By Sunayana Prabhu
HOLMDEL – Fiscal responsibility, affordable housing and transparency in governance have been the most pressing issues in Holmdel – issues being amplified by the four candidates running in this year’s Republican primary to fill two seats on the township committee. One Democrat has filed in an uncontested primary.
Elections this year coincide with the beginning of the state’s decade-long fourth round of affordable housing obligations. Voters are now tasked with deciding among candidates whose policies may alter the landscape of a township that prides itself on its bucolic nature.
Primary election day is Tuesday, June 10, with early voting already underway through Sunday, June 8.
The five candidates are Allan C. Roth, who will run uncontested in the Democratic primary, and four Republican contenders, each with their own experience in leading the township in recent years. Two are incumbents – Mayor Brian Foster and Deputy Mayor Kimberly LaMountain, both listed on the ballot as official candidates of the Monmouth County Republican Organization. They face challenges from two former township committee members, Greg Buontempo and Prakash Santhana. Both Buontempo and Santhana are listed on the ballot as Holmdel Republicans and have previously served the township as mayor and deputy mayor, respectively.
In September 2022, Santhana chose to step down from his position as deputy mayor due to work commitments. The open seat was later filled by Foster, who joined as a committee member and currently serves as mayor.
That same year, when Buontempo was the sitting mayor, a charter study commission evaluated whether a change in Holmdel’s form of government should be considered – from a partisan form with a committee-appointed mayor to a directly elected mayor and council under a proposed nonpartisan form of government. Voters rejected that change in a referendum in a July 26, 2022 special election, maintaining the existing form of government.
Buontempo chose not to run for re-election to the committee in 2023. His opponents, Foster and LaMountain, both campaigned on upholding the existing form of government and open-space preservation, and won the two available seats.
The Holmdel Township committee consists of five members elected at-large in partisan elections to serve staggered three-year terms.
For the contested GOP race, The Two River Times asked candidates to respond to questions about their background and issues in the township. Below are their responses, lightly edited for space and style.
Background
Prakash Santhana: “I earned my MBA from the Wharton School, and for more than three decades, I’ve helped Fortune 500 companies to root out fraud, eliminate waste and drive operational excellence. During my last term on the committee, I led a rigorous review of discretionary spending that cut costs without sacrificing services. I also orchestrated the conversion of nearly $20 million in short-term debt at near-zero interest rates, saving taxpayers millions in interest charges, and championed the funding of a new, centrally located firehouse.
That investment boosted our fire-rating and lowered homeowners’ insurance premiums, effectively relieving an implicit tax burden on every property owner in our township.”
Greg Buontempo: “I have my undergraduate degree, a Bachelor of Science from Seton Hall University. I got my MBA from Rider University. I served as an elected official for 12 years — four years as mayor, three years as deputy mayor – and have also served on the board of trustees at Hackensack Meridian Bayshore Medical Center for a decade.
Some of the most notable accomplishments I’ve had (are) relocating our library from the basement of town hall to the Atrium of the Bell Works building. That was done at a 30-year, no-cost lease to the residents and taxpayers of Holmdel. Additionally, (after) a study that we did for fire protection for the town, I built a brand-new state-of-the-art firehouse located in Holmdel and also equipped our fire department with two brand new trucks – a ladder truck and a pumper truck – so they could support the safety of our community. Additionally, (I) invested money in the First Aid to refurbish their facility… to help the residents of Holmdel.”
Brian Foster: “My background with (the) town goes back to when we first moved here in January of 2012. I joined the EMS volunteer squad as a driver on the Monday night crew. From my time at EMS I was approached about becoming an alternate member of the planning board. After the one-year term on the planning board, I was offered a four-year position.
I own a mortgage company and deal with property every day. A few years into the planning board, I was asked to run for the board of education. The board of education was an excellent way to become more familiar with the inner workings of a large board with a significant budget.
In 2022, I decided to run for township council; 2022 was also the year we hadthe controversial charter study to change our form of government. Energized off of this special election, Kim (LaMountain) and myself had a very successful general election that November.
I am part of the group that decided… (to cover) costs for our school security but other measures as well. I am part of the group that has used our open space funds for the first time in well over a decade to secure property in town to prevent it from being developed; that renovated our senior/community center bathrooms; secured a 7,000-square-foot space for our seniors to call their own in the new Vonage redevelopment – all of this while also keeping the current municipal tax budget flat.”
Kimberly LaMountain: “My husband and I, along with our four children, have been blessed to call Holmdel our home for the past 23 years. My involvement with the community began during our first year, with the Pop Warner program. For the next 15 years, I was entrenched in coaching youth sports. I helped put together the first girls CYO basketball program for St. Catharine’s Church. I volunteered as a religious education instructor, put together a mock trial program for some of the elementary school students, and then expanded my involvement to the planning board. Then, three years ago, I was honored to join the Township Committee and became involved with the Green Team, our Holmdel Committee for the 250th birthday of the United States, and the Holmdel Heritage Committee. I share this because the idea of community is important to me. In the professional arena, I have run my own small business as a lawyer.
