Not April Fools: This November 3rd (Eleven) Pine Valley Residents Voting On Ballot Initiative

Jim Walsh in the Cherry Hill Courier-Post paints quite the bizarre picture of a ballot initiative facing the eleven constituents of the borough of Pine Valley. Yes, that Pine Valley.

The club’s George Crump and H.S. Colt course is typically ranked first in most rankings of top American courses despite losing some aesthetic and architectural edge in recent years. The “borough” of Pine Valley now appears to be adhering to Governor Phil Murphy’s push for shared services between boroughs with lower property taxes as the end goal.

So this November 3rd, you Pine Valley borougherers—all eleven of the thirteen registered to vote—you must decide whether to form a citizens’ commission to decide shared services in the region!

“This is a preliminary step, but an important one that the borough believes is prudent to consider,” Pine Valley Mayor Mike Kennedy said in a statement provided to the Courier-Post.

The ballot question – to be decided by the borough’s 11 registered voters — is “consistent with these goals,” Kennedy said.

The Camden County borough, which was incorporated in 1929, keeps a low profile in a forested area behind a rail line along East Atlantic Avenue.

There’s an understatement. I wonder if there are lawn signs with the lucky few Pine Valley residents announcing their position?

Anyway, Walsh paints a picture of Pine Valley from just outside the gates and tries to describe the exclusive club—errr, borough—that might like some help from neighboring areas despite its all-male membership, claims that the borough has “no say” in the club operation and the famous once-a-year open door policy.

One cabin-like building serves as the borough hall. The six-officer police department, which has reported no major crimes for the past two years, occupies a smaller structure next door.

That opportunity comes on the final day of the Crump Cup, a four-day competition for “mid-amateur” and senior golfers. The event is named for George Crump, a Philadelphia hotelier who began designing the course in 1913.

Mid-amateur senior golfers. That had to sting. Here’s a weird one:

This year’s competition, initially scheduled for Sept. 24-27, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the one-day opening drew almost 800 spectators in 2018, including four who were “evicted for tossing things onto the course,” according to minutes of a borough commission meeting from that time.

Tossing things? A divot back to a golfer? A green reading book? A pine cone? Details!

Anyway, it’s all bizarre and I recommend reading it from Walsh.