Itir Cole Haddonfield Commissioner

05/25/2026

On days like this, the only thing I feel is truly worthwhile to share is my gratitude and that of our community for those who signed up, who took on the fighting for the ideals we hold so dear. And for their families, for whom loss is not a historical footnote but a daily personal pain.

During last year’s ceremony I had read a passage from the Gettysburg Address (Lincoln's words honoring the fallen) and I come back to them every year. I think they say what needs to be said perfectly:

"It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced… that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion… that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain."

That word “unfinished” stays with me I think because it places something (a responsibility) on the rest of us, even many generations later.

So for those of us here who are civilians: My ask is that today that you don’t just treat the day as a day off with passive gratitude. We're in a moment right now where these decisions of who fights, and why feel very real and very close. So the question of what we do with that isn't abstract anymore. Which makes the question more urgent: how do we, personally, uphold the ideals these soldiers died for? That includes what we demand of our leaders and what we are willing to pay attention to. The least we owe them is that.

05/24/2026

Doesn’t look like weather is going to cooperate tomorrow. We’re canceling the parade and moving the ceremony to borough hall starting at 10am.

Due to the weather, the Memorial Day ceremonies have been moved inside to the Borough Hall Auditorium.
No parade.
The ceremony will begin at 10:00 AM on May 25.
Downtown Haddonfield
Haddonfield Police Dept.
Haddon Fire Company No. 1
Frank Troy Haddonfield Commissioner
Itir Cole Haddonfield Commissioner
Dave Siedell Haddonfield Commissioner

05/07/2026

It takes a village to run a village. Happy Public Service Recognition Week! Thank you for showing up, day in and day out. Haddonfield works because you do.

It’s Public Service Recognition Week, and we’re celebrating the dedicated public servants who keep the Borough running every day.

We gathered as many Borough staff members as we could for a quick photo, a small snapshot of the many people who serve our community with professionalism and care.

We appreciate every member of our Borough team!

05/02/2026

The fam and I will be trying our hand at making paper tomorrow. Come join us!

Haddonfield is celebrating America’s 250th Birthday with Historic Saturday events in Kings Court.

❤️🔜 First up on Saturday, May 2, 10 AM–2 PM: Historic RittenhouseTown demonstrates colonial papermaking. Learn the craft, make your own paper, and take home what you create.

Every Saturday from May to September is FREE and family‑friendly.

Visit www.haddonfield2026.com to learn about ALL events!

Visit South Jersey
Haddonfield Public Library
Indian King Tavern Museum
Historic RittenhouseTown
Revolution NJ

03/30/2026

As part of our community's effort to provide support for our neighbors who need social services, the HCC is looking for the right individual/ Please consider or share.

03/10/2026

If you or someone you know is a Haddonfield senior, this one is worth showing up for.

This Wednesday, March 11, the Mabel Kay Senior Center is hosting their "Something to Chew on" lunch program with a presentation from Megan Giordano in our tax office. Megan will walk through the PAS-1, New Jersey's property tax relief application for seniors, and stay to help people fill it out.

The PAS-1 is the blue booklet the state mails to seniors each year. It's a single form that covers three different relief programs at once: Senior Freeze, ANCHOR, and Stay NJ. A lot of people who qualify never apply because the form feels intimidating. This is your chance to sit down with someone from the borough's own tax office and get it done.

Lunch runs 12:30 to 1, presentation from 1 to 2. You need to RSVP so they know how much food to order — reach out to [email protected]. Check the Mabel Kay Senior Center's post for the full list of documents to bring.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CHLzLXLWA/
cc: Mabel Kay Senior Center; Borough of Haddonfield

Please join Megan Giordano from Haddonfield’s tax office at the center’s Something to Chew on lunch and speaker program, Wednesday, March 11. Lunch is from 12:30 to 1 and Megan will present and help from 1-2p. Those that want help filling out their applications please bring the appropriate materials, listed in the comments below. Replies are required, so we know how much food to order [email protected]

03/10/2026

Tonight's special meeting was all about affordable housing, something I care deeply about getting right for Haddonfield.

- Affordable Housing Overlay on Haddon Avenue

We passed an ordinance creating a new zoning overlay along Haddon Avenue, from 807 Haddon Avenue (the office complex near the tracks) to Carl's Sunoco. That includes the former Rite Aid, 7-Eleven, and the Breadboard complex.

This doesn't force anyone to build housing, it just sets the rules if/when they do. If any of those property owners ever want to convert to residential, 20% of the units have to be affordable. We've done this before: the Acme site and TD Bank both have similar overlays from the last round. This is how we make sure that when development happens, it includes people at different income levels.

- Affordable Housing Rulebook Update

Chapter 63 is basically Haddonfield's rulebook for affordable housing (e.g. who qualifies, how units are created, how they're managed.) The state rewrote its version, so we're updating ours to match. Nothing changes in practice. We'll vote on it at the March 23rd meeting.

