The Franklin Township Council held its regular meeting on Thursday, November 10, 2022, at 7:00 PM in the municipal building council chambers. The meeting began with a unique invocation—a recitation of the "Stand Up for the Other" pledge led by community members and faith leaders. Key topics included public concerns over warehouse sprawl, the future of Rutgers Plaza, and council actions on consent agenda items, board appointments, and a conservation easement ordinance.
Thank you. I can explain. This regular meeting of the Franklin Township Council is called to order. Madam Clerk. In accordance with the open public meeting act of the state of New Jersey, adequate notice of this work session regular meeting of the Franklin Township Council was made by the posting on the bulletin board in the municipal building, the township website electronically transmitted to the officially designated newspapers indicating that this work session regular meeting would take place in the municipal building council chambers at 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 10, 2022. Thank you. If we could all stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, and this time you may sit for the invocation. I thought I'd do something a little different from the invocation. There's been a lot of hate speech in the country lately. And I thought as form of invocation, it might be better to cite the stand for the other pledge. Since the person who first introduced it to me was Mr. Karazi, I thought I'd ask him to come and give this uh repeat the speech. And I I understand you brought some friends. Good evening, everyone. Um Mr. Mayor, thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this stand-up for the other pledge. And I have a few faith leaders here that uh if uh if it's okay, I would like to invite them also to join me. I have uh Rabbi here, Rabbar, please come, and we have uh Mr. Rahman, who is the uh chairman of the uh the Dava to the Islamia of Somerset, and we also have Imam Rizvan Rizvi. Please come and join us. He's from Masida Ali. Uh while they coming, I'd like to give a little bit of a background about this uh stand-up for the other pledge. Uh actually the pledge was initiated in 2015 by Dr. Ali Chadri in one of the meetings of the interface advisory council of New Jersey of uh and Department of uh Department of Homeland Security. And the question was at that time is what is the responsibility of face leaders and community members to achieve the goal of creating harmony among our diverse communities and the conclusion after some long discussion was that we would know if we are succeeding in creating harmony when we see the day when people begin to confront in their own inner circles any bigotry and hate towards other groups, be they Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Baha'i, Buddhist, or people of any faith or no faith at all. And so the stand-up for uh the other pledge, of course, is not new to Franklin Township. As Mayor mentioned in 2016, I stood in this chamber and shared the pledge and witnessed the council members to pledge. On Valentine's Day of 2017, under the leadership of Dr. Ravalli, our entire public school students and staff took the pledge. Later on, we had pledge was taken in Dr. Martha Luther King breakfast, as well as even at uh Ratga's prep. Although most of our community members know uh know or have taken the pledge, it is always a good idea to remind ourselves about our responsibility as a community member toward each other. With that in mind, may I ask all of you join us to renew or take the pledge? And the pledge is very simple. I'm just gonna go ahead and read the pledge, and you can repeat after me. While interacting with members of my own faith. While interacting with members of my own faith, or ethnic ethnic, or gender community or gender community, or with others, or with others if I hear hateful comments by hear hateful comments from anyone about members of any other community. From anyone by members of any other community, I pledge to stand up for the other. I pledge to stand up for the other, and speak up to challenge bigotry in any form. And speak up to challenge bigotry in any form. Thank you very much. I appreciate the mayor. I really appreciate for giving us the opportunity. Thanks all. Excellent. Thank you very much, gentlemen. Okay. Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Councilman M.