Letter to the Editor: Retiring Councilwoman Pam Mount Reflects on Her Career in Elected Office

As I reflect on the year gone by and look to the year ahead, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank the residents of Lawrence for their support during my tenure on the Township Council. It has been my distinct pleasure to serve as your elected representative for the last 12 years, three of those years as mayor. Looking back, it is truly amazing how fast the time had gone by. 

I am grateful for the many opportunities my leadership position offered me to become acquainted with our greatest resource - our residents. Lawrence is a community full of smart, thoughtful people who care about our community and want to preserve all the qualities that make our town special. Time and time again our residents have shown how individuals can make a difference in the community. 

Together we have built numerous successful organizations, from the Lawrence Community Foundation to the Lawrence Hopewell Trail, to Sustainable Lawrence, a non-profit consortium of government, schools, businesses and citizens working to create a livable community in which the needs of all citizens can be met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. As just one example of the government and resident efforts that have achieved results in recent years, 26 percent of Lawrence has been preserved as open space, one of our greatest treasures and resources.

As your voice in local government, I enjoyed working with many of you on projects while serving on the planning board, the growth and redevelopment committee, the greenway committee, the environmental resource committee, the affordable housing committee, the sustainable mobility committee, and the township green team.

After my retirement from local government I am looking forward to spending more time working at our farm and new winery and spending time with beloved husband Gary, daughters Tannwen and Reuwai, son-in-laws Jim Washburn and Mike Hanewald, son Mark and his wife Vicky, and most of all my six grandchildren. 

Retirement from public elected office does not mean an end to public engagement. I hope to continue to serve on town committees and be active with local, regional and state organizations, including serving as the chair of Sustainable Jersey. It is critical that our towns work to balance our important environmental and open space needs with vibrant business communities and services for our citizens, and Sustainable Jersey is working to help towns across the state do so. 

As a community volunteer, resident and local business owner I will continue to work tirelessly on issues of community concern. I encourage any of you who would like to become more involved to do so by running for office or joining a town committee or civic group.  We need your skills. Please feel free to call me, write, email or stop by to say hello.

Together we have made Lawrence a great place to live and work, and together we can accomplish much more for future generations. 

Pam Mount