M t . O l i v e’s H o m e t o w n N e w s p a p e r
MOUNT OLIVE LIFE Vo l . 1 7 • I s s u e 3
March 2022
Member of Mid-Atlantic Community Papers • Association of Community Publichers • Mt. Olive Chamber of Commerce AUDITED BY CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL (CVC), ST. LOUIS, MO.
Mount Olive Township Council President Joe Nicastro Announces Candidacy for Mayor
BY STEVE SEARS STAFF WRITER
MOUNT OLIVE - Mount Olive Township Council President, Joe Nicastro, is announcing his candidacy for Mayor. “I’ve been here 20 years,” Nicastro says of his time in Mount Olive. “I truly love this township, and I really love the residents of this town.” Nicastro’s ticket will be announced in April “I think it’s important to have somebody who can surround themselves with good people,” Nicastro says. “To listen to your vision, and do things to help you make that vision come true.” Robert Greenbaum, Mayor since 2012, will not run for reelection, therefore leaving the door open for Nicastro in 2023. “We (the township council) have been successful, and have been Republican for a long time,” Nicastro says. “By the time I run for mayor, I’ll be on council for 12 years and Council
President for 9, and it’s stayed Republican all 12.” Nicastro notes Greenbaum’s influence on his own service. “Rob’s been a great inspiration, a great mentor to me. He’s someone who cares about the town a lot, and it’s not about politics, it’s about what’s good for the residents. I’ve learned a lot from Rob. He still has a year plus to complete and still has a lot more he wants to accomplish.” While Nicastro cites as a major accomplishment the fact that Mount Olive residents have not had a municipal tax increase in the past 10 years, he knows there are always things that can be improved and worked on. “I do believe in keeping our water and our environment clean, and my whole platform is wanting to do more for the residents,” he says. “I want to maintain what we’ve been doing, but also improve more on working with the
residents, finding out the needs of people, and what we can do to help.” One of the things Nicastro wants to address is expanding the Mount Olive Food Pantry, working more with senior citizens, and looking at new, innovative ways to do things in town. “From the standpoint of the environmental side, adding more solar vehicles, adding more solar lighting, and things like that. We can save money, save the environment, and help protect our land as we always have. Mount Olive is 70% to 80% in the Highlands, and that’s a huge number. We have a ton of open space, we have a ton of trails, we’re launching two new parks, and we’re going to work on the beach area. I want to finish, obviously, the things that aren’t completed, but I also want to look into more things to help the residents of Mount Olive.”
Chamber of Commerce Holds Breakfast with the Mayors 2022
A great turnout for council president joe Nicastro’s announcement to run for mayor next year with over 125 people in attendance. Lakeview Tavern did a great job. The manager Michelle and her staff were incredible and the food was great.
Nicastro, who is originally from Garfield, moved to Mount Olive in 2004 because it was (and still is) a beautiful area. “We love where we are,”
Nicastro says of his Budd Lake side of town location and, even though new construction for residential developments has taken place in Mount Olive the
past few years, he states the township still has much open land, and that will not change.
PLEASE SEE NICASTRO CANDIDACY, PAGE 4
Mount Olive High School Grad Named Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police
BY STEVE SEARS STAFF WRITER
Pictured L-R are: Chuck Aaron, President of the Mount Olive Chamber, Mayor Robert J. Greenbaum, Mayor Matthew Murello, Senator Steven Oroho, Assemblyman John Di Maio and Patricia Schaffer, Chamber Video
MOUNT OLIVE - The Mount Olive Area Chamber of Commerce hosted their annual “Breakfast with the Mayors”
on Tuesday, February 8, 2022 at Liebenzell Retreat Ministries, 13 Heath Lane Long Valley. It was attended by several
business owners and residents of both townships.
Your Chance to Win Branda’s Gift Cards with the “Find Moe Life Mascot” Contest MOUNT OLIVE TWP. Check out our new mascot... Mr. Moe Life. Look for him in the ads in this issue and enter (no purchase necessary) to win a $25.00 Branda’s Italian Grill gift card. It is easy to enter. Look through the paper and
read the ads and look for Mr. Life in the ad. He will be located throughout the paper in 6 random ads. Then go to www. mtolivelife.com scroll down and fill out the form to be entered. Winners will be notified and printed in the next issue.
Winners From February’s “Find Moe Life Mascot” Contest
MOUNT OLIVE TWP. The winners from January’s “Find Moe Life Mascot” are Eve Buzzelli, Nicole Davis, Diana B Palumbo, Mary Hill-
er, Arthur S. Crane and Evelyn Lavin. The ads that Mr. Life was in were Flanders Ba-
Remax Heritage and Boy Scouts of America. Thanks
to everyone who enter and
gels, Feet n Beyond, Auto congratulations to our winPerfection, Royal Lawns, ners!
