All Around Pennsauken

By Frank Sinatra, AAP Editor 

On December 31, 2016, Ed Grochowski, administrator of Pennsauken Township, will retire, capping off 13 years of municipal service to the community.

“It’s the people that I’ve met that have made this job a rewarding experience,” says Grochowski, who has made Pennsauken his home since December of 1978. “While we’ve had our differences of opinion, we’ve always found a way to make it work for the town.”

Grochowski became assistant administrator of Pennsauken Township in December 2003, coming from over 30 years in the private sector, serving as a contracts and procurement manager for architectural engineering firms that designed and built power plants. He became the Township’s administrator in 2009 upon the retirement of Bob Cummings. In that span, Grochowski has helped guide municipal operations during some tough economic times.

“Our toughest challenge was when the economy took a tank in 2010 and 2011. The ability to work with all the people and the unions to come to an agreement where we didn’t have to lay anybody off was pretty big,” explains Grochowski. “It’s really not because of me. It’s just reasonable people coming up with a compromise that’s good for everybody.”

“When I took this position, I tried to make sure Pennsauken was fiscally sound going forward,” adds Grochowski. “Even though it’s a municipal government, I tried to run it like a business, with the residents and business owners as our customers. The goal was to serve our customers the best way possible while being fiscally responsible. I think with the people we have here, we’re able to accomplish that. Municipal taxes haven’t gone up in three years and Pennsauken has a tax collection rate of 97 percent. I didn’t do this on my own. Everybody doing their part is what makes the difference.”

As for retirement, Ed doesn’t have any immediate plans; he is looking forward to not having to punch in on the time clock and the freedom to travel with his wife, Eileen. He also hopes to remain active in the community.

“You don’t miss the job so much as the people,” says Grochowski. “You remember the good times and the challenges, but it’s more about the people than the work. We’ve had a good run in here with the people we have. I’d tried to make myself as available to our staff, our residents, and our business owners as possible, working to make Pennsauken a good place to live and work. With the people working here, I think we’ve done that.”