Township Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening, East Brunswick. Welcome to the June 8th Township Council meeting. I would like to ask everybody to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and remain standing for a moment of personal reflection.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. Okay, Ms. Laughlin, would you please do roll call?

Council Member Hall? Here. Council Member McEvoy? Here. Council Member Wendell? Absent. Councilwoman Winston? Absent. Council President Zimbicki? Here. Also present, Mayor Brad Cohen?

Here.

Administrator Joseph Scusculo?

Here.

and Township Attorney Anthony Iacocca. Here. Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided as required under Chapter 231, Public Law 1975, by specifying the time, date, location, and to the extent known, the agenda, by posting a copy on the bulletin board located in the main lobby of the East Brunswick Municipal Building. Provide any copy to the Home News Tribune and the Asbury Park Press newspapers. posting a copy on the township's website and by filing a copy in the office of the township clerk, which will be entered into the minutes.

Thank you. May I have a motion for the minutes to adopt for May 28th? I'll move to adopt. And second? Second. Second. Thank you.

Councilman Bohol? Yes. Councilman McEvoy?

Yes.

And Council Presidents and Biggie? Yes. All right. For this meeting, we do not have any proclamations or resolutions of recognition or ordinances, which means we're going to move straight to the reports section to our mayor.

Mayor's report. This is going to shock everybody, but no report tonight.

Thank you. And Mr. Crescola?

No report to see.

Thank you. And to return to the attorney?

No report.

All right. Thank you. And our clerk?

Just a quick acknowledgement. So we had a very successful 2026 primary election on June 2nd. I would like to thank everyone who facilitated in the election process, whether big or small, your help is greatly appreciated. So I would like to acknowledge the Middlesex County Clerk's Office, the Middlesex County Board of Elections, the Township Clerk's Office here in East Brunswick, the Board of Education, all of our polling locations, all poll worker recruiters, and most of all, to all of the poll workers, we could not have done it without you. So thank you all. That's all I have to report. Thank you.

Okay. Any other reports from Council? We're good, Mr. Mack? We're good?

I could comment.

Go ahead.

Cable Advisory. Campbell Advisory Board. There's a lot of excitement in town. I'm sure that a lot of people have heard that a new choice is going to be available for the residents of the town. The infrastructure that goes with this is going to take some time. Everything's going to be underground because the cable that we have is on the telephone poles. It's going to be Real transparent with regard to you're going to have a choice. A lot of people may stick with what we have and then move to others will get something new. It's going to be an exciting time for us because we're so used to a particular service and it's going to be new. And then the other bit of information would be the planning board that the mayor and I are on, and Mr. Cresculo, I beg your pardon, is on. I think in our next meeting we're finally going to see some plans. for the mall i'm really excited about that because no matter where i go now it seems that people are asking me about that and i don't know what to respond with and i want to know what to respond with thank you council president thank you councilman anything for tonight no nothing okay perfect thank you so we're going to open the meeting to the public portion miss lawful would you please read the statement

The public comment portion of our meeting is to allow the public to bring to the Council's attention their concerns or comments. In accordance with NJSA 10-4-12A and the East Brunswick Rules of Council, the Council asks the public to limit their comments to five minutes or less. At the conclusion of the statements or questions from a member of the public, the Council President, at her discretion, may choose to respond or not respond.

