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eh.... I think the town has definitly been moving in the right direction over the last 10-20 years, so its hard to criticize the overall performance. But there needs to be some major projects/initiatives to take everything to the next step. Im willing to give Maley a few more years to see if he will continue progress. He's not at an Andy-Reed-level yet.
Maley's pretty close to an Andy Reid. He's been a commissioner since 1989 and mayor since 1997. He's entering his 15th year running the town and his 23 having a hand in running in the town.
If you are really looking for the actual power brokers in town though, it's Jerry Chambers (owner of the former Eck's Jewelers) and John Gagliardi, owner of Total Image salon. John Gagliardi is the current head of the Business Association and has been for decades. Jerry Chambers is John's buddy and currently holds a post as the "Director of the Foundation for the Arts" in Collingswood which controls the old Scottish Rite building.
Those two guys are the "shadow mayors" so to speak and while neither of them have ever held actual office, the same crew has been the mayor/council since they have been influential. The rumor mill years ago was that Maley became mayor because the former guy wasn't "towing the company line".
One of the more interesting theories is that Gagliardi and Chambers were tired of investing their own money in trying to make the Avenue viable and so they worked to get an administration that would invest the towns money there to help their businesses. Good or bad, corrupt or not, that's for individuals to decide, but both have made a lot of money off of the developments on the avenue as they also own quite a few storefronts in addition to their businesses.
Think about it. Huge numbers of abandoned storefronts that can be bought cheap. Buy them, take control of the Business Association. Get your buddies into council and as the mayor. Have the town invest tons of money on "improving the Avenue" and making it a "destination". Suddenly your crappy abandoned storefronts are worth a lot more than they were before. Leverage your power to keep out unwanted national chains so that people will still rent your storefronts and make a go at it.
The Business Association is such an old boys club and only concerned with promoting their own interest, it's the reason that the other side of town has the West Collingswood Business Association, why does a town of 14,000 and a couple square miles need two business associations? Maybe it's because one of them exists solely for the benefit of a couple members who just happen to control a lot of real estate on a certain Avenue.
ALL OF THE PRECEEDING WAS MERELY REPEATING WHAT HAS BEEN CIRCULATING IN THE RUMOR MILL FOR YEARS. I HAVE NO DIRECT KNOWLEDGE OR EVIDENCE OF ANY OF THE ABOVE.
First I've ever heard of this. I know this guy DiNella is constantly fighting the fight to rid the town of Maley and his crew. Takes every chance he gets. He (feels he's been) screwed somewhere along the line.
First I've ever heard of this. I know this guy DiNella is constantly fighting the fight to rid the town of Maley and his crew. Takes every chance he gets. He (feels he's been) screwed somewhere along the line.
Like I said, it was just rumors that have been going around for years over the influence of Gagliardi and Chambers. I'm sure the fact they own quite a few of the storefronts on the Avenue has something to do with the rumor mills. I will say though that the Business Association was the only body actively working to improve the Avenue for many years until Maley came in and started all of the redevelopment. I'm sure those two men had a lot of influence in how things played out, but their motives are another question that no one can answer, but people sure like to theorize on.
I have no idea what DiNella's issue is, other then he has been a very vocal critic over where the town spends it's money and how it comes by it. I think he sued the town a couple years ago over an OPRA request regarding the Lumberyard. I'm not even sure which DiNella is the one that is so vocal as there is a DiNella that's been a local real estate agent for years, but they don't seem to be one in the same.
GOAT, if you suddenly "disappear" from this forum, I will alert the authorities on your behalf!
Also, for those "free thinker- hip" types, please request to join a new page on Facebook called Hip Citizens of Collingswood and be sure to share your thoughts and ideas.
I seriously have no connection to the page nor the starters but have found it greatly informative and a really good use of social media for change and thought in Colls.
I like that Collingswood is a dry town. It is SO much cheaper to bring your own bottle. And you are guaranteed to be drinking something you like!
