Manalaplan Committeeman Don Holland resigned effective yesterday, according to a report in the Manalapan Patch.
Patch cites a press release from Manalpan GOP Chairman Steve McEnery which stated Holland resigned for health reasons. Holland could not be reached this evening.
On December 6, 2012 Holland submitted and later retracted his resignation, according to documentation obtained by MMM and an interview with Holland.
Holland and Mayor Susan Cohen, the Monmouth GOP Vice Chair, are the two Manalapan Committee members who voted to approve the funds to purchase Andrew Lucas’ farm development rights last week.
Holland was first elected to the Township Committee as a Democrat. He switched parties and was reelected as a Republican in 2011. His term is scheduled to expire in December of 2014.
The Manalapan Republican Committee will submit 3 candidates to fill the vacancy within 30 days. The four remaining Committee members will chose one of those three candidates to serve until the November election. The voters will elect a candidate to complete the term.
The Manalpan Township Committee was 5-0 Republican prior to Holland’s resignation. With this vacancy, partisan control of the committee is at play, as the new Committee Member will have to defend the seat and run with incumbents Andrew Lucas and Jordan Maskowitz in November, assuming the incumbents both seek reelection.
After almost three years since the Manalapan Township Committee Member purchased a 97 acre farm in Iron Ore Road, the Manalapan Township Committe and the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders approved the funding of their respective portion of the purchase of the development rights to the property. Manalapan is paying $186,969.10 of the purchase price. Monmouth County is paying $277,920. The balance is coming from State coffers for the purpose of Open Space preservation.
Manalapan’s all Republican Committee approved their funds, 2-1, on Wednesday evening, according to ManalapanPatch. Committeeman Ryan Green voted no. Deputy Mayor Jordan Maskowitz abstained. Mayor Susan Cohen, the Monmouth GOP Vice Chair, and Committeeman Donald Holland voted to approve the purchase. Lucas recused himself from the proceedings. Maskowitz and Lucas are both up for reelection this November.
The isssue was heated at the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders meeting last night, with John Curley accusing his fellow freeholder, Lillian Burry, of colluding with Lucas. Lucas hosted a fundraiser for Burry at the farm in 2011, according to the Asbuy Park Press. The APP said the exchanges between Curley and Burry were so intense that Freeholder Director Tom Arnone called multiple recesses. Arnone voted with Curely against the purchased. Gary Rich and Serena DiMaso joined Burry in voting for the purchase.
Democratic Freeholder candidate Lawrence Luttrell asked Burry to recuse herself. County Counsel Andrea Bazer advised Burry that she had no conflict that would prevent her from voting.
Former Middletown Democratic Township Commitee candidate Linda Baum also spoke against the purchase on ethical grounds.
The issue has been controversial for years because, while he recused himself from voting as a committee member on the purchase, Lucas participated in deliberations about the transaction. The State Local Finance Board approved the ethics of Lucas’ participation due to the fact that he sought the advice of the Township’s attorney. In their opinion, the Finance Board indicated that they would be issuing new rules to cover future similar circumstances.
Manalapan Township Committeeman Andrew Lucas’ $1.152 million sale of the development rights to a farm in owns in the Township was not approved by his colleagues on the committee this evening. The motion to approve the Township’s $187,000 contribution to the the purchased failed on a 2-2 vote.
Committeeman Ryan Green first moved to table the purchase due to incomplete documentation. Committeeman Jordan Maskowitz voted with Green to table the purchase. Mayor Susan Cohen and Committeeman Donald Holland voted against tabling. Cohen and Holland then voted to approve the purchase. Green and Maskowitz voted no. Lucas the fifth member of the committee recused himself from voting on the purchase of his own property.
Green told MMM that Lucas left the dais when the matter came up and left the building. Lucas did not return for the remainder of the Township Committee meeting.
Green said he has not decided how he would vote when and if the documentation for the sale is completed.
Monmouth County’s portion of the purchase is on the agenda for tomorrow’s meeting of the Board of Chosen Freeholders. The Freeholders will not proceed without Manalapan’s portion of the purchase being approved, according to Freeholder Director Tom Arnone.
Lucas, Manalapan’s former mayor and a former GOP candidate for freeholder, purchased the farm which had been slated for development in March of 2010 for an undisclosed amount. Soon thereafter he started the process of selling the development rights, for $1.152 million, through funding through the State, County and Township. Lucas participated on Township Committee discussions of his application.
The purchase approved by the Freeholder Board in May of 2011 was held up by an ethics complaint filed by former Manalapan Mayor George Spodak. The State Agriculture Development Committee conditioned its funding on an satisfactory ethics review of the transaction. Local Finance Board Chairman Thomas Neff wrote Lucas in September of last year to inform him that his application had been approved because he consulted with the Manalapan Township Attorney about his application. Neff’s letter also said that the Board would use Lucas’s case to provide clear guidance to future office holders to recuse themselves from applications that they have an interest in.
