Brittany Woods Activist Appointed To Gloucester Township Council

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — An activist who has helped lead the cleanup of the Brittany Woods community in Gloucester Township is the newest member of Township Council.

Council unanimously appointed Carolyn Grace to a position on Township Council at a special meeting Saturday morning. Grace will succeed Scott Owens, who resigned effective Sept. 18, following a 5-0 vote by council members. Councilman Dan Hutchison was not in attendance.

“I look forward to serving the community,” Grace said. “I’m really honored to be part of this council. Thank you very much.”

Grace will fill out the remainder of Owens’ term, which expires at the end of 2021. She will be able to run for the seat in next year’s elections. Owens resigned because he is moving out of the township. Read more here: Scott Owens Resigns From Gloucester Township Council

Grace joins Gloucester Township Council Vice President Tracey Trotto and Councilwomen Michelle Winters and Andrea Stubbs, bringing the number of women on Gloucester Township Council to four.

Trotto, who was part of the interview process leading up to Grace’s appointment, said it was the first time that many women ever served on council at the same time.

Grace has been a resident of Brittany Woods since 1987, when she moved there with hopes of raising her children in a community that embodied her values, according to her biography provided by the county.

Between 2012 and 2015, she noticed a rapid deterioration in the community. It wasn't recovering from an era of housing foreclosures, and property value continued to decline while crime steadily increased.

In 2016, she mobilized the community, which transformed into The Brittany Woods Community Action Group (BWCAG), and several major community projects were completed. Adopt-A-Mailbox yielded over 60 mailbox replacements.

Grace raised over $3,600 for this project with help from locals, Lowes, and the Timberbirch Woman's Club. In just three years of her community activism, crime is significantly down, abandoned and boarded-up homes are nonexistent, property value has increased.
Read more here: Citizens Lead Cleanup Of Brittany Woods In Gloucester Township

She and Shirley Johnson were recognized for their commitment to the community by the county in 2017. Read more here: Citizens Lead Cleanup Of Brittany Woods In Gloucester Township

Grace’s first meeting as a member of the council will take place Wednesday night, 7:30 p.m. The agenda for that meeting can be found on thetownship’s website.