I have patronized the Wawa on Triangle Road in Hillsborough for over 30 years. Indeed, there was a period of seven or eight years when I was there seven days a week. I am a creature of habit, but I strive to make them good ones - and Wawa was a good one.
The Wawa morning shift cashiers must be the most patient people on earth. Why? Because they interact with customers who have yet to drink their morning coffee! I will miss them - just as I miss all the great employees who have moved on over the years (Nettie, AJ, Justin - even the other Justin!).
As my travel patterns in and around Hillsborough changed over the past three years I became a Wawa weekend warrior almost exclusively. But now even that is gone. And while I will miss the coffee (I can't see driving out to Summer Road/Route 202 for 20 oz. of joe) what I will miss the most are the friendly faces that I only ran into at Wawa, and their inevitable greeting, "How are things going on the school board?"
I have been off the board for nearly a year already and I still get that question.
School board members (as well as school employees and local politicians) come in two varieties - those who are happy to engage with the public, and those who aren't. In some cases, it breaks down to whether or not the board member thinks residents of the town are truly his constituents. As discussed in a previous article, the New Jersey School Boards Association trains board members to NOT be accountable to residents as their representatives, but rather to act as "agents of the state". I was never an agent of the state.
I have known school board members - and other school employees - to avoid the public. In other words, if they must go to the local Shop Rite, it's during off-hours. And Wawa is to be avoided during the morning rush.
Of course, I know many who have the completely opposite philosophy.
The best example that comes to mind is my friend and longtime New Jersey Assemblyman the late Pete Biondi. During his most active years representing the residents of the 16th legislative district, he would be at the Hillsborough Wawa once or twice a week during the morning coffee hours. After making his coffee, he would step outside the store and make himself available to anyone who wanted to talk.
What I observed in those years was a confident person willing to engage. Although I never went as far as setting up shop outside the doors, I did try to emulate his attitude towards the public. And I never shied away from the hard questions - even when they came from Pete himself!
And one other thing...about 15 years ago at the coffee counter, as I was about to add the half-and-half Pete stopped me briefly, reached into the cooler, turned to me, and said, "I've got the secret to the meaning of life." In his hand, he held a carton of French Vanilla creamer.
I am going to miss Wawa.
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