- 4th Round Housing Plan

The State of New Jersey has been requiring every town to plan for affordable housing since the 1980s. Every few years the state recalculates the targets based on regional need. This is round four. The Planning Board approved our plan last week and tonight we signed off on it.

- Affirmative Action Marketing Plan

When affordable units open up, we can't just post a listing. State law requires us to actively reach out to specific agencies, nonprofits, and communities that haven't always had access to housing like ours. This plan spells out how we do that.

- A few things coming up in the next few weeks:

The farmers' market is moving behind the distillery this year, which opens up King's Court for the whole summer. The borough is planning Saturday programming from May through September with trades demonstrations, music, dance, etc.. Rain or shine. More soon.

Police station ribbon cutting is probably moving to late April. Lots of people have asked about tours and we'll get details out as soon as we have them.

The Governor announces her budget tomorrow, which will affect our numbers. We're aiming to have a draft Haddonfield budget out for review by the end of next week and introduce it in April. Also on the March 23rd agenda: a cap bank ordinance (this lets us carry unused budget capacity forward for up to three years and basically acts as a cushion) and a salary ordinance.

And a FEMA-required floodplain update is coming. It adjusts our 100- and 500-year flood zone maps to match new federal standards. Already approved at the state level.

Hope you’re enjoying the weather! Drop questions below.

01/27/2026

Tonight’s Board of Commissioners meeting was light, with routine beginning-of-the-year business.

We recognized Board of Education Appreciation Month and Black History Month, and introduced (on first reading) an ordinance related to traffic regulations that will allow us to install traffic signs at the West End and Euclid intersection. We also briefly entered closed session, where our Borough Solicitor shared updates on ongoing litigation.

Of course snow removal has been top of mind for me and based on the messages I've received I know it has been for many of you.

Our Public Works crews have been rotating shifts since 6am on Sunday to keep plow trucks on the road. Roads should now be open and Borough parking lots are cleared. Our crews have also made progress on sidewalks at Borough Hall, the Library, Kings Court, and throughout downtown, and they’ll continue removing lingering slush so it doesn’t refreeze.

There's light snow in the forecast for Sunday. While it shouldn't be as heavy as this past weekend, it will add to the piles we already have. One note I hope you will spread by word of mouth is to please avoid parking on streets during snow events, especially on narrower streets. Cars left on the street make it difficult for crews to clear curb to curb. We will make borough parking lots available to you during these kinds of weather events.

For the rest of the week, crews are focused on removing snow piles. We’re also coordinating with the County on cleanup of county roads.

Thank you for your patience and for the many kind notes and comments about our Public Works staff. They’ve been working long hours, and I know it’s very appreciated.

Stay warm.

01/15/2026

Our Haddonfield Shade Tree Commission and our Public Works team were busy in 2025. Thank you for all you do!

01/01/2026

Sending warm wishes for a happy New Year to our Haddonfield community. Here’s hoping 2026 brings good health, everyday joys, and moments of peace along the way. Cheers!

12/16/2025

Tonight was our final action meeting of 2025. Since it was a December meeting, most of the agenda was routine end of year business. Think things like paying bills, approving budget transfers, renewing annual service agreements, confirming appointments, and setting the 2026 meeting calendar.

We did take action on two items worth highlighting. Back in August, there was deep interest and advocacy around the homeless ordinance. As a response, Camden County is expanding its shared services agreement that is allowing us to participate in a state funded program run with Volunteers of America.

This service had already been in place for some municipalities. Camden County was able to secure additional state funding to expand this program to every municipality. For Haddonfield, this means access to a coordinated support network that helps connect people to the right services. Our police will also have access to support from a VOA social worker when appropriate. There is no local tax increase tied to this program. If temporary housing is needed through a shelter, hotel, or motel, our share would come from opioid settlement funds, not property taxes.

Secondly, we approved moving forward with a settlement agreement with Fair Share Housing. This puts Haddonfield on a stable path for affordable housing compliance for the next ten years. In January, we will introduce the ordinance updates needed to put the agreement into effect, followed by Planning Board review in February. If all goes as expected, we’d be adopting the final version later that month.

Few more notable things: We recognized January 2026 as Muslim Heritage Month to acknowledge the many contributions of Muslim Americans and to very clearly articulate that Haddonfield is a place where people of all backgrounds are welcome.

And we also recognized Scott McElhone, who has been the Chair of the Shade Tree Commission for the last ~4 years. Scott and I overlapped briefly, and it didn’t take me long to see how well he knows the work and how seriously he takes the role. Selfishly, Scott made coming into the role of commissioner infinitely easier. I am grateful to him and his years of service!

That’s it for the 2025 legislative year. We’ll be back to work in January. Until then, wishing all of you a peaceful and joyful end of the year. Happy holidays and a very happy New Year!