Moorestown Council Accepts Scott Carew's Resignation As Township Manager

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Moorestown Council unanimously accepted the resignation of Township Manager Scott Carew during a special meeting Tuesday night at town hall.

Chief Financial Officer Tom Merchel already acts as Deputy Manager, and will assume the duties of the township manager until council can reach a decision on a new manager. Township Solicitor Anthony Drollas said the decision should be coming shortly.

"Mr. Carew is resigning to pursue other opportunities, and the township wishes him well," Merchel said.

Council voted, 5-0, following a closed session meeting to accept Carew's resignation, and to approve the terms of the separation agreement. Neither document was immediately available Monday evening. Carew was not in attendance during the meeting.

Officials didn't say how long the separation between the township and its manager has been developing. This was the first time Carew's possible resignation was mentioned publicly.

Patch couldn't immediately reach Carew for comment.

In Moorestown's form of government, council members are elected directly by the people, and council elects the mayor at its annual reorganization meeting. It is the Township Manager who is in charge of the day-to-day operations of the township.

A Moorestown resident, Carew was first named Township Manager in 2011. Prior to that, Carew served as the Township Manager in Eastampton.

In his time as manager, Carew oversaw a number of projects, including the construction of a new municipal complex, including a new town hall and new library, the creation of the position of Moorestown Chief of Police and the appointment of Lee Lieber to the position, the expansion and rebirth of the Moorestown Mall, improvements along Camden Avenue, and Moorestown's participation in the countywide Energy Aggregation Program.

He was in the process of helping the township find a solution to some of the parking problems on Main Street, which included discussions on the possible implementation of parking meters, and working to give the police department more authority to handle those who violate the parking ordinance.

A major issue that plagued the township in the last few years has been the presence of unregulated contaminants and radiological elements in the township's drinking water. Moorestown is working on upgrades to its water treatment plants at North Church Street, Kings Highway and Hartford Road.

An Administrative Consent Order (ACO) was issued by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) after Moorestown failed to meet certain deadlines set forth in a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the two entities.

The township also provided "inaccurate information" about the firm capacity of its water wells, which was based on information provided by developers.

Late last year, Carew was publicly criticized by members of council after it had to approve a resolution that proposed borrowing no more than $125,000 from the Moorestown Open Space, Recreation, Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund for improvements to Hockey Rink #1 at Wesley Bishop Park.

The funding was needed to pay for certain features that were left out of the initial project plans, including $25,000 for a gate, $80,000 for a shelter and some electrical work. Council members said those amenities were included in the initial discussion for the improvements that included the Moorestown Youth Street Hockey Association (MYSHA), but didn't make it to the final planning phases. They blamed it on a lack of communication between the township and MYSHA.

Carew served as Township Manager alongside six mayors, including John Button, Stacey Jordan, Chris Chiacchio, Victoria Napolitano, Phil Garwood and Manny Delgado, who was sworn in as mayor during Moorestown's reorganization meeting on Jan. 3.

Patch file photo of Scott Carew