Brick Mayor, Council Urge Unity For 2020

BRICK, NJ — Unity. That was the word of the day when the Brick Township Council held its reorganization meeting for 2020.

The township governing body kicked off the year with the swearing in of Vincent Minichino as the new member of the council, joining Andrea Zapcic, Lisa Crate and Arthur Halloran, all of whom were elected to new terms on the council. With those four and Paul Mummolo, Heather deJong and Marianna Pontoriero on the dais, the council is once again all Democrats.

With the council and Mayor John G. Ducey all being Democrats again, it seems likely that the intense dissent that marked the previous 18 months should be in the past. James Fozman, who had been a Democrat until mid-2018, changed parties following a public dispute with Ducey over the local Democratic Committee chairmanship.

Fozman was defeated in the November election, but finished up his time at the Dec. 31 council meeting by saying he always had asked questions with the best interests of Brick residents in mind.

Though his name was not mentioned at the reorganization meeting the next day, council members said they were looking forward to less dissent and to more unity going forward.

Crate was elected council president and Halloran was elected council vice president.

Ducey highlighted a few issues and plans that are in the works for 2020, including continuing efforts by the police department's Street Crimes Unit to address drugs and other crimes, and plans to make over two more parks: Bayside Park on the barrier island, and Cedar Bridge Manor Park.

Ducey also called on residents to come together to fight the state's continuing cuts to school funding. The state legislature has a bill in the works that would allows some school districts that are suffering severe cuts to increase their property tax levy beyond the state cap to make up fo rhte lost aid. Brick school district officials have said that is not an acceptable solution.

Ducey again called on the state to release the formula used to calculation districts' wealth.

"That's a scary thing that the government won't release the formula," Ducey said, adding the state should be treating every child the same, and that Brick residents should help fight for that. "We need to stand united. Those with kids, those no kids. All of us."

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