Municipal elections would revert to a November schedule if approved by the council later this month. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Two months after their victory in the May 9 election, Red Bank’s new mayor and council moved to restore future elections to November Thursday night.
At its first regular meeting, the freshly reorganized government also “spitballed” a suggestion to add a social worker to the police department.
Councilwoman Kate Triggiano, seen here at the July 1 inauguration ceremony, suggested hiring a social worker to assist police. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
Some highlights from the session:
• Without comment, Mayor Billy Portman and the five council members present introduced the first ordinance of the new “council-manager” era of government: 2023-01, which would restore municipal elections to a second-Tuesday-in-November schedule.
Under state law, the recent switch to nonpartisan elections, approved by voter referendum last November, requires that initial elections be held in May, though governing bodies have the latitude to change subsequent the balloting dates. Formal adoption of the change is expected when the council meets next, on July 27.
As a result of a lottery conducted at a special meeting last week, seats held by four councilmembers – Kristina Bonatakis, David Cassidy, Ben Forest and Laura Jannone – would be open in an election to be held November 11, 2025. Councilmembers Kate Triggiano and Nancy Facey-Blackwood drew four-year terms.
Subsequent elections would be conducted every two years, a break from the annual elections of he past.
In other business Thursday night:
• Triggiano suggested the council considering hiring or contracting with a social worker for the police department, using $73,562 Red Bank is in line to receive from the National Opioid Abatement Trust II, a 2020 settlement of legal actons brought by all 50 state attorneys general against the pharmaceutical company Mallinckrodt over opioid liabilities.
Triggiano said a social-worker “pilot program” would be “a good use of those funds, in line with why the money was given to the borough.”
Police Chief and interim Administrator Darren McConnell, who is set to retire July 31, called it “a great idea,” and said he would consult with the chief financial officer about it.
Triggiano, a former borough police commissioner, told redbankgreen afterward that she “spitballed” the idea because borough cops “spend a lot of their day placing people with social services agencies, trying to connect them with resources. It is a constant thing that our police are dealing with, so it would be helpful to have a social worker on site.”
She noted that in Middlesex County, the Sayreville police department brought in social workers who can assist in de-escalating crisis situations and steer residents to mental health and social services.
• The council conducted a required Monmouth County Open Space grant hearing on an application to fund improvements at Count Basie Park and Eastside Park.
Among the projects are a redo of a baseball field and dugouts, and a resurfacing of both basketball courts, at Basie Park, McConnell said. If awarded, the grant would provide $200,000 toward costs, with the borough responsible for a matching sum.
Separately, in response to inquiries by Joe Hutton, of Fisher Place, McConnell said construction of new pickleball courts at Eastside Park, under a plan approved last year, would begin shortly.
• The council adopted “streatery” fees for restaurants wishing to offer curbside dining outside the Broadwalk plaza, restoring costs to 2021 rates.
Though the season is half over, at least five restaurants are interested in taking advantage of the option, Red Bank RiverCenter executive director Bob Zuckerman told the council.
• At the urging of Cedar Street resident Suzanne Viscomi, Portman said he would ask all boards and commissions to file written meeting minutes. And Portman endorsed a request by McLaren Street resident Alan Hill that draft council meeting minutes be available to the public prior to their formal adoption so that residents could point out items that require correction.
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