas Station. Later, it was Mother Earth’s Garden Center. “He’s looking to re-
tire,” Mayor Carmen A m at o s a id of t he owner. “He’s been approached by developers and he came to me to sell it.” This made him recall (Land - See Page 4)
5 Candidates Challenging Assembly Seats By Stephanie Faughnan OCEAN COUNTY - Incumbents DiAnne Gove and Brian Rumpf face at least five challengers for the Republican line in the state’s 9th Legislative District Assembly race. Four of the five are past or present mayors in southern Ocean County communities.
Bot h La cey Mayor Tim McDonald and Committeeman Mark Dykoff, a past Lacey mayor, said they intend to meet with the GOP screening committee. Stafford Mayor Greg Myhre and former Barnegat Mayor John Novak have also announced their plans to seek approval for the GOP line.
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Berkeley Councilman James Byrnes currently poses the sole challenger from the northern end of the legislative district. Berkeley Mayor Carmen Amato stands as the only GOP candidate seeking to replace Senator Chris Connors in the wake of his retirement. Ocean County Republican Chair George R.
Gilmore said those who have turned in letters of intention would be scheduled to meet with the screening committee on Febr uar y 11. Gilmore has not yet named the members of this year’s committee, which will undoubtedly be different than those under the last chair, Frank Holman. Recommendations
then go to Ocean County GOP elected committee people who will vote on their selection at the mini-convention scheduled for March 8. As the head of the Ocean County GOP, Gilmore has extraordinary influence on who gets the line on the ballot. However, with so many candidates,
(Assembly - See Page 5)
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January 21, 2023
Mayor Amato Announces Senate Bid By Chris Lundy BERKELEY – When Senator Chris Connors announced his retirement earlier this month, speculation began about who would take his place and Mayor Carmen Amato was on that list. Now, he has formally announced his candidacy. “I am thrilled to announce my candidacy as I seek to represent the extraordinary people of the Ninth Legislative District. I believe my service for the past 11 years as mayor of Berkeley Township will provide great insight into the issues and concerns of all of the people who choose to call this magnificent area of the State of New Jersey home,” he said.
Amato, a Republican, has been a member of both the Berkeley Township and Central Regional School Boards for seven and five years, respectively. He is the director of the county’s Printing and Graphics Department. He also serves on the Ocean County Board of Health, and the Ocean County Utilities Authority. He will have to be vetted among other Republicans interested in the spot. As of right now, he’s the only one who has announced his candidacy. An internal vote in that party will choose who they want to represent them on the ballot in November. He might still face a (Amato - See Page 10)
HIGH SCHOOLER’S RESEARCH MAKES NATIONAL NEWS
By Chris Lundy TOMS RIVER – A high school student brought national attention to her local project: providing habitat and awareness for the bee population. Kaitlyn Culbert was interviewed by CBS after winning the 2022 New Jersey Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award.
T h e H i g h S c h o ol North Junior is on a roll, winning scientific awards and educating others. Last year, her work was published in Journal of Research, High School. “Honey bees are a vital species in our ecosystem, they pollinate 73% of the world’s (Research - See Page 20)
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