During the past five years, I have also served as a municipal court prosecutor. I work hand-in-hand with law enforcement and represent victims. The ability to listen to people, to help arrive at resolutions and find solutions has been my focus for the last 30 years.”
Key Priorities
Santhana: “Our taxes are increasing because of our school taxes and it is disingenuous to claim a flat municipal tax when municipal tax dollars are used to fund the schools. If elected, I will work hard to implement my comprehensive five-point plan to lower our taxes.
Our community is at a critical financial crossroads, and property taxes are on the rise. The core issue is the lack of a comprehensive fiscal strategy – one that both increases township revenues and reduces costs for the township and our schools.
With a finance degree from Wharton, a track record of advising Fortune 500 companies, and a proven history of saving millions in taxpayer dollars by refinancing our debt at near-zero interest, I have the expertise to guide Holmdel toward greater fiscal responsibility and lower taxes. Together, we can drive our town toward a sustainable, financially sound and thriving future.
I also plan on introducing AI to reduce government expenses and improve our services to our residents.”
Buontempo: “I am clearly opposed to the apartments going on the old Vonage property in Holmdel. With the potential for a Republican governor coming into New Jersey this November, there is no reason to fast-track apartments in southern Holmdel, as well as low-income housing on a facility that has an existing septic system in place. I plan, if elected, to stop that project from moving forward. Second, the tax increases that we are experiencing is due to the mismanagement of funding from the agreement that my opponent supported. I am on the record opposing any such agreement from the December 2022 township committee meeting. I don’t think it’s fair that my residents, including seniors that are on fixed incomes, subsidize the school taxes. Almost 200 homes on the Bell Works property pay zero school taxes. Third item is the eminent domain on the Pappa’s (farm) property. I do not believe the government should be eminent domain-ing a private property without a needed benefit for the public and specifically for the Holmdel township residents.”
Foster: “I like to keep things simple. I don’t think my job is to reinvent the wheel. The key priorities for me in town are secur- ing open space to limit de- velopment as much as we can – being fiscally respon- sible about where to use our funds so that we do our best to keep our tax bur- den under control. I intend to continue to fight against the Trenton state-man- dated housing which puts real stress on towns’ infra- structure in several differ- ent ways. We already have several significant town in- frastructure issues related to flooding and erosion we need to handle. More devel- opment isn’t the answer.”
LaMountain: “My priority for the upcoming term is to keep Holmdel moving forward. We are strong financially, academically, and socially. Holmdel is rich in history, and the ability to serve Holmdel during our 250th anniversary is an opportunity to renew the excitement of our municipality’s history. Fiscal responsibility is always at the forefront of goals, and with the strong team we have in place, we can continue to make decisions that benefit Holmdel. It is important to me to maintain the character of Holmdel, continuing to preserve open space and to honor the treasures and historical sites we have here. During my first term, we secured and preserved significant open space by using our open space funds, securing grants and working with the county. I intend to cotinue that momentum.”
Public Participation
Santhana: “I firmly believe that meaningful public participation is essential at every level of government. During my previous term on the committee, I spoke to the Holmdel High School politics club to inspire civic engagement, and personally reached out to residents, inviting them to lend their expertise on our advisory committees.”
Buontempo: “The reason why we are able to hold free elections in our community is because of the great men and women who fought many wars to protect the freedom that we live in the United States of America. I have and will always be a proponent of asking every person who is eligible… to vote in an election. I am in favor of people expressing their rights to make a decision on their own merit, based on what they would like the direction for the town (to be). I also am a proponent of getting people in the community, different people, involved in various boards and committees, so they can also see, one, firsthand, how government works, and, two, how their town operates and what decisions are being made right now are going to have a long-term impact on our community.”
Foster: “I would love to see more people participate in our local government. That being said, I think Holmdel has an amazing group of volunteers at many different levels. Our EMS and fire squads have been expanding recently. I credit their leadership for getting the word out there and establishing camaraderie with the team. Our planning and zoning and board of education all have dedicated volunteers spending their free time to assist our town…I went to every reorganization meeting this year to thank each of them individually for their help in making Holmdel the awesome community it is. I think the best strategy to increase the participation is being out there and being accessible at as many of our local events as possible.”
LaMountain: “During the past three years, I have had the pleasure of working as a liaison to several committees, which I have treated as not simply being a liaison, but by being a participant. This has encouraged community participation in our township events, such as Earth Day, Heritage Day and our upcoming 250th year celebration. It connects residents with our governing body. Our township committee has welcomed transparency by creating advisory committees for finance (our budget) and the vacant Vonage property. It is important to us, to me, that our community is part of our planning, and I encourage that by being present, being part of what our residents are doing and transparency. One of my goals for the upcoming term is to focus a bit more on our seniors, that includes making certain that the Vonage property has a dedicated space for them. I would like to see more activities, more events, for our seniors, as friendship and socialization are key to longevity and happiness. Doing that simply takes attention and planning. My goal is to continue giving residents a voice and providing a relationship between the committees and groups with the governing body.”
The article originally appeared in the June 5 – 11, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
