HOLMDEL – Holmdel is a township full of history, open space, shopping and many other things that suit just about everyone’s liking. The Two River Times reached out to Holmdel Mayor Greg Buontempo to get his thoughts on the township, its pandemic-related challenges and what makes Holmdel so special (answers have been lightly edited for space).
TRT: How did you first become involved in local politics?
Buontempo: I was elected to the Holmdel Township Committee in 2011. During that time I have been selected by my colleagues to serve as Mayor in three separate years. This is the town where I’ve lived for years and have raised my family. Serving my neighbors by joining the governing body seemed like an appropriate way to give back to this community which has given so much to me.
TRT: What is an accomplishment during your mayoral term you are proud of?
Buontempo: During this mayoral term, I would have to say that I’m most proud of our collective response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Between daily and then weekly robo-call messages to all Holmdel residents, multiple drive-thru testing events, our Senior Vaccination Accommodation program that we ran in collaboration with the Visiting Nurses Association, and the Vax-Teen event we held in May, I believe this government’s response to COVID-19 was exemplary.
New Jersey residents were presented with a barrage of information about COVID-19 from the media and were faced with the challenge of sorting out which information was accurate and reliable. At the beginning of the pandemic, every day and later every Friday, I recorded and sent a robo-call message to our residents outlining the most current and pertinent pandemic-related information. The community reported that it was tremendously helpful and reassuring to receive these regular updates.
Once the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines received Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA, there was a sudden interest among residents (especially senior residents) in obtaining an appointment to receive a vaccine. At the time, the state was still perfecting its scheduling priority system and there were many delays and complications. Additionally, most appointments needed to be scheduled online, which made it difficult to obtain an appointment if you were not computer literate or did not have access to the internet. Holmdel connected with the leadership team at the Visiting Nurse Association, who set up a pop-up vaccination hub at Bell Works in February. Through this partnership Holmdel was able to create a service, utilizing our CERT Team, that assisted senior residents, disabled residents, and those without internet access in scheduling a vaccine appointment.
Overall, I believe we provided our residents with clear, up-to-date information and provided avenues to connect them with important health resources.
TRT: What are the pandemic-related challenges Holmdel faces this year?
Buontempo: Our goal for the past few months has been helping our residents and local businesses transition to what we call the “next normal.” Things may never go back to exactly the way they were before the COVID-19 pandemic, but my goal is to make sure that our citizens, our students, and our businesses can move forward in a way that is safe and healthy. With that in mind, we must be prepared for the unexpected. Already we are seeing that the Delta variant of coronavirus is making inroads in New Jersey. I want to find the appropriate prevention balance by continuing to provide the latest CDC information and making sure that as resources become available, our residents have access to them.
TRT: Describe your perfect (pre/post-COVID) Saturday in Holmdel Township.
Buontempo: Here in Holmdel we are extremely proud of our public parks and recreation facilities. On a perfect weekend, you’ll find me spending time outdoors at one of our parks with my family.
TRT: You’ve been a committee member for a number of years. Tell our readers something about yourself they might not know.
Buontempo: I’m an avid basketball fan and I’ve passed this passion onto my kids. Chances are, if I’m not working or attending to township responsibilities, I’m cheering on one of my children during their traveling basketball games.
This article originally appeared in the Aug. 12 – 18, 2021, print edition of The Two River Times.
