Public service is a family thing, says Ted Brennan, the newly-appointed mayor of Merchantville. Brennan's father, Patrick, served as the borough's mayor from 1995 to 2006. "And my uncle Michael was mayor of Collingswood for 20 years," adds Ted.

In Camden County, when the general election takes place Nov. 5, voters in some South Jersey municipalities won’t find a choice on the ballot.In almost 40 municipalities, a single party’s candidates are running unopposed for posts in the municipal governing body:Democrats face no GOP opposition in local campaigns in 15 towns, including Berlin Township, Merchantville, Oaklyn and Runnemede. Republicans are the only council candidates in Berlin Borough. http://on.cpsj.com/HdF3vZ

On January 14th at the first Borough Council meeting of 2019, Marie Hanna and Rita Lammey were presented with proclamations by Mayor Brennan for their many years of dedicated service to the Borough on the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC). The commission meets on to review and recommend certain activities in the B1 and B2 Zoning Districts on the first Tuesday of every month at 7:30 p.m. in Council Chambers on the second floor in Borough Hall, located at 1 West Maple Avenue, Merchantville, NJ 08109.

Sandy Edwards, a retired teacher in Carmichael, vividly remembers how she and her siblings divvied up the contents of their parents’ sprawling, four-story Victorian mansion in Merchantville, N.J., which had been in the family since 1900. It took two years and innumerable trips back East. Essentially, “we linked arms and walked room by room. http://bit.ly/1mbcSyW

The Nantucket Council on Aging has named Michael Varbalow its 2014 Senior Citizen of the Year for their positive impact on the island’s elderly community and uplifting presence on a yearly basis. Varbalow, 75, grew up in the small town of Merchantville, N.J. and was raised by parents who were heavily involved in the community. He attributes his love for small towns and community service to them.

There was a great deal of news for Philadelphia soccer fans before the start of league play on Oct. 4, 1913. Belmont Cricket Club, holders of the Mannheim Prize, — the Cricket Club league championship trophy that is still played for today — for four-seasons running and so important to the rejuvenation of the soccer locally through their hosting of the first international friendly in Philadelphia in 1901, moved across the river to Merchantville in New Jersey and would now play under that name after their West Philadelphia grounds had been bought by the city for the recreation center that stands to this day between 49th and 51st streets and Chester and Kingsessing Avenues. http://bit.ly/HbkRe7

On this, the 40th anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown, I took a ride by the land where Garden State Park once stood, rising majestically with a white wooden grandstand like the Yankee Stadium of horse racing. Now another indistinct shopping center, this sacred soil used for shopping was where Secretariat raced only a few months before becoming thoroughbred majesty in 1973.  Back then, there was a gap in the fence off Third Ave., near the back entrance of the track. The gap was wide enough for a kid’s body, which is where I used to sneak in back the early 1970’s, avoiding the dollar entrance fee. The mile or so walk up Chapel Ave from St. Peter’s School in Merchantville raced by like “Big Red” himself, talking with my older brother, Rich, and usually two of our friends. On half days, we would sprint out of school and go to the race track, ditching our book bags in the lower church as we said a quick prayer for a good day at the track. http://on.cpsj.com/19PtCSN

Merchantville is known as South Jersey's Victorian Secret. It is big on tradition but short on houses for sale. Why? People move in but they rarely ever leave. Whether it's the housing stock or the K-8 school district, people stick to Merchantville like glue, the Darlands say. On the street where the Darlands bought their 1907 Sears & Roebuck craftsman bungalow three years ago, there are 11 other houses.

Buster Williams, 70, is a living legend of jazz, a sideman who has jammed with the likes of Miles Davis, Count Basie, Herbie Hancock, Sarah Vaughan, and Nancy Wilson. In 2009, Williams and his wife sold their brownstone in Harlem and moved to an apartment on the first floor of an old Victorian in Merchantville.

Civil Rights Pioneer, Aide to Dr. King, Baptist Minister. Born in Brockton, Massachusetts, in 1929, he stated unapologetically that his father was a “race man,” a pastor and his role model.  He reportedly said, “My father reacted to anything that smacked of discrimination or prejudice and I was under that influence.  He was my first hero.”  Walker grew up in New Jersey where he attended primary and secondary schools in Merchantville.