Holmdel Mayor Eric Hinds Censured Over $2.1M Turf Field Expense

HOLMDEL, NJ — In a 3-1 vote, the majority of the Holmdel Township Committee voted Tuesday night to censure Holmdel Mayor Eric Hinds, over what some Holmdel elected officials allege was Hinds' misdirection of $2.1 million in taxpayer money for a turf field at the town swim club.

That censure will be sent to the Monmouth County Ethics Board and the New Jersey State Legislature, among other state groups, for public record.

Committeemen Mike Nikolis, Greg Buontempo and Rocco Pascucci voted to censure Hinds. Hinds' ally Tom Critelli was the sole 'no' vote against the censure resolution, which was introduced by Pascucci.

"This is not a witch hunt," said Pasucci. "I like Eric. But if you don't do your job or act inappropriately up here, I have to say my piece. There are processes and procedures. He always tries to undermine them."

Hinds was absent from Tuesday night's meeting, which was packed with both Hinds supporters and critics. He told Patch he is away on business.

In a text message, Hinds said the censure vote was "obviously a very planned and organized attack on me ... This is a political gimmick to help independents."

Hinds is up for reelection on Nov. 5 and faces a challenge from Cathy Weber and Prakash Santhana, running for his seat and Nikolis' seat on the Township Committee. Hinds is running with running mate Chiung-Yin Cheng Liu and with the support of the Monmouth County Republican party. Weber and Santhana are independents.

He also said this was a political coup designed by Nikolis, his former ally, and Weber and Santhana.

"I am not participating in the mud and fake chaos created by the Independent candidates and my former running mate, Mike Nikolis," he said in a statement.

At issue is a $2.1 million expenditure to build turf fields and lights at the Holmdel Swim Club. In April of this year, that expense was tucked into the "bills payable" section of a Holmdel Township Committee draft agenda. That money was diverted out of a $2.5 million bond for the Holmdel Youth Activities Association. Hinds himself pulled it from the agenda, after other Committee members, such as Pascucci and Buontempo, said a majority of the committee had never discussed or voted on such a large expense.

Hinds told Patch today that the $2.1 million was mistakenly put on the draft agenda.

Pascucci countered today that it could be no mistake.

"Nobody ever puts $2.1 million in the bills payable list. That means it's a done deal," he said. "If we hadn't picked it up, it would have been paid."

Then in August yet another invoice for turf fields popped up, this time a $58,000 bill from Holmdel Twp. engineer T&M Associates to be paid for a study on building turf fields at the swim club. At the time, T&M said they were directed by Holmdel Township to do the study — but Pascucci said again that the Township Committee never discussed or authorized such a thing.

For anyone who closely follows Holmdel politics, the issue has visibly upset Pascucci for months.

"As far as I'm aware no three Township Committee members ever approved this, either in public or in private," said Pascucci. "To me this is quite unethical and possibly illegal — it's defrauding of public funds."

"This was a done deal, ready to go, hidden from us," he continued. "We knew nothing about this until we saw it on bills payable, as if it was a done deal — lights, construction, done deal. That's not the way a Township works. Is is unacceptable."

Turf fields are a sensitive issue in Holmdel: Many people — mostly the parents of sports-playing kids —want them. Hinds, who volunteers as a coach at a recreational youth soccer league that would practice and host tournaments on the fields, has not been shy about his desire for turf fields in Holmdel.

After the mysterious August bill popped up, Holmdel Township launched an investigation into who was directing the turf field expenses.

That investigation unearthed an email back in February that show Hinds directing Holmdel's former administrator Donna Vieiro to move forward on an artificial turf project at the swim club as soon as possible. A later email showed Vieiro telling T&M that turf fields are a "tippy top" priority for Holmdel Township.

When asked about those emails today, Hinds told Patch today he does not have the authority to solely direct the town administrator.

"I wanted to move forward with doing it," Hinds told Patch today. "I need three votes to do anything."

He also said that former ally Nikolis was originally on board with turf fields at the swim club, but that was before Nikolis lost the support of the Monmouth County Republican Party and turned against him.

