Hopewell Township is searching for a new health officer in the Health Department following the submitted resignation of Dawn Marling.
Marling, who is the current township health officer, submitted her resignation on April 30 and the Township Committee accepted her resignation at their meeting on May 6.
Her resignation will go into effect on June 14.
“We got a chance to speak with Ms. Marling at our Board of Health Meeting. [We are] sorry to see her go,” Mayor Courtney Peters-Manning said. “We have plans in place. We have already posted for a new health officer, and it should be a seamless transition.”
The Township Committee had unanimously approved Marling’s appointment to health officer in August 2020. Her appointment came at a crucial time for the township when the township, state, and country were facing the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“… She was instrumental during that time period,” Committeeman Michael Ruger said adding, he has “deep appreciation” for Marling’s work. “I wish her well.”
Marling succeeded former township health officer Robert English, who resigned in early 2020 and took over the full-time duties of health officer from former Montgomery Township Health Officer Stephanie Carey, who served as interim health officer.
At the time, Carey was still the health officer for Montgomery Township, which extended their department services to Hopewell Township through a shared service agreement between the two municipalities in the interim.