By Sunayana Prabhu
RED BANK – The borough will be ushering in 2024 with a new borough manager. Jim Gant was unanimously voted into the role at a special council meeting Friday, Nov. 17.
The 38-year-old Gant started his career as a police dispatcher with the Manchester Township Police Department in 2009 and moved up the ranks to become communications supervisor. He currently serves as borough administrator in Sea Girt and previously served as director of personnel and assistant borough administrator for Manchester Township.
Gant’s credentials were “at the top” of the list, Red Bank Mayor Billy Portman said during the brief meeting. The council now has a “captain,” he said, to steer Red Bank’s new government into the future.
Gant will be taking over the position from interim borough manager and Police Chief Darren McConnell who has been serving in the role for over two years since Ziad Shehady resigned the position in April 2021.
McConnell announced his retirement in an email to borough officials June 16, to ensure a smooth transition period before the new government took office in July.
The borough manager position is an integral part of the new council-manager form of government that residents voted for during the November 2022 elections after recommendations from a charter commission study in 2021. The change brought an end to the 115-year-old borough (or strong-mayor) form of government in Red Bank. The change also mandated the appointment of a borough manager to perform executive functions.
In July, attorney Michael Collins, special counsel for the borough, outlined the new codes to be implemented with the change in government, including the borough manager role. According to Collins, the person filling the position in Red Bank will carry out policies established by the council and serve as a chief executive and administrative official for the borough to execute all laws and ordinances, appoint and remove department officials – except the tax assessor – make recommendations to the council for municipal improvements, attend all meetings as a nonvoting member of the council, prepare the municipal budget and more. The manager is appointed by the full governing body and is subject to removal by a simple majority vote of the council upon notice and public hearing, if requested.
A resident of Matawan, Gant is not unfamiliar with Red Bank: Both of his children were born at Hackensack Meridian Riverview Medical Center.
“I am thrilled with the opportunity to contribute to Red Bank’s growth and prosperity,” he said. As he prepares to step into the role, Gant said he is “committed to fostering an environment of inclusivity, collaboration and transparency.”
“Our goals will be ambitious but with dedication and teamwork, I’m confident that we can overcome any challenges that come our way.”
Gant said he needs to focus his efforts on key areas: strengthening community engagement, enhancing essential services, promoting sustainable development, and fostering economic growth and stewardship.
Gant has a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from The College of New Jersey and a Master of Arts in human resources development from Seton Hall University
As borough manager, Gant will be responsible for running the daily operations of the borough with a population estimated just under 13,000, per 2020 U.S. census data, and a 2023 budget of nearly $ 26 million. Departments that will report to him include the police, parks, fire, public works, and code enforcement, among others.
Gant starts his job Dec. 18.
The article originally appeared in the November 23 – November 30, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
