By Sunayana Prabhu
HOLMDEL – In a show of strength at the annual reorganization meeting Jan. 3 at the township’s municipal complex, several members of the county GOP were on hand to witness the swearing-in of Domenico “DJ” Luccarelli as mayor and Rocco Impreveduto as deputy mayor, along with recently elected committee members Brian Foster and Kimberly LaMountain. The addition of Foster and LaMountain to the dais creates a Republican stronghold in the township which previously had two Independents on the committee.
In attendance at the ceremony were state Sen. Declan O’ Scanlon (R-13), Assemblywoman Vicky Flynn (R-13), Monmouth County Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone, Commissioner Ross Licitra, Sheriff Shaun Golden, and former Holmdel mayors Tom Critelli and Eric Hinds.
The township committee voted Tuesday 4-1 to appoint Luccarelli and Impreveduto to the leadership positions, with the sole “no” vote for both coming from committee member Gregory Buontempo, the former mayor.
During the committee vote, Buontempo explained why he was not supporting the new appointments. He said the five committee members should be “equal in the government,” each representing one of the five different departments established years ago so “each committee person would have a liaison to a different department.” Those departments were administration (usually chaired by the mayor), community development, public works, public safety and finance. “I think it sets a bad precedent if all committee people do not have a committee to represent in the town,” he said, possibly implying there was an agenda to keep him from chairing a department. According to a resolution adopted at the reorganization meeting, Luccarelli is the administration chair, Impreveduto is the board of education liaison, the parks and recreation chair and the finance chair; LaMountain is the community development chair; Foster will chair both public safety and public works; and Buontempo is library liaison and head of the township’s veterans program.
When reached for clarification Wednesday, Buontempo said he was “not present at the meeting that appointed the TC (township committee) members to the various boards and committees.”
“In over a decade on the committee I have never seen any TC member excluded from being appointed to at least one township committee,” Buontempo said. It was unclear from his response if he was referring the original five departments.
A Republican himself, Buontempo won the mayoral position in 2022 with support from two Independent committee members, former deputy mayor Prakash Santhana and committeewoman Cathy Weber, both of whom chose not to run in 2022.
They favored changing the current form of government in Holmdel to a nonpartisan council-manager form, as recommended by the Holmdel Charter Study Commission, a group which worked for months to determine a new course for the township. But in a special election held July 26, residents voted against that change. With about 34% of registered voters casting a ballot, the measure failed; 55% voted “no” on the public question.
Santhana and Weber both resigned from their committee positions in September for business reasons. At the time, Luccarelli and Impreveduto – during a meeting without Buontempo present – chose Foster to fill Santhana’s seat for the remaining term. In that same meeting, Foster and Impreveduto named Luccarelli the new deputy mayor. Weber’s seat was left open.
At the Tuesday meeting, Luccarelli, Impreveduto and LaMountain took the oath of office from Flynn. Foster was sworn-in by Arnone.
As he took the dais for the first time as mayor, Luccarelli spoke about his vision for the community and the priorities that will guide his actions as mayor. “First and foremost, I believe that building unity and fostering a sense of belonging is key to creating a strong and prosperous community,” he said, encouraging residents to volunteer at town events, support local businesses and be a good neighbor. Every act of kindness, he said, no matter how small, will go a long way in building a sense of town pride.
Luccarelli said the newly formed Heritage Committee – initiated by Impreveduto – will be “listening to the voices of the diverse citizens of our community. The input and ideas from our town are valuable.”
Before he spoke about one of the most controversial subjects in town – the Holmdel Horn Antenna site that is currently being studied by the planning board for possible redevelopment – Luccarelli promised to “always make an effort to hear your concerns and work towards solutions that benefit us all.” Luccarelli said the preservation of the Holmdel Horn “is important to many of us in town.” He said he understands the significance of this historic landmark to the community, and is “committed to exploring all options for preserving it for future generations.”
A lifelong resident of Holmdel, Luccarelli was previously the vice president and owner of Dearborn Market, a longtime member of the Holmdel business community. He is currently the proprietor of Sweetwater’s Coffee and Tea in the historic Hahne Building in Newark, where he also serves on the board of trustees for the Newark Downtown District.
As part of his fiscal responsibility as mayor, he assured residents he is committed to keeping taxes low and making smart, sustainable financial decisions for the town.
Prior to being elected to the township committee, Luccarelli served on the Holmdel Zoning Board. He has been an active member of the community as a member of the Holmdel Kiwanis for over 20 years and as a supporter of the Holmdel Township Police Department, who awarded the mayor PBA Man of the Year in 2007.
Impreveduto is an alumnus of Holmdel High School and has been actively involved in the Holmdel community since moving back home to the township a decade ago. The deputy mayor attended Penn State University where he majored in communications. He is currently a vice president and general manager of a global provider of information services and software solutions. Prior to being elected to the township committee, Impreveduto served on the Holmdel Recreation Committee and the Holmdel Planning Board. He also volunteered his time as an HYAA coach and as a member of the Monmouth County Bayshore Outfall Authority.
“Over the past few months we have improved the committee’s relationship with the board of education, initiated a new tax relief program, and provided an official forum for our residents from diverse populations – we look forward to continuing this good work in the year ahead,” Impreveduto said.
The article originally appeared in the January 12 – 18, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
