By Sunayana Prabhu
RED BANK – Even though Red Bank is more than 5,600 miles from the Middle East, the ongoing war in Gaza managed to consume part of the borough’s Jan. 25 council meeting.
Resident Georgina Shanley urged the governing body to support a resolution she wrote and presented at the meeting calling for “an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Israel and resumption of World Humanitarian Aid.”
“We are paying for the bombs and the bullets with our taxpayers’ money,” said Shanley, a leader of the South Jersey Amnesty International chapter for over 30 years.
Shanley urged the council to approve the resolution and reach out to President Joe Biden and other elected officials to intercede in this action.
“This is a chance in history. And it may not come again for you to cast your vote in favor of justice and humanity,” said Shanley.
The council politely declined to adopt a resolution on an issue that has polarized communities globally, nationally and locally.
While Mayor Billy Portman acknowledged Shanley’s commitment to community service and empathized with the international crisis, he said one of the reasons he became mayor was because “the world just felt a little overwhelming to have an influence on.”
But Shanley noted the governing body set a precedent with prior resolutions about events outside of Red Bank, referencing a nurses’ strike and reparations.
“It’s an excuse, to say that you are only focused on Red Bank,” Shanley said.
Portman was concerned that the resolution could polarize a borough that the nascent council has been trying to unite since it took over in July.
“It was really divided here in Red Bank and we were making an effort to unify, which is one of the concerns I have with passing a resolution like this,” said Portman.
Shanley pushed back, arguing that the reasons the council was rejecting the resolution, “whether it’s political or religious, afraid of being ostracized, losing business – these are so material reasons for not doing it.”
She likened the current event to World War II and the Holocaust. “Wouldn’t we have liked people from the outside to have had a voice to try and stop it?” she asked.
“Invariably, there will be angry people on both sides, whichever way we act,” reasoned Portman, adding that the council is “really working hard to come out of a dark period for Red Bank and unite this town and make some tangible progress here.”
Council member Nancy Facey-Blackwood said she felt progress was being made in Gaza, referring to recent news that the Biden administration was to deploy CIA director William Burns to Israel to negotiate the release of hostages and a ceasefire.
“Things are happening, though not as quickly as we would like,” she said.
Proposal to Restore Veteran’s War Memorial
Also during the meeting, Rumson resident Douglas Distefano presented the council with an unsolicited proposal for the complete restoration of the borough’s War Memorial on Monmouth Street, adjacent to Toast diner. The monument is officially called “Handing Down Old Glory” in honor and memory of veterans from the Civil War, the Spanish-American War and World War I.
“It’s in terrible shape,” said Distefano, who runs a company called Monmouth Conservation Partners that restores historical monuments, mainly bronze plaques, statues and other cast objects. Distefano told the council he has an extensive background and portfolio in doing this kind of work in Washington, D.C. and recently restored the cast bronze statue of Elwood Stokes in Ocean Grove.
Borough administrator Jim Gant said he would discuss it with the Department of Public Works and Parks and Recreation to make sure that the project follows “due diligence,” that it is “in compliance with local public contracts and making sure that we’re not just taking one quote.”
Longtime Library Employee Retires
In other borough news, an integral part of Red Bank’s Eisner Memorial Library, Linda Hewitt, retired Jan. 31. The borough council acknowledged Hewitt’s retirement during the meeting with a proclamation honoring her 15 years of service to the library as the circulation supervisor and the adult programming and community outreach coordinator. Hewitt created many innovative programs during her tenure, including the award-winning Let’s Talk About Race series.
The article originally appeared in the February 1 – 7, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
