Awards

Innovation in Governance Award (2023) - Honorable Mention

Hazlet Township's Public Information Office has been awarded Honorable Mention in the Innovation in Governance Award from the New Jersey League of Municipalities for its use of technology to automate and improve the popular Town-Wide Garage Sale twice a year. 

The award recognizes creative and practical approaches to local problems and concerns. It will be included in the January 2024 issue of the NJLM Magazine.

Show off Your City Contest (2023) - First Place

Hazlet Township is the top winner of the New Jersey League of Municipalities "Show Off Your City" statewide photo contest. 

The winning photograph featured Hazlet's Fourth of July Fireworks Show during a magic moment when a colorburst illuminated four captivated kids perched on top of the monkey bars in Veterans Park. 

The photo by PIO Christina Johnson was taken with an iPhone. It was featured on the cover of the The April issue of NJ Municipalities magazine and in the magazine's centerfold with an article about the township display and 175th Anniversary. Download PDF.

NJ Municipalities Magazine spotlights local governments around the state and is read by more than 6,300 + municipal leaders and staff members. 

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NJLM Magazine Cover Story (2022) - Cover Story

The Hazlet Public Information Officer was invited to write and illustrate the cover story of the June 2022 NJ Municipalities magazine, the state's leading print magazine read by government officials across the state. The article was about Hazlet Recreation's Bike with a Bunny Parade.

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Municipal Public Information Contest (2021)

Best Web/Social Media

The Hazlet Township Public Information Office is the winner of Best Web / Social Media in the statewide 2020 Municipal Public Information Contest organized by the Center for Government Services at Rutgers, the New Jersey Municipal Management Association and New Jersey League of Municipalities.  

The purpose of the contest is to promote the use of successful and innovative techniques that increase government’s ability to meet citizen needs and improve access to government services.

Show Off Your City (2021) - Honorable Mention

A photo that perfectly framed a unique moment in Hazlet during the summer of COVID-19 has been selected by the judges for Honorable Mention in the New Jersey State League of Municipalities 2021 "Show Off Your City" contest.

The photo, taken by Hazlet resident Danielle Paul-Brosonski, was published in the April edition of the magazine. (See a PDF)

The summery scene shows the Hazlet Rocks garden display, which sprang up at the base of a beloved shady tree in Veterans Park during the long days of lockdown. It began as a creative community project led by Hazlet resident and prolific rock painter Rich Pyburn, with the encouragement of the Township Committee. 

It drew visitors to the township park to "see the garden grow." They could check out the uniquely painted rocks and add their own versions to the pile. A community of more than 1,300 people shared photos and compliments on the  Hazlet Rocks Facebook Page .  It became something "to do together, but apart" when social distancing was necessary. It inspired feelings of positivity, accomplishment and connection for many.

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