Record Turnout At Holmdel Reorg Meeting; Buontempo Is New Mayor

HOLMDEL, NJ — Here are photos from Holmdel's reorganization meeting Thursday night, which some are hailing as "a new dawn" for Holmdel Township when it comes to transparency and citizen participation in local government.

Fresh off their stunning upset victory in the November election — where they defeated nine-year incumbent Mayor Eric Hinds and the powerful Monmouth County Republican Party — newcomer Independent candidates Cathy Weber and Prakash Santhana were sworn in Thursday night. They join Tom Critelli, Greg Buontempo and Rocco Pascucci, all Republicans, on the Holmdel Township Committee.

Buontempo was nominated to be mayor for 2020, and Weber will be deputy mayor.

A record number of residents attended Thursday night; in fact, so many that the reorg meeting had to be held in a meeting room next to the library at Bell Works. Inside, it was standing room-only.

While it was mostly smiles Thursday night, discord is lurking in the background: Losing Republican candidate Chiung-yin Liu filed a lawsuit contesting the results of the 2019 election (if she is successful, Santhana may have to step down), and Hinds filed a lawsuit of his own, suing Committee members Buontempo, Pascucci and Mike Nikolis for censuring him last fall.

Provided by Citizens for Informed Land Use, here is video of the entire meeting:

In one of her first jobs as deputy mayor, Weber proposed changing a town ordinance, to now allow the public to comment on consent agenda items before the Township Committee votes on them.