Former BOE Member Joins East Brunswick Recreation and Parks Advisory Board

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — Former Board of Education member Vicki Becker was recently appointed to the Recreation and Parks Advisory Board.

During the last meeting, Councilmembers adopted a resolution confirming the appointment.

“Vicki Becker has expressed interest in being appointed to the Recreation and Parks Advisory Board and submitted her resume to the Mayor’s Office for consideration,” the resolution reads.

Becker, who served on the East Brunswick BOE for 24 years, decided not to run for reelection in November. However, she decided to continue with public service through volunteer work.

“After my Board of Ed term ended in December, I was told that there was an opening for a resident on the Park and Rec Board and would I be interested. I absolutely was and am happy to continue to be a part of this group,” Becker told Patch.

“I was the Board of Ed representative to the Park and Rec Board for years, so I know the group and always enjoyed being a part of this township division. They do wonderful things for all the residents.”

Becker was appointed to a three-year term on the advisory board. With a long history of public service, Becker is excited to see what the future holds.

“Volunteerism and giving back to my community has always been very important to me,” Becker said. “So, I am happy for an opportunity to continue to volunteer in our town. Twenty-four years on the Board of Ed was one of the best things I have done. Looking forward to what the future holds.”

At the same meeting, Council introduced an ordinance to amend Section 3-58 (D) of the Township Code regarding the Department of Recreation and Parks. The ordinance seeks to expand the number of members on the Advisory Board "in the best interest of the Township" to promote and enhance the board’s effectiveness.

With the Ice Rink being built as well as new cricket fields and additional new programming, there is a need for more members on the advisory board, Mayor Brad Cohen explained.

"The meetings that they have are extremely long. There's a lot that they are covering. There's just a need at this point, looking at where we are going, to expand the number of people that are on that board," Cohen told Council.

At some point, the board will be broken up into sub-boards for "particular interests."

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