Former state senator Peter Inverso took the stage at Nottingham Ballroom prior to Hamilton mayor Kelly Yaede’s first State of the Township address, and let the hundreds in attendance in on a little secret about their township’s new CEO.
It turns out, in her free time, Yaede has moonlighted as a T-ball coach.
That tidbit would have surprised no one after hearing what followed: a 25-minute speech from Yaede that served as a “go get ‘em” pep talk for Hamiltonians. Yaede assured township residents that she and her administration would be accessible to them, and together, they could work to keep the township strong. She pointed to the township’s economic development prospects, the administration’s dedication to a flat budget and stable tax rate and several honors given to the township as proof Hamilton had plenty going for it. The audience at the packed Feb. 5 Mid Jersey Chamber of Commerce luncheon seemed to agree.
“Our bright future is upon us,” she said, swearing to provide Hamiltonians with “a government as good and decent as they are.”
Yaede only briefly alluded to the months-long corruption scandal surrounding former mayor John Bencivengo and several other township and school district officials, saying she is angry about what has happened. But her address clearly took inspiration from the township’s turbulent 2012, which saw Bencivengo resign Nov. 21 after a district court jury found him guilty of five counts of extortion and related corruption charges.
Yaede commended township employees for their help stabilizing the government during the scandal, and asked the crowd at Nottingham Ballroom to stand and applaud in appreciation. It was one of several standing ovations Yaede requested during her address.
From there, she set out to prove Bencivengo’s legal mess had no bearing on township business. She listed several accolades bestowed upon the township in the last year, including being named one of 16 “citizen-engaged communities” in the United States, thanks—she said—to the HamStat call center and the township’s social media presence. She promised to continue the reinvestment in township roadways, a year after Bencivengo spent $4.7-million on road improvements. Yaede said her administration was working for a balanced budget and a stable municipal tax rate in 2013, but revealed nothing official about the budget for this year.
She praised the 40 new businesses that opened in Hamilton last year, and ran through a list of projects happening now in the township. She discussed the new left turn signal at Route 130’s Shoppes at Hamilton, revealed “ongoing talks” for a Target across the highway from the Shoppes and expressed optimism at the plan to transform the mostly abandoned Suburban Plaza on Nottingham Way into a new center anchored by a Walmart.
Yaede also introduced a pair of executives from Delco Development, the corporation that now owns the former sites of Patterson Chevrolet and Hamilton Chrysler on Route 33. Rumors swirled after the speech that Delco plans to build a new Super Wawa gas station at one of the sites. Council president Ed Gore said he has heard the Wawa rumors, too, but he hadn’t heard of anything being approved yet.
Yaede announced the break-ins and burglaries in Hamilton Square—another topic of township gossip—have leveled off after a hectic spring and summer. Still, nonviolent crime rose in the township last year, and the mayor pledged to hire nine new police officers in an effort to counteract the increase.
Overall, Yaede just tried to assure Hamilton residents they had an ally in the mayor’s office.
“I recognize you, the residents, are my boss, and I don’t work for personal gain,” Yaede said.
The address earned the approval of council president Gore, who said Yaede has her attention in the right places.
“It hit all the right notes,” Gore said. “We need to start focusing on economic development and build from there.”
