By Allison Perrine
HOLMDEL – Infighting on the Holmdel Township Zoning Board last week led some of its members to announce that the board was going into the new year “divided.”
During the board’s Jan. 12 virtual reorganization meeting, what was supposed to be business as usual was anything but. Each year, reorganization meeting agendas are full of swearing-in
ceremonies for new members, appointments and routine resolutions to get the group ready for work in the new year.
But last week, board members found themselves at a crossroads amid the election of the chair and vice chair for 2022.
Before nominations could be made, board members Valeria Avrin and Demetri Orfanitopoulos – who have both been Holmdel Zoning Board chairs previously – asked if the group could go into executive session to discuss “ethical” matters before votes were cast. Board secretary Bonnie Imposimato said such a move would be “really unorthodox.”
“It may be, Bonnie, but apparently Ralph (Blumenthal) campaigned for this position already which is unheard of and already dividing this board before we’ve ever started,” Avrin said of Blumenthal, who was the board chair in 2021.
“This isn’t a political situation. This is a zoning board appointment,” continued Avrin, and Orfanitopoulos, who planned to run for chair in 2022, “didn’t know to call privately and hound all the board members for their vote weeks in advance. He thought – because that’s how this board’s always been run – that we would come in here and we would entertain nominations. He didn’t know it was already fixed.”
Despite their plea, all other members of the board voted not to go into executive session aside from member Francine Campis, who abstained. Member Irfan Lateef then made a motion to nominate Blumenthal as chair, seconded by member Jason Buerkle. The motion successfully passed in a 4-2 vote. Avrin and Orfanitopoulos were the only dissenters.
Addressing the new members of the board, who were sworn in to their terms minutes before the election took place, Orfanitopoulos said he felt they voted “without merit.”
“I’m not sure how you voted tonight without knowledge of anybody else’s criteria and experience in this matter. I feel that you made a vote that was without merit. I mean, you’re entitled to do your vote, but you’ve known nothing about me and I had no opportunity to talk to you and at least make a little bit of a statement earlier before the vote was taken,” he said. “This board is going into this year being divided because of what Ralph has done.”
Blumenthal had little to say in response other than that he wanted to move forward and “do what’s best for Holmdel.”
“It’s an honor and a responsibility. As I have in the past, I seek for everyone to work together for the benefit of Holmdel,” Blumenthal said. “I don’t really want to go into any more of it. The appointments to this board are made by the mayor; some of them are for political reasons, some not, and there has been change in the makeup of the board over time due to those things. Let’s just move on.”
It then became time for the board to nominate a vice chair. Blumenthal asked if there were any nominations and after a brief moment of silence, he nominated Lateef for the position which was supported by Buerkle. Immediately following, Avrin nominated Orfanitopoulos for the seat, which he held in 2021. It was seconded by Campis.
“Despite what has happened tonight, my philosophy for the last 26 years has always been to be for Holmdel so whatever I can do to help Holmdel, I will do,” Orfanitopoulos said. He ultimately won the nomination after Lateef received too few votes to secure the position.
Later in the meeting, the board set a date to continue the hearing on the proposed dementia center project for the former Potter’s Farm property on Red Hill Road, which will be held via Zoom at 7 p.m. Feb. 16. As part of the application, the Enclave at Holmdel nonprofit is seeking to construct a memory care facility at the site with 105 residential units along with memory support programming, educational services, community outreach and support and more.
The article originally appeared in the January 20 – 26, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
