Rinker resigns from Greenway Committee

BY ERIKA NORTON
VERNON — Sally Rinker, a member of the Vernon Township Greenway Action Advisory Committee, submitted a letter of resignation to Mayor Harry Shortway on Monday afternoon.
This announcement comes a month after Rinker resigned from her position as chairperson of the Environmental Commission in November.
In her letter, Rinker says that on Monday morning, she tried to contact GAAC Chairperson Michael Furrey about the insufficient time of posting the agenda for their meeting, which was scheduled for that night and requires — by law — to be announced 48 hours prior to the meeting. She contacted the township and according to Rinker, the newly appointed township attorney, Joshua Zelinksi, confirmed her concern, leading to Furrey receiving a call from the township and Furrey cancelling the meeting.
“He (Furrey) only canceled because he got the call from the town,” Rinker says in her letter to Shortway. “I have tried to guide GAAC, as I tried with the Environmental Commission, so as to not violate any rules, but instead of appreciation, I am disrespected.”
When asked about having to cancel the meeting, Furrey said that he just didn’t get the agenda posted in time and said it was an honest mistake.
“It’s unfortunate,” Furrey said. “She was on the committee since the beginning. She did a great job working with the committee to get a lot accomplished. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, she decided to resign from the committee.”
Established in January of 2016, according to the township website, the Greenway Action Advisory Committee’s role is to advise the mayor in matters of sustainability, passive recreation and economics within the township. Rinker accused the township in her letter of mismanagement of taxpayer money in regards to certain projects, including the purchase of Wisteria Court and a bicycle pump track.
“As the GAAC is working on a goal, you (Shortway) have independent meetings with costly professionals and do not include GAAC members in on the information,” Rinker said. “There is too much disconnect and that is why, I believe, none of our goals have been achieved this year. I am completely frustrated.”
Furrey said that the committee has actually gotten a lot done, and that her claim that he gave the township council misinformation is not true.
“She’s making these claims that we didn’t get anything done and that’s the furthest from the truth,” Furrey said. “One of the things that we did, which I think is pretty substantial, is that we got certified for Sustainable New Jersey.”
This certification allows the committee to apply for certain state grants, Furrey said, and the certification process took a good part of the year. The committee received a grant earlier in the year and is now in the process of applying for more grants, while also looking to get funds from the county Open Space Committee and from the state Green Acres program.
The money will go to fund the committee’s main goal of reviving the Greenway Greenway Trail System in the township.
“We’re making an effort to keep the cost down,” Furrey said, “and do this economically and in a smart way.”
Furrey was recently appointed Chairperson of the Environmental Commission after Rinker resigned from that post last month. The Mayor has to appoint RInker’s replacement on the Greenway Committee, and all of the committee member’s terms are up at the end of the year.