Special Election July 26 Would End Local Partisan Voting In Holmdel

HOLMDEL, NJ — Residents will have a chance to vote next Tuesday, July 26, in a special election to consider a change to the township's form of government, establishing nonpartisan elections with a directly elected mayor.

The town's Charter Study Commission was given the task by voters last year to study the existing form of government - A Township Committee with a weak mayor - and to make recommendations from that review.

In May, the commission recommended a new form of municipal government that will put a Council-Manager form of government before voters. At that time it set the July 26 election day on the matter.

The public questions reads: "Shall the Council-Manager plan of the Optional Municipal Charter Law, providing for five council members to be elected at large for staggered terms at nonpartisan elections held in November, with the mayor elected directly by the voters, be adopted by the Township of Holmdel?" More information about the question to be voted on is also on the township website.

Voting has already begun on the question.

Mail-in ballots were sent to voters beginning June 10. While there is no in-person early voting in this special election, voters have the option to vote either by requesting a mail-in ballot with the County Clerk or voting in person at their designated polling location, according to Monmouth County Assistant Supervisor for Elections Cassandra Achille.

The polls will be open on July 26 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., she said.

Appeals to voters

But behind the mechanical calm of the voting process, an emotional contest is being waged for the future of government here.

Persuasion of residents to vote for or against the proposal through mailers, letters and signs and social media has reached new heights in a town where Republican politics have been rocky. Mayor Gregory Buontempo and Deputy Mayor Prakash Santhana, for example, were not supported by the Monmouth County Republican Committee organization, yet won election, albeit closely.

Committeeman Rocco Impreveduto, however, has posted opinion pieces on a Patch online self-published site (not connected to the Patch news site) opposing the change of government. And resident Christian DiMare has become the spokesperson for the Save Holmdel organization that has submitted letters opposing the change to residents.

Resident Kin Gee was chairman of the commission and often presents the supporting position in public statements. The organization Save Holmdel Village has also come out to support the change of government.

Gee has said in the past said that the commission wasn't out to "fix" anything in a township he described as "beautiful," but rather "modernize certain government features".

For instance, the new form of government, if adopted, would allow for the direct election of the mayor. It would include an initiative and referendum feature and hold elections on a nonpartisan basis. The council would appoint a municipal manager, who "will exercise all executive and administrative powers," according to the ballot question explanation. Gee said that if the change is approved, the first municipal election under the new system could take place this November.

But opponents to a change in government say the commission's proposals were a foregone conclusion and would shift the balance of power in the town to a directly elected mayor, who would be elected to a four-year term. And initiative and referendum they say, while seemingly a way for the public to redress grievances, actually can give small numbers of people power to propose almost anything, creating "chaos".

Both DiMare and Gee have commented in previous Patch articles on these issues and on issues about mailers from groups other than DiMare's Save Holmdel that have made extreme allegations about the impact of nonpartisan government.

But in the time left before the election each side has presented additional comment about their positions:

Position of mayor

Christian DiMare contends that the "proposed changes are not power to the voters, as they advertise. It will be power to the mayor supported by a minority number of registered voters. Holmdel’s current decentralized Township form of government is the 'weakest' format as the mayor is elected to a one-year term. The committee structure allows for equal weight and equal power amongst the five members."

He said mayoral tenures tend to be longer in towns with a directly elected mayor, and said in the five Monmouth County municipalities that converted to the Council-Manager form Keansburg's mayor has served 18 years, Aberdeen's 13 years, Asbury Park eight years and Ocean Township seven years and Howell's six years.

But a letter from Save Holmdel Village, signed the SHV Team, said "There is a reason all of the long-standing, respected bipartisan groups in town (Citizens for Informed Land Use; Preserve Holmdel and Save Holmdel Village) all support a 'yes' vote. It is because a 'yes' vote truly does provide materially more power to Holmdel residents."

They said a change in the form of government:

• Creates unaffiliated elections by eliminating the extreme first two-column advantage on ballots - similar to Board of Education elections.
• Allows direct election of the mayor by voters, not Township Committee members voting for the mayor as is the case now.
• Provides residents with materially more referendum power if they don't like how or where our tax dollars are being spent.

Initiative and referendum

Under the Council-Manager form, Holmdel residents will be allowed to place a new initiative on the ballot, or to approve or reject any ordinance passed by the Council, to be decided by voters in a process known as Initiative and Referendum, according to the explanation of the question before voters.

On the initiative and referendum issue, Save Holmdel Village said those opposed to the charter change "hypocritically ranted how by giving the public referendum power it will allow outsiders the ability to influence Holmdel laws, while forgetting to mention how all Holmdel citizens would have the opportunity to vote (up or down) on anything that might be brought up for referendum."

DiMare has stated his position on initiative and referendum that "Holmdel would be thrust into a world of constant chaos and confusion and endless special elections. We would also risk having small factions of motivated activists and voting blocs imposing their will upon a majority of residents, despite representing only a fraction of our population." He cited a recent election in Asbury Park that had three initiative questions on the ballot, "requiring a limited number of signatures."

Political power

And the issue of political influence underlies much of the discussion of specifics.

Councilman Impreveduto in his first opinion post said "The Charter Study initiative was hatched by two factions: Holmdel politicians who want to keep political power and local operatives and activists seeking political power."

But Save Holmdel Village, supporters of the change to government, said in its letter that voters should not be influences by "false fears that a 'yes' vote is a vote for a radical left progressive takeover of our town simply because you are rightfully not happy with what's going on in the national arena. Trust us, we know the national political scene is an absolute mess. Beyond the facts, the radical left progressive takeover narrative is proven absurd as so many of the strongest, factually informed supporters of a 'yes' vote are devout Holmdel Republicans who have been active in local politics for over a decade," the statement said.