MOUNT OLIVE - Mount Olive High School graduate and school Hall of Famer, Colonel Patrick Callahan, was recently named Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. Callahan was officially sworn is as Superintendent on January 12, 2022. Per Callahan, a 26-year trooper veteran, his roles both as Colonel and Superintendent are interchangeable. “The reason I am a cabinet member is because I’m the State Director of the Office of Emergency Management. Whether that’s a hurricane, whether that’s a snowstorm, whether that’s a pandemic, all roads run to the Office of Emergency Management from a planning logistics, finance, and coordination standpoint.” Callahan, who is 52 and whose dad was also a New Jersey State Trooper for 29 years, details his background. “I started out as a road trooper in Somerville, Washington Township, and Perryville, which I loved and still love to this day,” he says. “It was different every day.” He then served as a station detective and in other various roles, and in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy, he assisted the Attorney General’s office trying to get federal funding to all of the state’s 21 counties. “That was probably one of the hardest jobs I had,” he says. “It was literally a one-person show, and it was a heck of a learning experience. I got to work with federal, state, county, and local partners, and it was just a great learning experience for me.” Callahan’s next stop was as Chief Financial Officer for the division when Superstorm Sandy raged through the state. “I ended up soon after that being the Recovery Bureau Chief,”
BUY NOW SELL LATER! We can help you buy your next home before you sell your current home. www.TheTuckerTeam.com New Jersey An Innovative, Technology Based Real Estate Company
Kimberly Thomas 973.479.3178 kim.thomas@compass.com https://dougtucker.com/agent/kimberly-thomas
he says. “A lot of folks don’t know that the emergency management component is built into the New Jersey State Police. There are two states in the country that have that, us and the state of Michigan, and we find that it works. Being basically responsible for all of the federal FEMA funding that came to the state, the state police are responsible for that. So that was a huge, huge undertaking, and another phenomenal learning experience - our partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA. Obviously now, during a pandemic, those relationships and partnerships are certainly paying off.” Callahan’s next role was as Major of the Office of Emergency Management followed by Lieutenant of the administrative branch, and then Col. Joseph R. Fuentes asked Callahan to be Lieutenant Colonel of road operations, overseeing 1,800 road troopers. “That was kind of like going back to where I started, and that to me was one of the highlights of my career,” Callahan says. After the retirement of Col. Fuentes in 2017, then-Governor Chris Christie appointed Callahan as the 14th Colonel of the New Jersey State Police. “It’s been a humbling experience, and I’ve been honored to serve in this role for over the last four years.” Callahan, who is a 1987 graduate of Mount Olive High School, attended also Sandshore Elementary School and Mount Olive Middle School, and played football first and then wrestled as a Marauder prior to playing rugby at the University of Villanova. “I was a fullback and a winger in rugby, which was again a phenomenal battle out there for 80
Photo courtesy of Col. Patrick Callahan
minutes, but just a great experience.” Callahan also states that service when not in uniform is important and valuable as well. “I’ve been heavily involved in mission trips to Appalachia and Haiti, just giving back and kind of going out and working with the marginalized, which is also a big part of law enforcement. It’s not all about what we do when we’re in uniform. I think it’s just important to remain engaged when not in uniform, and that we give back in that capacity, too.” Callahan knows the public expects compassionate, professional law enforcement officers to show up and guide them through their crisis, and he expects that as well. “Our troopers are known to embrace that scrutiny because they’re held to a higher standard, as they should be. And I just ask that they don’t do anything to embarrass the state police, their family, or themselves. If they go out with that in mind, I think that’s why we’ve made it 100 years with a phenomenal group of women and men that are viewed across the nation as amongst the best.”
King Wok
FREE Delivery (min. $12) within 3 mls Delivery charge $1 over 4 mls $2 over 6 mls
Famous Chinese Food
We Deliver to: Budd Lake, Flanders, Netcong, Stanhope, Ledgewood, Succasunna, Hackettstown, Landing, Hopatcong
Eat In & Take Out
100% VEGETABLE OIL We Serve Quality Food OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK We Use Low Salt on Regular Food MSG We Use No Salt on Diet (Light) Food M-Th 11-10:30 F&S 1-11 100% Diet Food Lose Weight S 12-10 Budd Lake Plaza
141 Route 46 East, Budd Lake (next to Domino’s Pizza)
973-691-6988 • 973-691-8890 www.kingwokbuddlake.com • wwwnjkingwok.com
CASH PAYMENT CASH COUPON
FREE CHICKEN LO MEIN every order over $30 Please mention coupon when ordering. Cannot be combined with other offer. (Take out/delivery) Before Tax. Mini Family & Lunch Special Not Included. CASH PAYMENT CASH COUPON
2 OFF
$
any purchase of $ 20 or more
Please mention coupon when ordering. Cannot be combined with other offer. (Take out/delivery) Before Tax. Mini Family & Lunch Special Not Included. CASH PAYMENT CASH COUPON
$
4 90 OFF
any purchase of $ 49 or more
Please mention coupon when ordering. Cannot be combined with other offer. (Take out/delivery) Before Tax. Mini Family & Lunch Special Not Included.