By Allison Perrine | aperrine@tworivertimes.com
MIDDLETOWN – It was a special night for Middletown Feb. 18 as the township committee celebrated the centennial anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment.
The committee also honored women and young girls who impact the community today and gave promotions to seven women and men of the Middletown Police Department, including Kimberly Best, who became the first female in the department’s history to reach the rank of lieutenant.
Mayor Tony Perry said he and his fellow committee members were honored to be celebrating “one of America’s greatest moments” on the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote. “This is a tremendous day, not only for our town but for our police department,” he added.
On Feb. 9, 1920, New Jersey officially ratified the 19th Amendment, confirming women’s right to vote. Aug. 26, 1920, marked the date women across the nation were able to vote. Now, 100 years later, there are over 200,000 women voters registered in Monmouth County, said Rosemarie D. Peters, the Monmouth County Surrogate and a former mayor of Middletown. She was the second woman mayor in the town’s history.
Over the past week, Middletown’s Town Hall has been lit up in purple to signify the centennial celebration. Several other towns in the Two River area have celebrated the 100-year milestone in some way.
At the meeting, Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon read the amendment aloud for a crowd of at least 150 attendees, including Freeholders Lillian Burry and Sue Kiley and Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso.
Younger female leaders were honored that night as well, including six Middletown elementary school students, for their efforts to aid their communities. Finley Elias, a Lincroft fourth-grader, was recognized for raising $17,000 for Australian animal rescue efforts following a terrible wildfire season. Mia Collins, Emma Merces, Lilah Nicosia and Marlowe Schoor, fifth-graders at Nut Swamp Elementary School, were recognized for raising $3,400 for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and a cancer research organization. Lastly, the township recognized eighth-grader Brenna McCormick. Though she was unable to attend the meeting, she was recognized for being on the box of the Thanks-A-Lot Girl Scout cookies.
Committeewoman Patricia Snell said she and the rest of the Middletown Township Committee are very proud of what the girls have accomplished and that it’s important to promote a sense of selflessness in children. “It’s just super important to think more of other people sometimes than ourselves,” she said.
The night then transitioned to a series of police personnel promotions, including new deputy chiefs of police, John Kaiser and Paul Bailey; new lieutenants, Kimberly Best and Antonio Ciccone; and new sergeants, Stephanie Burke, Christopher Dee and David Ringkamp. Police Chief Craig Weber said each of the newly promoted members has done an outstanding job at the department.
“There’s a reason that Middletown is consistently rated one of the safest towns, not just here in New Jersey but in America,” said Perry. “And that’s because of the efforts of our Chief Craig Weber and all of the people that you see here in this room.”
The article originally appeared in the February 27- March 4, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
