Changes to Planning Board surprise some
Mayor decides on appointments without committee discussion
BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer

Upper Freehold

UPPER FREEHOLD - Although the mayor expressed the importance of communication with regard to the township's master plan revisions, he apparently did not communicate with fellow committeemen about his Planning Board appointments prior to the reorganization meeting.

Mayor Stephen Fleischacker announced at the Jan. 4 meeting that he had checked with Township Attorney Granville Magee about whether he could legally make appointments to the Planning Board the way he decided to.

While in the past it had been the practice to make the Planning Board appointments with the consent of the Township Committee, Magee said that legally they are the mayor's appointments. Committeemen Stephen Alexander and Robert Faber had no knowledge before the meeting of whom Fleischacker would appoint.

Fleischacker defended his actions, saying that the statute clearly states that the mayor designates the appointments.

"That's legal," Fleischacker said. "We followed that law."

Although Alexander and Faber voted against it, the mayor appointed Committeeman David Reed as the Class III member to the Planning Board for one year.

Alexander later said that his vote was not a personal vote against Reed. He said he just did not like the way the process was conducted.

Alexander and Faber also voted against the rest of the Planning Board appointments. These included the Class II appointment of Jennifer Coffey for a one-year term, the two Class IV appointments of Douglas Raynor and Richard "Dick" Stern for four-year terms, the appointment of J. David Holmes as an alternate for a two-year term, and the appointment of Robert Frascella to fill the one remaining year of the unexpired term of William Search, who resigned after serving on the Planning Board for 28 years.

Fleischacker also appointed Tony Consoli as his designee to the Planning Board. Consoli will attend meetings in the event of the mayor's absence. In the past, this position has generally been assigned to a member of the governing body.

While in the past the Class II appointment has been held by a municipal official, Fleischacker said that as chairwoman of the Environmental Advisory Board, Coffey could legally take the position.

Magee recalled that Fleischacker asked him who would qualify as a township official, and he replied it could be liberally construed as a member of an advisory committee.

Fleischacker noted that Coffey is not a Republican, as are the members of the Township Committee.

"It doesn't matter when it comes to planning," he said, observing that Coffey serves as director of the Stony Brook Watershed Association.

Fleischacker addressed Stern's appointment, saying that although his family does own a large farm in town that does not take away the right to have that group represented on the Planning Board.

Regarding Stern, who has served as the board's chairman for many years, Fleischacker said, he "has come a long way in his thinking."

Fleischacker also discussed Raynor, who previously served as an alternate, and said he is not a large landowner but that he has shown great ability to think things through, especially on applications. Fleischacker said that Frascella, a resident of the Woods at Cream Ridge development, has no experience in planning but has great experience in communicating with people.

Alexander pointed out that John Mele, former mayor and a longtime Planning Board member, had expressed interest in serving on the Planning Board but, despite his experience, was apparently not considered for an appointment.

Former Mayor Bob Abrams said that last year when longtime Planning Board member Daniel VanVoorhis was not reappointed to the board, Fleischacker never gave him the courtesy of a phone call to notify him of the decision.

Former Committeeman Sal Diecidue, who stepped down earlier in the evening because he was defeated in both a primary and an independent campaign for the general election, said that the decision about VanVoorhis had been made because of his poor attendance record.

Diecidue asked Abrams if he had taken up Fleischacker's offer to discuss planning with him in private. Abrams later said that he would not meet privately with Fleischacker to discuss the issue but would discuss it in a public forum where other residents could see if his questions were answered.

Referring to the proposed master plan changes, Abrams called the Smart Growth plan for the town "stupid growth," saying that New Jersey officials only endorse Smart Growth because they want more people to move to the state since it needs the money.

"The town does not want it," Abrams told Fleischacker. "If you think we are going to go in that direction, this will be your last year in office."

Fleischacker said he would be available at the municipal building most Saturday mornings if people wanted to discuss the master plan with him. He said there needs to be more Planning Board sessions with the public. Such sessions could include a presentation at the high school and meetings of small neighborhood groups, he said.

"It's critical that everybody has the facts," Fleischacker said. "Oftentimes, it gets miscommunicated."