New Member Joins Holmdel Township Committee; Deputy Mayor Named

HOLMDEL, NJ — The Township Committee started out with only two members present Tuesday night, but that soon changed.

In the absence of Mayor Gregory Buontempo, Township Attorney Michael L. Collins advised that the presence of Committeemen Rocco Impreveduto and DJ Luccarelli constituted a quorum of the three-member committee. He presented his opinion after he and the two committeemen had reconvened the meeting from a closed session.

That being decided, and with Luccarelli presiding, the two approved a resolution - added last night - to appoint a new member to the committee, GOP committee candidate Brian Foster, a former Board of Education member.

It was "unprecedented," Impreveduto said, to have only three members on the committee and it could affect certain budgetary action requiring four affirmative votes, he said.

After Foster's swearing in, he joined the dais and then voted with Impreveduto to name Luccarelli as deputy mayor, replacing Prakash Santhana who resigned from the committee Sept. 16 for business reasons.

Former Councilwoman Cathy Weber and Santhana were a team when they ran as Independents for election in 2019, and they were allied with the mayor, a Republican now not supported by the party regulars.

Weber resigned earlier this summer to relocate and take a job in her new state. Weber's spot on the committee has yet to be filled, largely because the previously four-member committee would be deadlocked on an appointment.

The public had a chance to comment, as is provided at every meeting. And Foster's appointment was troublesome to some.

One resident of Bethany Road - a resident for 35 years - felt that while it might be "legal" to consider the two committeemen a quorum, he didn't feel it was "ethical" to appoint a new member to the committee without the mayor present.

The resident noted that the item was not on the published agenda, but was told that a motion could be made to bring up an item for action at the meeting.

Foster, at another point in the meeting, had a chance to voice his appreciation for being named to the committee.

"I'm very excited to be part of the committee," he said.

Foster said he believes in public service and has served on the school board and Planning Board as well as volunteered in other areas, adding he wants to work for what is best for the town.

Police chief named; blue line tabled

Two items that were listed on the agenda were acted on last night:

In a consent vote that almost went unremarked, Acting Police Chief Frank Allocco's contract to be chief of the department was approved as expected.

Luccarelli later in the meeting acknowledged the chief's presence there and praised him for his "well-deserved" appointment as chief. Allocco has been serving as chief since March. Allocco's formal swearing in will take place at an unspecified time in the future, Luccarelli said.

Meanwhile, another item on the agenda - whether to repaint the Thin Blue Line on Crawfords Corner Road to show support for law enforcement - was tabled at the suggestion of Impreveduto.

He referred to past controversy about the blue line in which some residents supported it and some did not.

Impreveduto said he hoped to bring the town together, rather than dividing it. He suggested perhaps painting a red, while and blue line to represent the firefighters in town, the emergency medical responders and the police. It could be a "first responders' line," he said.

He noted it was just an idea he had, but he thinks the matter of the blue line requires more discussion. The matter was tabled last night.