Borough Administrator Bellina Recognized for Service

Submitted by Sandra Lanman

TRENTON, N.J. – Eleven members of the New Jersey Municipal Management Association, including Joseph Bellina of Freehold Borough and Peter Valesi of Freehold Township, were among 34 borough, city, and township administrators from Monmouth County recognized in a joint resolution by the New Jersey State Senate and Assembly on June 20 “for their tireless and heartfelt efforts in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.”

Sponsored by 13th District Republican legislators Sen.  Joseph M. Kyrillos Jr.; Assemblywoman Amy H. Handlin, deputy Republican leader of the State Assembly; and Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon , the resolution acknowledges the extraordinary recovery work managed by the administrators in their hard-hit communities.

The sponsors were joined by Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande (R- 11th District), in honoring the administrators who serve the Sandy-struck communities in their districts along and adjacent to the Jersey Shore.

NJMMA members honored from the 13th District: Holly Reycraft, Aberdeen; Adam Hubeny, Atlantic Highlands; Theresa Casagrande, Fair Haven; Thomas Rogers, Rumson; and Joseph Verruni, Sea Bright.

From the 11th District: Robert Bowden, Colts Neck; George Jackson, Eatontown; Joseph Bellina, Freehold Borough; Peter R. Valesi, Freehold Township; Howard H. Woolley Jr., Long Branch; and Andrew G. Brannen, Ocean Township.

“NJMMA is grateful to Senator Kyrillos, Assemblywomen Handlin and Casagrande, and Assemblyman O’Scanlon for acknowledging the tremendous work of local government administrators in managing as complex and daunting a task as the recovery from Superstorm Sandy,” said NJMMA President Tara Lovrich, Administrator for the Township of Manalapan.

“The recovery efforts have shone a much-needed spotlight on the professionalism and collaborative spirit of local government administrators, whose role is essential in good times and bad,” Lovrich added. “Our members, their peers and colleagues across the state have consistently been on the front lines when disaster strikes.”

The resolution reads in part: “… the strength and success of the State of New Jersey, the vitality of our communities and effectiveness of our American society depend, in great measure, upon citizens, exemplified by these admired Public Administrators, who unite voluntarily, act together, and provide their unique talents to further a cause, to perform a necessary service, to support one another and their communities, and to relieve others from unavoidable hardship…”

Established more than 50 years ago, NJMMA is dedicated to advancing the professionalism, training, and development of public managers, and facilitating the exchange of ideas and best practices in municipal management.  The organization has been instrumental in shaping legislation and policies that affect services to residents and businesses throughout New Jersey.