Thank you. Does anybody from the public would like to come speak at the podium, please? Just give your name and address. Absolutely.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Good evening, President Zinbeck. My name is Ning Shi. I live in One Civic Center Drive, East Brunswick. I injured my leg at work this past February and have had to spend time since then recovering. A few months ago, I spoke to you here about persecution attacks and slander against the practice of Falun Gong that have been taking place in mainland China for decades, starting in 1999 and continuing to this day. When I was in China, the Communist Party sent me to a forced labor camp for three years and prison for four years simply because I persisted in practice of Falun Gong. In the first labor camp, I was forbidden to speak of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance, or to practice meditation and the exercises. To enforce this, they specifically assigned two inmates to shadow me constantly. If I was caught doing so, I would be subjected to torture. They forced me to watch videos and view newspaper materials that slandered Falun Gong. When I refused, they subjected me to torture. I was once surrounded and beaten by 11 people, a beating that lasted three days and three nights. Until my head was deformed, looking like an alien's, I couldn't open my eyes at all and was unable to stand. They locked me in solitary confinement where I was denied sleep and forbidden to sit or rest for 30 days straight. I had to remain standing the entire time and I was not allowed to wash or use the toilet. Even when I lost consciousness, they still wouldn't let me sleep. Eventually, my legs became severely swollen and deformed, as thick as an elephant's legs, making it impossible to wear shoes or walk normally. Thirty days later, they continued to brutally shock me with high-wattage electric batons, forcing me to give up practicing. Later on, whenever they saw me practicing the exercises in the morning, they would order other inmates to tie my limbs and waist using four ropes to the four corners of the bunk beds, where the prisoners slept with an additional rope securing my waist in the middle. As soon as the executioner pulled the central rope, my entire body was yanked upward by forces pulling in five different directions. This form of torture is known as dismemberment by five horses. This type of torture leaves people maimed or dead. To resist persecution, I was compelled to go on a hunger strike. This went on for 11 months, causing my weight to drop to just 55 pounds. They sent me to the hospital and the doctors there also cooperated with Communist Party. While I was practicing exercises in the hospital, a male guard wielding a three-meter-long steel whip savagely beat me about the head and body until I collapsed. Even more cruel is the fact that the wife of a friend of mine was subject to torture and persecution and then have her organs forcibly harvested while she was still alive. but they deceived her husband, telling him she was dead. However, when family members arrived at the hospital, they felt the patient was not yet dead and strongly insisted that the doctors perform the ECG. As a last resort, the doctor performed an examination, and the result revealed, according to the ECG, that the heart was still beating. Yet in a panic, they tore up the ECG stripe. They did not allow family members to visit again until the person had died. Is there anything in this world more evil or more cruel than this? Moreover, the Chinese Communist Party had extended its persecution overseas. They bribed the media and officials and explored America's freedom of the press to slander and vilify Falun Gong. They had bright thoughts to issue personal threats against and inflict physical harm upon members of overseas medium outlets and performing arts groups that expose the Communist Party persecution of Falun Gong. They also explore the U.S. legal system to file favoritist lawsuits aimed at damaging Falun Gong's reputation, even well knowing from the outset that these suits would fail due to time constraints. I'm handing over the relevant evidentiary materials for your review. Please help the kind and good people in China who are suffering from evil persecution and uphold the universal values bestowed upon humanity by the divine truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. My hope is that you will urge Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim to co-sponsor S-4009 Falun Gong and Victims of Forced Organ Harvesting Protection Act, a bipartisan bill introduced by Senator Cruz and Senator Merkley. Thank you all.

Thank you. Yeah, can you give it to the officer and he'll make sure that we get it. Thank you. Thank you, Officer Mahler.

Thank you.

Would anybody else like to speak? Just your name and address, please. Thank you.

Atika Ganja, 68 Berkshire Way. All right. I just wanted to start off by first saying I was able to visit the East Brunswick Ice Rink recently, and so that was really nice, and I thought it was very well done. And I do think it's going to be a good addition to the town and for our kids. So hopefully it's going to be a success. And we've been enjoying partaking in the classes and things like that. So thank you to everybody involved with that. And then also wanted to thank the police department for their help with in the ICEB, in the mosque over there on New Brunswick Avenue. So they've been really helpful with, we had Eid, Eid al-Adha prayers, and they were very helpful. And you know, making sure that our community is always feeling safe and secure. And I think they've been very responsive with the masjid. So I think we thank them for that. Just mostly I just wanted to say that I'm really amazed and shocked and joyful and grateful about the election results that we had here in CD12. And I think like, you know, having time to reflect on what happened here because it was such a, you know, I think there were 13 candidates for the spot, the Democratic primary, and our incumbent mayor here. So just to have Dr. Adam Hamawi win the election, I was actually shocked that that happened. And then I went through a whole slew of emotions, but I think really just feeling so humbled and grateful knowing that I think the voters have spoken very loud and clear here. New Jersey and CD12, we do not stand for genocide, and we're never going to stand for that. And I think that was very clear in the loss of Kamala Harris, and when they've done the dissection now, they've found that that was the reason, the resounding reason among voters why Kamala Harris lost was because of the genocide. So I think we're seeing that here. I think Dr. Hamawi is a true leader and a hero. We're just, we're absolutely joyful and excited about the change that's going to come for our district and I'm just I'm happy to know that what we've been seeing on our phones for the last three years and it still continues to this day all of those horrors everybody's seeing that and we all as human beings feel the same way about that and we do have that same red line and we all need to protect our children the children of of the world and that's really what this comes down to so um just really i was just elated about it and i think i think in thinking about how to kind of interpret it and go forward in the future um i think it's a if the voters are speaking right now we don't want aipac we don't want our money going towards bombs and war and genocide and we want to divest, we should divest this township from that genocidal regime. We don't want any leaders who are going to be representing that and supporting that financially and otherwise. So we've spoken very clearly and I'm just, I'm just, I'm proud and I think everybody needs to keep speaking up. We need to just, everybody, it's going to take all of us to free Palestine And this is not going to end until that happens. So that's like the utmost important thing, I think, for most people on this planet right now. And I'm glad that that's being represented now by Dr. Hamawi. So really, really excited. And change is coming. That old, old stuff is not going to work anymore. And looking forward to the change here in East Brunswick as well. Thank you so much.

