Glenn Carter and OceanFirst Bank’s Robin Fitzmaurice at the Mayor’s Ball at the Oyster Point Hotel in 2018. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

A familiar face has been hired to run Red Bank RiverCenter, the downtown promotion organization: former borough planning director Glenn Carter.

Carter was chosen to succeed Laura Kirkpatrick, who resigned as executive director earlier this month after a 14-month stint to pursue “another opportunity,” she said at the time.

Carter, an Ocean County resident who retired from the municipal post in March, 2020, after nearly five years, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

In a prepared statement issued by RiverCenter Wednesday afternoon, he said he had not been looking for a job, and was “pleased and flattered” when the RiverCenter board of directors approached him about the position.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my tenure working for the Borough and look forward to returning to Red Bank in a new capacity with River Center to ensure that Red Bank continues to be a thriving hub for art, commerce, and dining for its residents and visitors alike,” he said.

RiverCenter operations manager Eileen Kennedy said Carter would work part-time “until he gets up and running.”

The job entails managing a quasi-autonomous agency charged with keeping storefronts filled and boosting the special improvement district’s image as a destination for shopping, dining and entertainment.

RiverCenter operates on a budget of $564,970 – up for pro-forma approval by the borough council Wednesday night – that’s funded by a surtax on commercial properties in the special district, which extends from Broad Street to Bridge Avenue, mostly north of Monmouth Street.

The top job also requires navigating the interests of some 400 downtown landlords, merchants and restaurateurs, as well as organizing annual events that draw tens of thousands of visitors town. All were cancelled in 2020 because of the pandemic, and its unclear which will return in 2021.

Cheese Cave owner and RiverCenter Chairman Stephen Catania said in the announcement that he’s “pleased that Glenn agreed to come out of his semi-retirement” to lead the organization.

“This is critical as we emerge from the restrictions of the pandemic and back to normal activities. Glenn’s familiarity with Red Bank and the many partners will be a benefit as Glenn assumes the duties of the Executive Director,” Catania said.

Before he became borough planning director in 2015, Carter provided planning and zoning services in a number of New Jersey municipalities, including Passaic, where he was both executive director of the Passaic Enterprise Zone Development Corporation and director of the redevelopment agency.

Carter has also managed a family business that rehabilitates historic homes, according to the RiverCenter announcement. He holds a BA in Economics from Richard Stockton University, and a Masters of City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University. 

Carter is married to Maryann Bucci-Carter, a planner at CME Associates, which provides engineering work to the borough under a consulting contract.

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