'Tone Deaf' Mailer Still Rankles Holmdel Charter Study Chairman

HOLMDEL, NJ — Although the vote to change the form of government in Holmdel was defeated July 26, the person at the helm of the Charter Study Commission has more to say about the campaign of mailers to residents.

One in particular struck a nerve, says Chairman Kin Gee, because it seemed to connect his appointment in May to the New Jersey Asian American Pacific Islander Commission with his support of a vote in favor of a nonpartisan form of government in town.

Gee read a statement Tuesday night at the public comment part of the Township Committee meeting to condemn what he said was a "misleading" mailer that was used as "fodder" in the referendum campaign.

"In the middle of the campaign for the Charter Study Commission referendum, Holmdel residents received a political mailer showing a headline that 'Governor Phil Murphy Appoints Holmdel Resident Kin Gee to Commission' - right next to a picture of myself with Democratic New Jersey State Sen. Vin Gopal – along with a false and misleading claim that I am a “Democratic operative chosen to lead the Charter study,” Gee said in the statement he read.

Gee noted that all five commissioners of the Charter Study Commission were "duly elected in the 2021 November election."

"My appointment is to a non-political commission created because of rising hate crimes, especially against Asian Americans during the COVID pandemic. The appointment by Gov. Murphy was made in May 2022, after the Charter Study Commissioners unanimously agreed to the recommendations," he said.

Although the Township Committee protocol is to not engage in responses during the public comment section of the meeting, Mayor Gregory Buontempo and Deputy Mayor Prakash Santhana, who both supported a change in government, responded to the letter later in the week.

"I tend to agree with Mr. Gee's statement made at Tuesday's Township Committee meeting. I feel the flyer was very distasteful and that the people included in the flyer should apologize," Buontempo said Thursday.

The mailer in opposition to a change of government had "Holmdel NJ Republican Party" printed on a lower corner. Shown on the reverse side of the mailer is a picture that included current Township Committeemen Rocco Impreveduto and DJ Luccarelli, as well as several former committee members, who were opposed to the change of government.

Santhana said, in part, in an email Thursday: "As the Deputy Mayor and as an Asian American, I am extremely proud that Kin Gee, a Holmdel resident for more than 20 years, who has worked tirelessly to help the residents of our community, was appointed to the New Jersey AAPI Commission. ... It is quite unfortunate that the people who opposed the charter recommendations attacked Kin Gee politically for being chosen to serve on this commission," Santhana said.

Responses from Committeemen Impreveduto and Luccarelli were not available as of Friday.

Gee explained the context of the picture that was used:

"The picture was taken at a 2018 meeting where I, in my capacity as President of CHARGE and on behalf of Holmdel residents, met with Sen. Gopal to address the power outage issues that have plagued our communities," Gee said.

"I waited until now when the election results will be official, to issue this statement because this is not about the Charter Study Commission referendum," Gee said.

He said that there was a "steep rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans during the COVID pandemic. This continues today."

He said the New Jersey State Legislature took "laudable" action when it created a new commission for the purpose of stopping hate crimes against Asian Americans.

He told the Township Committee that "the people involved with the political mailer are clearly tone deaf to the real plight and fear faced by many Asian Americans as a result of the COVID pandemic."

"It is reprehensible that my appointment to the New Jersey Asian American Pacific Islander Commission to stop hate crimes against Asian Americans would be used as fodder for political purposes, especially in such a false and misleading way," Gee said.

Gee's full comments can be heard near the end of the recording of the Township Committee meeting.