Council Reaffirms Support Of Berkeley's Seniors

BERKELEY, NJ — The Berkeley Township Council spoke out at a recent meeting to once again affirm its support for the township's sizable senior community.

The council introduced a resolution to oppose State Senate bill S2537. The bill would require associations of age-restricted communities to allow owners to sell to those below the required age - a topic that the council has tackled before.

Back in March, the council unanimously voted to pass an ordinance that would keep the 55-and-older communities to seniors only, to a massive crowd that had gathered to speak about it, most voicing their support of the ordinance. At this meeting, the council said that they would continue to fight to keep these communities for seniors.

Read More: Berkeley Council Votes To Support 55+ Communities

Members of the council blasted the new bill and affirmed their support of Berkley's senior residents.

The bill was called a "war on our senior community" by Mayor Carmen Amato, who has frequently voiced his support for Berkeley's older citizens. He said that the township needs "to do whatever we can" to maintain the 55-and-older communities.

"Whatever we have to do to stop this, we will," Council President Sophia Gingrich said.

"It's a continuing battle," said Councilman Michael Signorile, adding that it was a "very unfair bill" and "borderline illegal."