FREEHOLD – Sharon Shutzer, who has served on the Borough Council in Freehold Borough since 1992, has been elected by her fellow members of the governing body to serve as council president for 2018.
The council held its 2018 reorganization meeting on Jan. 7.
In the first order of business, incumbent councilmen Michael DiBenedetto and George Schnurr, who were elected to new three-year terms in November, took the oath of office. The oath was administered to DiBenedetto by Borough Clerk Traci DiBenedetto, who is the councilman’s niece, and to Schnurr by state Sen. Vin Gopal (D-Monmouth), who won his first term in the Legislature in November.
Shutzer was elected to serve as council president in a unanimous vote by DiBenedetto, Schnurr, Councilman Kevin Kane, Councilman Jaye Sims, Councilman Ron Griffiths and herself. Shutzer is the longest serving member of the governing body.
Democrats hold all five council seats and the mayor’s office in the borough.
In separate resolutions, the council accepted Mayor Nolan Higgins’ nomination of Brian Wilton as municipal prosecutor for 2018, Jonathan Lomurro as public defender for 2018 and Scott Basen as municipal judge for a three-year term.
Through one resolution, council members accepted Higgins’ nominations and appointments of Business Administrator Joseph Bellina as deputy clerk, Chief Financial Officer Richard Gartz as treasurer and collector for water and sewer rents, Kathleen Caruso as deputy treasurer, Patricia Berg as tax search officer and Kevin Coyne as borough historian, each for a one-year term.
The council members appointed Adam Reich, William Barricelli and Cornelius Begley to four-year terms on the Planning Board, and Garry Jackson to a one-year term; Ellen Kane, William Madden and Vicki Warnock to four-year terms on the Board of Health; Nelson Kuperberg and David Loring to three-year terms on the Historic Preservation Committee.
And, Stella Mayes and William Cannon to five-year terms on the Housing Authority, with Reginald Sims appointed by the mayor to a one-year term; Robert Higley and Dr. Gregory Jewell to three-year terms on the Lake Topanemus Commission; and Jane Kaye to a five-year term on the Library Commission, with Branford Rogers appointed to a one-year term by the mayor and Freehold Borough school board member Margaret Rodgers appointed to a one-year term as an alternate for the superintendent of schools.
Matthew Young was appointed to a one-year term as fire official on the Fire Prevention Bureau, Freehold Borough school board member Annette Jordan was appointed to a one-year term on the Human Relations Committee as the school board’s liaison, Pat Young was appointed to a five-year term on the Recreation Commission, and John Meyers was appointed to a five-year term on the Shade Tree Commission.
On the Memorial Day Parade Committee, Alice McCobb was appointed by the council as chairwoman for one year and Amanda McCobb, Bernard Weinstein, John Mazekien, Ken Pulchlopek, Sidney Blacknall, Walter Kowalski, Nick Gardner, Tim Rohan, Ruth Wall, Steven Gardner and George Karatzia were appointed as members for one-year terms.
Downtown Freehold Business Advocate Jeff Friedman and Maureen MacCutcheon were appointed to two-year terms and Freehold Borough Superintendent of Schools Rocco Tomazic and Freehold High School counselor Eva Carella were appointed to one-year terms on the municipal alliance, which is a joint alliance between Freehold Borough and Freehold Township. A designee from the Freehold Borough Police Department will also serve a one-year term on the alliance, whose members work to educate the community and to prevent substance abuse.