I think Collingswood's first order of business is to get rid of the old Parkview apartments. They are riddled with drugs, gangbangers and lowlifes. I am SO glad we moved out when we did. Those towers are cursed!
are there any 'bad' parts of collingswood, my husband is getting a job in Cherry hill and we are thinking of moving with our 2 young children... we are not from Jersey and are having one hell of a time decipher between what is considered 'good vs bad' there!
are there any 'bad' parts of collingswood, my husband is getting a job in Cherry hill and we are thinking of moving with our 2 young children... we are not from Jersey and are having one hell of a time decipher between what is considered 'good vs bad' there!
Define "bad".
In general the main section of Collingswood is the most desirable. It is the section to the east of the White Horse Pike, bounded on the north by Cooper River and on the south by Newton Creek. This is the section that Haddon Ave. runs through. The area known as "West Collingswood" which runs along Collings Ave. from the White Horse Pike (aka Route 30) west to the train tracks as well as any sections on the "other" side of Route 130 are considered the least desirable.
In terms of schools and location, the area immediately around Tatem Elementary (located at the intersection of Lincoln Ave. and Washington Ave.) are generally desirable as Tatem is considered the "best" elementary school in the town.
In general the main section of Collingswood is the most desirable. It is the section to the east of the White Horse Pike, bounded on the north by Cooper River and on the south by Newton Creek. This is the section that Haddon Ave. runs through. The area known as "West Collingswood" which runs along Collings Ave. from the White Horse Pike (aka Route 30) west to the train tracks as well as any sections on the "other" side of Route 130 are considered the least desirable.
In terms of schools and location, the area immediately around Tatem Elementary (located at the intersection of Lincoln Ave. and Washington Ave.) are generally desirable as Tatem is considered the "best" elementary school in the town.
By 'bad' I mean am I going to run into issues with terrible schools (most of NJ's are ranked better than what we have available in MN) drug dealers? high crime rates? We are looking for a safe neighborhood.. I don't need anything fancy and would prefer not to be in an 'uppity' area but don't want to jeopardize my families safety.
By 'bad' I mean am I going to run into issues with terrible schools (most of NJ's are ranked better than what we have available in MN) drug dealers? high crime rates? We are looking for a safe neighborhood.. I don't need anything fancy and would prefer not to be in an 'uppity' area but don't want to jeopardize my families safety.
Collingswoods schools on the whole are ranked average for the state. Some of their schools individually are ranked very well, like the aforementioned Tatem. The crime rates and things like that are not really an issue and Collingswood is generally a nice, safe town.
If education is your top priority, there may be better choices in that immediate area such as neighboring Haddon Twp. which has an overall better ranked school system.
By 'bad' I mean am I going to run into issues with terrible schools (most of NJ's are ranked better than what we have available in MN) drug dealers? high crime rates? We are looking for a safe neighborhood.. I don't need anything fancy and would prefer not to be in an 'uppity' area but don't want to jeopardize my families safety.
Your children are young still, and Like NJGOAT says, the elementary system is good-great.
Most people dont understand that a schools performance (and to a lesser extent, ranking) is made up of the collection of individual students. And studies show the greatest statistical influence of a students performance is the mother's level of education. Collingswood has had an influx of young, educated couples over the last 10-15 years, so the collection of students that make up the Collingswood High School will have a noticeably different make up (family education level) by the time your children reach that age.
My wife has a PhD (Sociology), we live in Collingswood, and plan on staying there when we have children. We could move to neighboring Haddon Twp where the HS is ranked noticeably higher, but we wont because we love Collingswood and understand the factors mentioned above. It is very family oriented, with several great parks, kids riding bikes, and other activities kids love (i.e. the Pop shop, All fired up, etc).
We've also come to the decision that, while we can afford a large home in a suburban town like Cherry Hill, et al, we prefer an appropriate size home (less cleaning, maintenance) with charm in a walkable, transit accessible town. We would rather travel and eat at nice restaurants frequently, than spend that money on a mortgage for space we dont need.
And for what its worth. Collingswood is as safe as any other town around South Jersey. There are crimes, and there are area's (closer to Rt130) that we generally avoid. But the town as a whole is bustling with people of all ages and backgrounds, which I prefer to hunkering down in a McMansion.
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