County Freeholders Delay Decision to Disband Park Commission

This evening the Somerset County Freeholders voted 3 to 2 to postpone until December any decision on whether or not to dissolve the Somerset County Park Commission. They also called for a joint meeting(s) of the freeholders and of the park commission itself to discuss the matter further. It was not clarified whether there would be one or more joint meetings, nor when or where they would take place.

This decision came after lengthy public input before a large turnout. Many of the persons in attendance urged the freeholders not to dissolve the park commission and to give the new commissioners more time to make things work.

Several prominent citizens were in attendance, including Raymond Bateman, who offered that, “If it were me, I would never abolish the park commission. It is dangerous. It is wrong.” He went on to say, “I feel very strongly about this subject,” and that, “…we will have a citizens committee to help you make the decision.”

Robert Horowitz, one of the six newly-appointed park commissioners asked the freeholders to, “Give us time – five to six months – for the newly-reconstituted commission … to show what we are going to do.”

Patricia Walsh, Green Brook mayor, and a proponent for disbanding the commission, stated, “I don’t see how you can be half in and half out,” a reference to the fact that the engineering, finance and procurement operations of the park commission are already in the process of being folded into Somerset County government, directly under control of the freeholders.

Only freeholders Denise Coyle and Jack Ciattarelli were clearly and unequivocally in favor of voting this evening to dissolve the Somerset County Park Commission and to bring its functions directly under county management. However, Rick Fontana, who appears to be emerging as the potential swing vote on this crucial topic, made a motion to defer this evening’s vote until December.

Freeholders Peter Palmer, Robert Zaborowski, as well as Fontana all voted to put any decision on ice until December. Denise Coyle and Jack Ciattarelli strongly opposed that move.