The JACKSON Times Vol. 22 - No. 32
In This Week’s Edition
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
Interim Police Chief Named
BREAKING NEWS @
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Government Pages 6
Community News Pages 7-8
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 10
Classifieds Page 15
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Photo courtesy Jackson Police Captain Mary Nelson was appointed interim chief.
By Bob Vosseller JACKSON – Captain Mary Nelson has been appointed interim police chief. Not only is she the township’s first female interim chief, she was also the first female lieutenant and captain. She will be formerly sworn in early next week. Township officials described Nelson as representing “leadership, professionalism and the future direction of the township police department. Chief Nelson brings a high level of experience, integrity and forward-thinking vision that reflects the values and expectations of Jackson Township.” Nelson started her law enforcement career with the Ocean Township (Waretown) Police Department in 2001 and served as a dispatcher for a year and a half prior to attending the Burlington County Police Academy in early 2003. She was hired by the Jackson Police Department in August of 2004. She served as a patrol officer and also field training officer before being promoted to sergeant in 2011. Nelson was promoted to lieutenant in 2018 and assigned to supervise a patrol platoon. The interim chief earned a master’s degree in administrative science through Fairleigh Dickinson University and has attended the Certified Public Manager’s course through Rutgers University and has also earned numerous other certifications throughout her career. In June of 2022, Nelson was promoted to the rank of captain during a Township Council meeting. Chief Matthew Kunz (whose last day was January 31, 2026) said during her promotion to captain that Nelson had served as an instructor for the department and at the Ocean County Police Academy. Additionally, she had served as the administrative (Police Chief - See Page 4)
Park Upgrades Needed, But Price High By Bob Vosseller JACKSON – Recreation projects were outlined by Municipal Engineer Charles Cunliffe during a recent Township Council meeting. “The Recreation Committee was reestablished over the summer and one of the first things we did was look comprehensively at all the recreational facilities throughout the township to assess what the needs and wants were,” Cunliffe said. The township had spent a considerable amount of money a few years ago on some of its athletic fields, including “resurfacing the fields at the Justice Complex over at Holman. The town has also spent a significant amount of money over the last five to 10 years upgrading the playgrounds and a lot of the parks,” Cunliffe noted. He explained the youth softball program does not have its own designated facility. They use the fields at the Justice Complex and
on Bartley Road, leased through the Jackson Little League and Holbrook Little League. “While they do have the right to use those entities, they kind of have second choice of timing of when they can use those facilities. Secondly there is no full size adult slow pitch softball fields within Jackson Township, especially without any lights. We did discuss over in Lakewood, Pine Park had a series of fields but certain adults are not allowed to use those facilities anymore so there is no home for those users in Jackson who used to use those fields,” Cunliffe added. The Recreation Committee looked at the three existing fields at Camp Joy which were found to be a little worse for wear and need “some grading and touching up. There is no irrigation,” Cunliffe said as he presented a slide show presentation illustrating a plan to (Park Upgrades - See Page 4)
February 7, 2026
Officials Praise Response To Snowstorm
By Bob Vosseller JACKSON – Township officials reviewed snow cleanup procedures, provided an update on the status of the Rova Farms project, and introduced three ordinances during the latest council meeting. Mayor Jennifer Kuhn, Council President Mordechai Burnstein, Council Vice President Guisseppe Palmeri and Councilman Nino Borrelli praised the staff of Department of Public Works on their work in snow clearing as well as others involved with recent winter weather. “We had boots on the ground. Communication was just amazing. We haven’t had a snow storm like this in quite a while,” the mayor remarked. “Morale was very high. These guys worked endlessly and were very good. We were all working together as a team.” She added, “we opened up the senior center. Thank God, we didn’t need it but we did have it as a warming station and we also had the library. We wanted to keep all the residents updated with everything that was going on and hearing your concerns” “We had a very big storm in a very short period of time,” Burnstein said, noting that pre-salting of the roads was performed in preparation. He explained that about 40 to 50 people met several days prior to the storm to plan. They included members of the Office of Emergency Management, elected officials, police, EMS, Municipal Utilities Authority, the school district and more. “It is hard to remove snow. I think overall you can rate our employees and our response as superb job,” Burnstein said, also acknowledging the work of the “back-office team that not everyone sees. You see the guys on the road; sometimes you don’t see those answering the phone and managing behind.” He also noted that all the roads were checked to be safe and that in cooperation with the school system the busses in operation “were safe and it was a very powerful testament to how when working together we can get a lot of things done.” Tickets were issued to those who didn’t move their vehicles off the streets because it impedes plowing efforts. “It is my understanding that (Snowstorm - See Page 5)
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