OCEAN COUNTY – A petition to have Lakewood, Manchester, Toms River, Jackson and Brick townships merge to become a mega cityscape seems unlikely to gain much traction.
The latest dissenting voice belongs to the mayor of Manchester who gave a flat out no.
“The Township has no interest in merging with neighboring municipalities,” Mayor Joseph Hankins said. He noted that the anonymous nature of the petition raised concerns regarding potential consolidation with surrounding towns.
“The residents of Manchester Township are our priority, and we remain focused on serving their needs,” he said. “We do not believe this proposal is something our residents would entertain, nor do we think it is in their best interest.”
He emphasized that both he and the Township Council are committed to listening to the voices of Manchester residents and making decisions that align with the unique needs and values of Manchester.
“We work for the people of Manchester, and it is their input that guides us in making important decisions. Our residents take pride in the strong sense of community and local identity we’ve cultivated here, and merging with other towns would only serve to undermine that.” he said.
The mayor further expressed confidence that Manchester will continue to thrive as an independent municipality.
The author of the petition proposed that such a united city would be built on collaboration, shared values, and endless opportunities. They claimed it would bring lower taxes, better public services, improved infrastructure and generate business growth and job creation.
It was also claimed that such a merger would provide unified planning and increased resources and that a larger city could sponsor larger and more frequent cultural events, sports leagues, and youth programs, fostering “a stronger sense of community.”
Even with the claim that such a multi municipality merger might provide a shared identity that celebrates diversity and cultures, the petition is not expected to receive much public support nor support from the public officials of the remaining townships.
Manchester joined Brick Mayor Lisa Crate who also recently issued her statement of no interest in the merger.
Mayor Crate said on her weekly Mayor’s Minutes video, “I wanted to assure our residents here in Brick Township that this municipal governing body has no interest and will not be seeking to join any other municipality here in Ocean County to create a combined city.”
“Anyone can put a petition out and ask for anything that they want but it doesn’t mean it that it’s something that’s going to happen,” Mayor Crate added.
Details concerning the petition can be found at change.org/p/unite-lakewood-manchester-jackson-toms-river-and-brick-one-city-one-future
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