Why a Change in Government is Wrong for Holmdel

On July 26th, an historic vote will take place in Holmdel. A Charter Committee has recommended we change our entire form of government, and decided that a special, late-July election – which virtually ensures the lowest voter turnout possible – was the appropriate mechanism for the voice of the people to be heard.

Putting the obvious hypocrisy of their decision aside – here are the FACTS:

There are 246 municipalities in New Jersey that, like Holmdel, are designated a “township” …

• 60% of them have our current “Township Committee” form of government.
• 14% have the "Council-Manager" government recommended by the Charter Committee.
• Towns that have their recommended form of government have, on average, a 60% larger population and a 30% greater population density than Holmdel.

Additionally, their recommendation to move us to non-partisan elections has only been adopted by 16% of New Jersey municipalities.

The Charter Committee, quite literally, wants to move us from the MOST POPULAR form of government … to the LEAST POPULAR. They want us to emulate larger towns that are NOT similar to Holmdel. They want you to believe we are a major population center. WE. ARE. NOT.

These facts prove this is a complete mismatch for a town of our size, culture, and bucolic setting. But it’s important we also apply the facts and unwind the spin to their specific recommendations for change:

• Resident-Led Initiatives & Referendum
  • What it is: Residents will be able to put their own initiatives up for vote
  • What they’re saying: More “power to the people”
  • What it REALLY means: Taking power AWAY from YOU.

It’s documented fact that special interests and out-of-town political operatives were behind the creation and promotion of the Charter Study – those same operatives will then use residents to continually change Holmdel and downgrade our stature. They’ll be able to push their own agenda, un-do ordinances the Township Committee passes, and set their own rules – and you’ll have to fight them in every … single … election. Think of it more simply though, if someone doesn’t like dogs being walked in their neighborhood, they can get an initiative on the ballot that will prevent dog-walking in ALL of Holmdel. This is dangerous and completely unnecessary.

And let’s be honest, if they REALLY cared about you, THE PEOPLE, they wouldn’t have made you, THE PEOPLE, foot the bill on a special, July election.

• Non-Partisan Elections
  • What it is: Remove political party affiliation from the ballot
  • What they’re saying: Stop “party bosses”
  • What it REALLY Means: Neutralize the Republican Party and reduce your ability to see candidates’ true intentions.

Think of it this way, when you’re hiring – are you more likely to consider a candidate who was vetted, has the qualifications, and was referred to you by someone you know … or the candidate who has not been vetted, MAY have the qualifications, and their true history and background are largely unknown? THAT’S the difference between partisan and non-partisan elections.

But let’s put this into larger context, only 16% of all towns in New Jersey have non-partisan elections. They include: Jersey City, Newark, Long Branch, Weehawken, Bayonne, Jackson, Paterson, Sparta, Ridgewood, Ridgefield Park, Teterboro, Irvington, Ocean, Salem and others. These are MAJOR cities.

Shouldn’t towns like Colts Neck and Chatham (both of which have the same form of government as Holmdel) be our comparison?

• Direct-Elect the Mayor
  • What it is: Directly elect the mayor to 4-year terms
  • What they’re saying: You should be able to elect your own mayor
  • What it REALLY Means: Consolidation of political power

Simply put, there is POWER in the incumbency – the ability to fundraise at a capacity far greater than any other public servant – combined with the visibility of the role – generates strength that compounds every year the directly-elected mayor is in office.

I firmly believe our decentralized form of government is the better, safer option for Holmdel. Every mayor the Charter Commission interviewed was either already on their second 4-year term … or had been in office for over a decade. Bad mayors are VERY hard to remove because they have the war chest and political power to drown out any and all challengers. Right now, if we have a mayor not delivering for our town, they’re gone in 12 MONTHS … we don’t have to suffer under their leadership for 4 YEARS, and run the risk of them getting re-elected because they hold all the political power.

Fact is, NONE of the Charter Committee’s recommendations have been adopted in ANY towns similar to Holmdel. THINK about that. This is a SPECIAL place to live, and they want to change it so we emulate MAJOR New Jersey cities!

I’m committed to serving my community no matter what happens. But you should know, if this passes on July 26th, the government effectively dissolves and 15 people will be running for 5 seats in November. This isn’t going to make Holmdel BETTER, it’s going to introduce chaos, volatility, obfuscation to our town and electoral process – they are intentionally up-ending our entire structure for political gain and opening the door for more out-of-town political operatives to influence our way of life.

There’s a reason towns like Holmdel don’t do this: we simply DON'T NEED TO.

Please Vote NO on July 26th.

You can follow or contact me at: https://www.facebook.com/CommitteemanRoccoImpreveduto/