By Sunayana Prabhu
HOLMDEL – A majority of residents have voted “No” to the public question in the special election held Tuesday, July 26, apparently rejecting the Holmdel Charter Study Commission’s proposal for a new municipal form of government in the township.
As of Wednesday, July 27, the Monmouth County Votes website, run by the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office Election Division, in unofficial results, showed more than half of voters chose to keep the current form of government, a township committee, rather than changing to a council-manager form. Just over 44% of those voting wanted a change; over 55% voted to keep Holmdel’s government and partisan elections in place.
The results are not official until all mail-in votes are counted. Final results are certified by the clerk, likely by Aug. 8. According to the website, only 4,442 ballots were cast in the election, roughly 30% of the 14,111 registered voters in the township.
The five members of the charter study commission – Janet M. Berk, Gerald Buffalino, Kin Gee, C. Zachary Gilstein and William D. Kastning – were elected by Holmdel residents in November to study and recommend changes in Holmdel’s form of government. After months of meetings, discussions and testimony from professionals around the county and state, in May the commission recommended a change to the nonpartisan council-manager form where people can directly elect the mayor. Currently the township committee selects the mayor and deputy mayor from committee members during the annual reorganization meeting in January.
In May, Gee, chairman of the commission, said, “The council-manager form of government, which is very similar to our current form of government, would allow modern upgrades that give more power to Holmdel residents.”
In addition to providing residents with the ability to directly elect a mayor, the council-manager form of government offers initiative and referendum by petition and nonpartisan elections.
After the announcement, factions grew quickly, each side debating the merits of the change in traditional media and on social media sites. Busy intersections in all 10 districts of Holmdel sported signs which urged residents to “Vote No” or “Vote Yes” for various reasons.
Longtime Holmdel resident Karin Swan cast her vote July 26 at District 3 and was hoping “the intellectual community of Holmdel (would) make the right decision,” she said. “I voted ‘Yes’ because I wanted to be able to directly elect my mayor. I didn’t want there to be that partisan line. I wanted the best candidates to be able to be represented on the ballot in a more equitable way than having the party bosses pick, and that goes for both parties, whether it’s Republican or Democrat.”
The charter study commission held its final meeting May 12 when it chose to recommend the change in government. The special election was set for July 26, ahead of the general elections, Nov. 8.
The outcome represents a win for residents who campaigned to “Save Holmdel” and “Protect Holmdel’s Legacy,” as well as the Monmouth County Republicans who had opposed the charter’s recommendation.
Khattab Abuattieh has been a resident of Holmdel for nearly 25 years and voted against the referendum because the township has “been good” in the past and “no change was needed,” he said. “We moved to Holmdel because of the way it was and the way it is right now. We want it to stay the way it is. I am not certain; I have doubts about this change which seems very big and very different. I just don’t feel comfortable with it. That’s why I voted ‘No.’ ”
Sen. Declan O’ Scanlon, Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger and Assemblywoman Victoria Flynn had urged voters to vote “No” in an online open letter July 22. “The main purpose of establishing the Charter Commission was to destroy political parties in Holmdel, and in particular, the Holmdel Republican Committee,” the letter read in part.
“We will not stand by and allow a small group of people, who struggle with winning local elections in Holmdel and embrace progressive, left-leaning doctrines, to forever alter the direction of a wonderful community in our district.”
The article originally appeared in the July 28 – August 3, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