All right. Thank you. Would anybody else like to speak tonight?

Just state your name and address, please. Good evening. Megan Fisher. I don't live in town. I work at Hammersholt. So let's say 200 Ruse Lane in East Brunswick. I'm here to represent the East Brunswick Education Foundation. Our Bear Crawl 5K is on the agenda for tonight for the permit to get approved. So I just wanted to speak a little bit about that. This will be our fourth year running this in November. It's a 5K for people to run or walk as a fundraiser for the East Brunswick Education Foundation. We also have kids races starting at age two and going up to sixth grade. This will be our fourth year running it. It's a great event that combines local businesses, community members, EBEA, EBEF, the Board of Ed, and anyone that would like to join us. Yeah, last year it was very windy, so hopefully we don't have that again this year. So if anyone would like to join us and support EBEF and everything that it does for East Brunswick Public Schools. Thank you. Have a nice night. Thank you.

Anyone else that would like to speak this evening?

Mr. Mayor, Mr. President, Town Council. I'm very mad about what this governor's doing with the Delaney Detention Center. She's going to put $20 million to help them fund with lawyers and everything else. There are taxpayers' dollars. It's not right. They're in there for a reason. And these protests have got to stop also. They shouldn't be allowed. They could hurt the police, the ICE. It's just something that's wrong what she's doing. I mean, she's turning down, reducing the gas tax. That's okay because people don't drive. It's not fair to them either. But the $20 million affects every one of us here. And then she's looking to cut down on the stay in New Jersey from 6,000 to 4,000 and from 500,000 to $250,000 salary. I mean, she's just looking to save money and put it other places where it shouldn't be.

and i i have to voice my opinion that's how i feel right now about it okay thank you thank you anyone else that would like to speak seeing none i'm closing the public portion thank you uh tonight we have resolution 26 199 through resolution 26 205 on our agenda Thank you. And second? Thank you. Does anything need separated, or is there any discussion you would like to have on any of these?

I have some questions, if you don't mind, Council President.

Yes, please.

I've noticed that county fairgrounds is being used a lot more than in the past, whatever in the past means. I hope this is a good thing. Having said that, could I get clarification within resolution 26204? Yeah, let's go 204. I don't know what a, Asherah? Am I pronouncing that right, Mr. Criscullo?

I'm not sure, but that's at the Dunham's Corner Road.

Okay, that's not at the fairgrounds. That's at the Boston Fair. Can I get an explanation as to... Mayor Cohen?

Yeah, the mosque on Dunham's Corner Road has their leader, spiritual leader, who's coming in... to the region and holding a service. And that service marks the end of the calendar year for Muslims. And so there's a nine-day period of time that the leader is going to be giving these lectures or sermons. And because there's so few locations in the States, they're being broadcast in about nine locations throughout the country and the entire region for New Jersey and New York is being held at our masjid on Dunham's Corner Road. So the attempt here is to figure out parking, because as big as their parking lot is, it's not going to fit the number of cars that are going to be here. So there's a piece of property on Fresh Ponds Road next to Gia Maurice Farm. It's a horse farm, and they've got 50 acres in the back that they're allowing to be used for parking. So they'll have shuttle buses that will be taking people from that parking location to the mosque. And so that's what the request is for tonight, including approving the number of officers and security that they're going to need for handling all of that. That's what that resolution is about.

Wonderful. Wonderful. And Resolution 26-202,

I think that's a new one, a lunar fair. Yeah, we've never had that before.

Same thing with that one, the lunar fair?

Yeah, so that one is at the fair grounds for the one night. I'm not really sure. Okay. It's something new. That's new.

Is the Indian Red Hawk?

No, that's been around for a while.

We're doing that for a couple years now? Yeah. And, of course, we have the Independence Day celebration, right? Sure.

Independence Day celebration is going to be at our community arts center. Okay. They use overflow parking there. Okay.

All right. Seems pretty clear to me. Seems pretty clean to me. Thank you, Council President.

You're welcome. Okay. So we had a motion and a second, so we just need a roll call vote.

Council Member Hall. Yes. Councilman McEvoy. Yes. And Council President Zambicki. Yes.

Yes. And at this point, we are able to go to the cause. Did anybody have anything they would like to share?

We had a couple events.

There was an amazing fishing derby on Saturday down at Dahlenbach's that was very nice. And I believe our scouts were also involved in that and helping out. We have our first of the season market, which will be held this Friday outside the municipal complex. So it's an evening market. We did that once last year, and people really seemed to enjoy it. So come down and meet some new friends, try some new cultural and different foods and music, everything. So with that, I am going to ask for a motion to adjourn.

So moved.

Second. And we'll call our voice vote. Yes.

I say aye.

Thank you. Have a good night.