Palmer: It's My Sole Job To Help Manchester Do Better

(Kenneth Palmer recites the oath of office, administered by retired Superior Court Judge Donald F. Campbell, while his children, Evan, 8, and Molly, 6, and his wife, Robyn, look on. Signing the oath that Campbell administered kicked off a term that runs through Dec. 31, 2018. Credits: Karen Wall. A standing-room-only crowd gathered for the event. Credit: Gregory Kyriakakis, Manchester Township Police Department)

It’s finally official: after 16 years, Manchester Township has a new mayor. Kenneth Palmer officially began his term Friday morning shortly after 10 a.m., taking the oath of office before a standing-room-only crowd in the township’s court chambers.

“What I heard over and over again is that Manchester has to do better,” Palmer said in brief remarks after taking the oath. “My job, my sole job, is help Manchester do better.”

“I will try and try and try again until we get results,” Palmer said.

“OK, that was shorter than I expected,” Police Chief and acting Business Administrator Brian Klimakowski said after Palmer spoke. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, it’s time to get to work. He has a lot of work to do,” sending laughs through the crowd.

Palmer became Manchester’s new mayor after he unseated incumbent Michael Fressola during the November election, an election he won by nearly 4,500 votes -- 9,668 to 5,176 -- with solid majorities in the vast majority of the township’s 40 polling districts, according to results posted on the Ocean County Clerk’s website.

Palmer, a 1990 graduate of Manchester Township High School, campaigned on a platform of bringing fresh ideas to tackling problems facing the township, including finding ways to bring down property taxes and enticing more commercial ratables to the town.

With his children, Evan and Molly, and his wife, Robyn, holding the Bible, Palmer formally accepted the duties he had campaigned to take on. Retired Superior Court Judge Donald F. Campbell, for whom Palmer worked as a judicial law clerk in 1997, administered the oath. Palmer was then greeted with a standing ovation as he signed the oath.

Palmer said afterward that he has been working with the township’s municipal staff nearly every day since the election to get a more in-depth understanding of the issues facing the town to make his transition smoother. He admitted it won’t be an easy road.

The number of issues is signifcant, he said, especially “some of the hurdles that we have environmentally to get things done.”

Klimakowski said he and Palmer have developed a good working relationship over the last two months.

“There are a lot of problems we need to correct early on,” Klimakowski said, adding that while change can be difficult sometimes, “I think this is one that will help us grow.”

“We both grew up here, and we both have a vested interest in making this town better. I think the change will be good for the community.”

Craig Wallis, who served as council president in 2014 and will be sworn into a new term as councilman when the council holds its reorganization meeting at 10 a.m. Monday, said he is looking forward to working with Palmer in the coming months.

“I think it’s going to be exciting,” Wallis said after the ceremony. “He’s passionate and sees things from a different perspective.”

“He has fresh ideas to bring forth,” Wallis said. “A little freshness always helps.”

Palmer, who was born in Jackson and moved to the Pine Lake Park section in 1986, lives in Holly Oaks with his children and his wife, who is a third-grade teacher at Ridgeway Elementary School. He received his bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and his law degree from Tulane University in 1997. Palmer has had his own law firm in Lakehurst since 2004.

“I’m just incredibly excited to get started,” he said.

Have a news tip? Email karen.wall@patch.com.

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