Open Letter: Vote ‘No’ On Changing Holmdel Township’s Form Of Government

Dear Holmdel Residents,

We are fortunate to serve as your representatives in Trenton at this critical time in history, to fight back against Democratic policies that have contributed to the affordability crisis here in New Jersey. The outrageous inflation rates, rising gas and food costs, senseless tax increases have made it more important than ever to elect leaders who embrace Republican values to lead our State out of the brink of financial ruin.

As the saying goes, all politics are local, which is a mantra that our entire Republican Party lives by. We all work as a team to support those measures – from the local level, to the county level and to the state – that allow Monmouth County to be the most desirable place to live, work and play! This is the benefit of the party system here in Monmouth County.

Not surprisingly, many Holmdel constituents have reached out to us to ask why there is a need to change the form of government in Holmdel. Our response is simple and clear – there is no reason to do so. We believe that Holmdel became the beautiful and safe community it is today under its current form of government – why on earth would Holmdel abandon what has worked so incredibly well after all these years?

We strongly advise our constituents in Holmdel to VOTE NO on Tuesday, July 26.

The adverse impact of this entire charter commission vote is already evident. It has done nothing to bring the town together and instead has divided Holmdel residents into separate camps. This is precisely what the Township Committee form of government is intended to avoid.

While it has been challenging for the Township Committee to engage in a collaborative manner over the past few years, it has less to do with the form of government and more to do with the individual positions and agendas of some of the elected officials. A small group of people have used this challenging period to seek personal political gains by advocating for a change in government.

We have operated under a two-party system in this country long enough to know that, in moments of adversity, the passage of time can do wonders. What is needed to support Holmdel right now is patience. Forcing change is not the right approach.

They suggest that there is a compelling need for Holmdel voters to directly elect the Mayor. Under the current form of government, Holmdel voters already directly elect the person who is just chosen among the five-member Township Committee to serve as Mayor.  Other towns that utilize the Township Committee form of government have members who take turns serving as Mayor, because the Township Committee form of government is intended to encourage collaboration among its members.

Thus, the election of the Mayor is not the real issue for this proposed change of government. There are less drastic recommendations that could have been considered if this truly was an issue – for instance, the Charter Committee could have recommended that the members of the Township Committee take turns serving as Mayor rather than recommending such a dramatic change in government. This is what already occurs in other communities that have a similar committee form of government. The issue here was never about whether Holmdel voters should be permitted to select the Mayor.

Instead, the main purpose of establishing the Charter Commission was to destroy political parties in Holmdel, and in particular, the Holmdel Republican Committee. We will not stand by and allow a small group of people, who struggle with winning local elections in Holmdel and embrace progressive, left-leaning doctrines, to forever alter the direction of a wonderful community in our District. This is not what Holmdel needs, especially at a time when we need leaders from the local level to the State who embrace strong, Republican principles. Each local Republican Committee in Monmouth County engages in a vetting process to select local municipal candidates, not the county, and Holmdel is no exception.

It is also disingenuous to suggest that the change in the form of government will remove partisan politics from elections. In fact, it allows individuals to hide affiliations and general thoughts from the public, choosing to instead be shaded behind a vale of being “apolitical.” Forcing a change in governance to “nonpartisan” does not automatically remove candidates’ policy views or behavior, they will still proceed in making decisions based on those characteristics whether a signifying letter follows their name or not. At least in a partisan system, like the one currently in place, the party declaration gives a glimpse into candidates’ general views and policy stances before voters head to the polls. Negating party affiliation only serves to reduce the information available to voters, which is inappropriate at this time when we need to ensure we are electing Republicans who are fiscally conservative in how they manage taxpayer dollars – candidates at the local level are no exception. We remain committed to supporting and endorsing local Republican candidates in Holmdel.

Holmdel voters should be immediately suspicious of the recommendation of the Charter Commission, which purports to seek a form of government that is “more responsible and accountable to the people,” and seek to make this monumental change via an election in the middle of the summer rather than during November’s general election. This is not intended to capture the will of Holmdel voters, but instead, it is an attempt by smaller, political factions here in Holmdel, who cannot muster enough votes to win a town-wide election. This small group seek to change the established rules of the game, for those own personal and political benefit, by way of a summertime election at the expense of Holmdel taxpayers. This does not represent fiscal conservative values.

We therefore encourage Holmdel voters to VOTE NO on July 26, to preserve and protect Holmdel’s way of life and discontinue such wasteful spending practices.

Kind regards,

Senator Declan O’ Scanlon, Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger Assemblywoman Victoria Flynn

Declan O'Scanlon
About Declan O'Scanlon 21 Articles
Declan O'Scanlon (R-13) is a member of the New Jersey State Senate and former Assembly Republican Budget Officer hailing from Monmouth County, New Jersey.