County Clerk thanks voters
for opportunity to serve again
To the editor:
Happy New Year! On Jan. 1, I officially began my third term as Mercer County Clerk. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the voters of Mercer County for re-electing me to continue to serve another term.
I am truly humbled and grateful by the confidence you have placed in me throughout every municipality in Mercer County. I believe it reflects the hard work and achievement we’ve made in transforming the Mercer County Clerk’s Office into a modern, efficient, service-oriented office.
I have always believed that public tax dollars should pay for good government service in a way that is convenient. At the County Clerk’s office, that has meant keeping up with new technology, and by providing fast and efficient customer service — with a smile. All of this is possible due to the hard working staff surrounding me so I thank my excellent team as well, as they continue to provide vital services every day.
In this next term, I will continue to lead the clerk’s office as we face new challenges. This month, the Mercer County Clerk’s Office is being relocated to 240 West State St. in Trenton as the Mercer Improvement Authority performs renovations to the Courthouse Annex, our permanent location. These improvements, which are necessary for building safety, will also help prepare the clerk’s office to meet the demands of tomorrow. I look forward to leading the office through the relocation, and renovation of our permanent space. I will also continue to scan older books and maps into searchable formats for online users, and will work on making these records accessible by GIS and mobile devices.
Thank you again for the opportunity to serve. I look forward to working with you and the many great people that are the fabric of this wonderful community.
Paula Sollami Covello, Esq.
Mercer County Clerk
State’s Vietnam memorial
can use donations to the cause
To the editor:
The year 2015 marked the 20th anniversary of the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial, which pays tribute to the 1,563 New Jerseyans who did not return home from the Vietnam War.
The memorial is located on the grounds of the PNC Arts Center at Exit 116 of the Garden State Parkway.
2015 also marked 49 years since I first landed in Vietnam, after being drafted by the U.S. Army.
As executive director of the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation, I have been reunited with my brothers and sisters in our mission at NJVVMF. Together, we offer experiences at the memorial and adjacent museum that recognize the sacrifices, courage and valor of Vietnam veterans.
I want to remind my fellow New Jerseyans that NJVVMF is privileged to operate the only museum in the country dedicated to the Vietnam era. It is an important place where we educate all ages on the Vietnam War era through ceremony, exhibitions, events and programs. Letters, artifacts and video testimonies provide rare, personal experiences.
Visitors learn history from those who lived it through our Vietnam veteran volunteer-led tours. Free tours are offered at 11 a.m. on the first Saturday of each month. Each year more than 9,000 school children visit and their time with the veterans is life changing for both the students and guides. Our veterans have also helped veterans of recent wars through projects like our Huey helicopter restoration and Combat Paper Project.
As a not-for-profit organization, NJVVMF is self-supporting and we need the public’s support, both financially and through participation, to exist. With your help, we will preserve the legacy and continue to honor those who served and our active duty service men and women. Please remember us as we remember them.
Interested residents may check line 61 on the New Jersey tax form to donate.
For information on the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial and Vietnam Era Museum & Educational Center, visit njvvmf.org or call 732-335-0033.
Bill Linderman
Executive Director
N.J. Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation
A new year, but will we get
the same old government
To the editor:
First, I’d likely to say congratulations to Ms. Denise Daniels on her recent appointment to East Windsor Township Council. I would also like to again express my condolences to the family of Mr. Hector Duke.
As we enter a new year with a new council member, I would like to know if there will be anything else new in East Windsor government. Will we continue to have the same empty meeting room where everything has already been decided ahead of time? We will continue to have our old website even though I believe the new one has already been paid for and is months behind schedule?
After the “largely ceremonial” reorganizational meeting, does the council have any intention of adopting the recommendations we’ve made? Extending time limits on public comment, allowing residents to voice opinions on individual resolutions, video record meetings, have council members vote to discuss items proposed by the public, and the many other recommendations that were hand-delivered at one of the meetings. Did the township council even consider them?
I feel that while we’re going to enter a new year, it is going to be the same old government.
Steven J. Uccio
East Windsor