Arnone and Freeholder John Curley have announced that they oppose the purchase of the Lucas farm. Freeholder Lillian Burry supports the purchase. Deputy Director Serena DiMaso and Freeholder Gary Rich have not announced how they would vote on the purchase should it make it out of Manalapan.
Don Holland will seek GOP nomination for reelection
Press Release
Manalapan Township Committeeman Don Holland announced that he has left the Democratic Party and plans to seek the Republican nomination to run for re-election in 2011. Mr. Holland cites major differences with the Democratic Party as his reason for making the change.
“I don’t view this as leaving the Democratic Party, I view this as joining a team that more closely reflects the values of serving the best interest of Manalapan. This has not been an easy decision, but my loyalty to the residents of Manalapan is what motivates me,” Mr. Holland stated.
Mr. Holland is proud of his record of accomplishment on the Manalapan Township Committee, where he has served since January 2009.
“The decisions I make are always based on what’s best for our residents. I don’t believe in the petty bickering or partisan politics that permeates the Manalapan Democratic Party. I want to focus all of my energy on making Manalapan an even better place to live, and the members of the Republican Party share that mindset,” said Mr. Holland.
The Republicans currently serving on the Township Committee include Mayor Andrew Lucas, Deputy Mayor Ryan Green, and Committeeman Jordan Maskowitz.
“I’ve had the pleasure of serving with Mr. Holland on the Township Committee these past few years and he has been great to work with,” said Mayor Lucas. “Mr. Holland has put aside the silly partisan bickering and has always been a gentleman and a problem solver. He truly has served Manalapan well and we’re thrilled that he wants to continue his service to Manalapan and its residents.”
As a member of the Township Committee, Mr. Holland has actively participated in developing the municipal budget, and has worked on many initiatives that provided residents with no municipal tax increase last year. He first got involved with local public service by founding and chairing the Manalapan Agricultural Advisory Committee and the Farmland Preservation Committee which is responsible for preserving over 1200 acres in Manalapan. He personally has worked on every application.
Prior to serving on the Township Committee, Mr. Holland served as chairman of the Planning Board, he served on the Zoning Board of Adjustment and the Environmental Commission.
Democrat Owen McCarthy scored a overwhelming victory over Republican Robert Ferrante in the runoff electionfor Manasquan’s final council seat yesterday, according to a report in the Asbury Park Press.
McCarthy and Ferrante were tied after a recount of the November 2 election results. Judge Lawrence Lawson ordered a new election. McCarthy earned 998 votes to Ferrante’s 679 in the special election tally.
As a result of the special election, Democrats and Republicans each have three council members. Democratic Mayor George Dempsey breaks the tie.
….that Kathy Baratta’s Manalapan Community Board is “Going Out of Business” , according to a post Kathy made on the site last Weds.
You never know with Kathy though. She’s threatened on several occasions to stop participating on this site and keeps coming back. She’ll probably have a long drawn out fight with herself over whether or not to comment on this post. Eventually she will. She’s obsessed with MMM and all the fun we have here.
She’s so obsessed that she even wrote today, 5 days after she announced that she was “Going out a business”, a post critical of one of MMM’s advertisers supporting the “Republican Party” by advertising here. The Republican Party doesn’t own this site. I, Art Gallagher, own it.
Businesses don’t advertise here because they agree with me. At least the one Kathy wrote critically of does not. Businesses advertise here because it is one of the most widely read web sites in the region and is soon to be one of the most widely read web sites in the universe, especially now that craigslist has deleted the adult services section. If Craig had been a reader of this site he would have known how to stand up to the pantie waste Connecticut Attorney General with his phoney war record and all.
The APP has an adult services section. So does The Star Ledger. How come Blumenthal and the 16 other state attorneys general are not going after them, or the Yellow Pages? Even the Two River Times has a “Personal Sevices” section listed in their classified index. I couldn’t find any such ads in the TRT, but there is a boat load of foreclosure ads.
Maybe I better start an adult services section, just in case Kathy scares off my tax paying advertisers.
What ever you decide to do Kathy, you and your 80 readers are always welcome here. Rumor has it they’ll even let you in at DaTruthSquad.
Kathy’s threatened departure brings to mind the fact that MMM could, and will, do a better job covering Western Monmouth County. If anyone from the western part of the county (or anywhere for that matter, but right now the west has my attention) would like to be a contributor, get in touch with me. You can even be a lefty, you just have to be fair and biased.
In honor of Kathy’s efforts with the Manalapan Community Board, I am pleased to play her favorite video:
Manalaplan Committeeman Don Holland resigned effective yesterday, according to a report in the Manalapan Patch.