Council Honors 30-Year Court Administrator, Declares Gun Violence Awareness Day
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The May 26 meeting -- held the day after Memorial Day -- opened with two proclamations. The council honored Denise Aendovo for 30 years of service to the Glen Ridge Municipal Court, tracing her path from deputy court administrator in 1996 to municipal court administrator in 2018. The council also proclaimed June 5, 2026 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day, marking the birthday of Hadiya Pendleton, a Chicago teenager killed by gun violence in 2013. A local Moms Demand Action volunteer, John Weman, presented statistics on New Jersey gun-carry permits and highlighted the pending New Jersey Home Safety Act, co-sponsored by the borough's state legislator, which would strengthen secure-storage requirements for firearms.
The council also noted that State Senator Britnee Timberlake marched in Glen Ridge's Memorial Day parade and separately hosted a baby-shower donation drive at Bloomfield College for district families in need; organizers had to open an overflow room given the turnout of expectant mothers seeking donated supplies. Councilmembers Meyer and Moody were thanked for helping collect donations for the drive.
On routine business, the council approved an $8.4 million bills list (Resolution 94-26), much of which passes through to the Board of Education and Essex County, and introduced two ordinances on first reading: one raising 2026 salary caps for non-union borough employees, intended chiefly to make crossing-guard pay more competitive amid a shortage, and another appropriating $300,000 in capital improvement funds, with $250,000 earmarked for public works vehicles. Among three social-affairs permits approved for June events -- a Freeman Gardens music fundraiser, the Fitzgerald 5K "Logger Run," and a Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey tasting fundraiser -- one councilmember, whose name was unclear in the recording, abstained from voting on the Freeman Gardens permit, citing personal involvement with the organization.
What to watch
- The Fitzgerald 5K "Logger Run" is scheduled for June 14 at Herrel Field.
- A new-resident welcome event is tentatively being planned for September.