Town votes to rescind license of N.J. gym whose owners repeatedly defied coronavirus restrictions

A borough council in Camden County voted Tuesday to rescind the business license of a gym that has repeatedly defied a state order to close its doors under coronavirus restrictions.

The Bellmawr council voted 5 to 1 to rescind the mercantile license of Atilis Gym after an hour-long hearing that featured comments from the gym owners’ attorney, the borough’s lawyer and council members. One of the gym owners, Ian Smith, sat in the council chamber, along with a half dozen police officers and 10 members of the public allowed to attend in seats spaced 6-feet apart.

“Anybody who didn’t already have their minds made up would have made the right choice,” Smith said outside of the hearing.

One of the last times he was inside the Bellmawr municipal complex, earlier this month, he was in handcuffs after being arrested.

This time he entered on his own free will but the circumstance was equally unpleasant.

Howard Long, the borough’s attorney, presented information about the citations issued to the gym and advised the council on what they could do about it.

“If you believe this business is unsafe to your residents of Bellmawr and you believe that laws have been violated,” Long said. “You have the right...to revoke this license”

Smith’s attorney, John McCann, called some of the information presented in the hearing about the gym as “goofy” and “obnoxious.” He called it “something out of George Orwell.”

The borough council eventually voted to revoke the license following nine pairs of citations against Smith and his business partner Frank Trumbetti, and an arrest for defying a state executive order to keep their gym closed as part of the coronavirus pandemic response.

“The bottom line is we are fighting for our constitutional rights,” Trumbetti, 51, said earlier this month.

Trumbetti did not attend the Tuesday hearing.

Previously, Trumbetti said he and his partner think the borough is acti... (Read more)

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