Nikolis said that yes, this past winter he told Hinds in a meeting with Holmdel lacrosse players and their families that he thought turf fields at the swim club were "a great idea."

"But it was never formally discussed among the Township Committee or voted on it. I told him I thought it was a great idea. The very next time I heard about it, it was buried in the consent agenda. He tried to sneak this past us," said Nikolis on Wednesday.

But Nikolis and Pascucci said this is not about politics.

"There was overwhelming evidence that Mayor Hinds directed the former administrator to act without approvals from the governing body," said Nikolis today, referring to the emails between Hinds and Vieiro. "This is not about politics. It's about ensuring openness and accountability for our residents."

"We did the investigation and it all points to the mayor acting inappropriately," said Pascucci. "We are limited by what we can do and all we can do is censure. He did not follow procedure."

Hinds and ally Critelli maintain this is just a political attack.

"People are attacking Mayor Hinds because he received the endorsement of the Monmouth County Republican Party and Mr. Nikolis did not," Critelli said in a statement he gave to Patch today. "It’s all about maintaining control and influence over the local Republican party pure and simple!"

Hinds blamed his fellow committee members as wasting more than one million of Holmdel tax money in the form of this investigation, and a payout to Vieiro, who has since quit the township.

"The fake censure resolution has zero credibility or merit and was slammed through prior to the election," Hinds said in a statement. "Voters are smarter than that."

Here is the Oct. 22, 2019 censure resolution, which is public record:

Whereas, as members of the Holmdel Township Committee we are subject to the code of ethics which includes the following in section 2-77.2 Ethical Standards and the local government ethics law-N.J.S.A. 40A:9-22.1 et seq. And whereas, in section 2-77.3, definitions, the term officer includes Members of the Township Committee; Whereas, the Township Committee has conducted an investigation that has resulted in the following findings;

In February the Mayor sent an email to the former administrator to move forward on an artificial turf field project at the swim club as soon as possible. And that the former administrator directed our township engineer to make this a "tippy top priority. And Whereas, the Mayor spoke with the Holmdel Director of Infrastructure on this project. And Whereas, Mayor Eric Hinds has violated the Township of Holmdel Ethical Standards by:

• Diverting public funds for a pet artificial turf field project at the Holmdel Swim Club.
• Directing our former administrator to execute engineering work without a vote from the governing body.
• Usurp the purpose of the February 2019 $2.5 recreational bond intended for all HYAA needs and improvements.

• He has been in contact with our former administrator which can be assumed to coach her sworn testimony.

And whereas, in committing these acts, Mayor Hinds has advanced his own interests in seeking publicity and acclaim for himself and has jeopardized the interests and negotiating position of the Township of Holmdel in the aforementioned matters;

And whereas, residents of Holmdel have written to and or appeared before the Holmdel Township Committee complaining of non transparency in government spending and action.

And whereas, the Holmdel Township Committee takes these matters very seriously and believes that Mayor Hinds actions constitute behavior that is unacceptable for an elected official.

And whereas, the Township Committee cannot and does not condone and will not tolerate such acts of taxpayer funds misappropriation.

Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Township Committee of the Township of Holmdel hereby censures Mayor Hinds for the aforementioned acts, and hereby admonishes him for inappropriate behavior.

Be it further resolved that a written complaint including a copy of this resolution shall be sent to the Monmouth County Ethics Board, to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Local Government Services, Local Finance Board, which administers the Local Ethics Law, to the Monmouth County Freeholders and to the New Jersey State Legislators of the 13th Legislative District representing Holmdel Township.

CERTIFICATION
I, Wendy L Patrovich, Township Clerk of the Township of Holmdel, do hereby certify that the above is a true copy of the Resolution adopted by the Holmdel Township Committee at a meeting held on October 22, 2019. Wendy L Patrovich, RMC/CMR Township Clerk

By law, a written complaint and a copy of the censure resolution will be sent to the Monmouth County Ethics Board, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Local Government Services, Local Finance Board, which administers the Local Ethics Law, to the Monmouth County Freeholders and to the New Jersey State Legislators of the 13th Legislative District representing Holmdel Township.

Related: Holmdel Investigates Who Authorized $58K Turf Field Study