Neptune Housing Chair Is Not Re-Appointed
By ANDREW CANGIANO
Neptune Housing Authority Board of Commissioners Chair Ermon K. Jones was not re-appointed to his position on the board although several residents spoke on his behalf at this weeks Township Committee meeting.
Nick Williams was appointed in his place to a five-year term.
The appointment was made by Mayor James Manning Jr. and approved by the committee by a 4-1 vote, with Committeeman Tom Catley, the sole Republican, opposing the appointment.
Williams is currently a member of the Neptune Board of Education and has previously served on the housing authority.
Jones, who has served as the chair of the housing authority twice in his five year term on the board, said he was not surprised by the decision not to re-appoint him.
It wasnt a shock, he said. Thats expected.
However, he said he believes politics was a factor in the Democratic mayors selection. Although Jones is a registered Democrat he strongly supported the administration of Catley, the former mayor.
Manning said a particular individual not being re-appointed to a board is to be expected when one is involved in public service.
Its part of life in politics, Manning said.
He defended his appointment and said promoting Williams gives the housing authority a linkage to the board of education, just as having Police Chief Howard ONeil on the board brings a connection to the police department.
I think that linkage between the Board of Ed and also the police department are important, the mayor said.
Jones spoke on his own behalf at the meeting, sighting his past work with the housing authority, participation in community activities, and his charisma as reasons why he should remain on the board, he said.
The longtime Neptune resident was a member of the Planning Board for 10 years, serving as the chair twice, and is also a member of the Midtown Urban Renaissance Corporation.
Jones said he also received the support of others who spoke on his behalf this week including former Deputy Mayor Michael Golub, President of the Neptune Housing Authority Residents Council Ellis Jones, as well as Mike Fornino, Edythe Douglass, Dominic Loperfido and Robert Hodges.
Despite not being re-appointed, Jones said he still supports the township in its efforts to move forward with redevelopment projects started under Catleys administration.
Neptune Township must be commended for the efforts theyre making with regards to revitalization and redevelopment, he said, particularly with respect to West Lake Avenue.
The greatest need in the township with regards to housing is to provide residences for those with low incomes, Jones said.
Theres a need for the township, and this can be in partnership with the housing authority, to provide housing for residents whose incomes are low and very low, he said.
Jones said he hopes Manning will consider appointing him as the housing authoritys representative to the state.
Jones said he was also disappointed his former fraternity brother, Committeeman Michael Brantley, voted in favor of the appointment of Williams.
Like Jones, Brantley is black, a group Jones said he feels is under represented on the housing authoritys board.
With the appointment of Williams, Jones said, there is only one African American member on the seven member board and both the director and executive director are white.
This is a problem because a majority of those who live in public housing in the township are black, Jones said. The Ridge Court development, he said, is an area that is 99 percent African American.
We have no leadership from the African American community in the leadership of the housing authority, he said in a phone interview Tuesday.
At the dais Monday meeting Catley said Manning is ignoring the African American community by not placing Jones on the board.
Manning refuted Catleys assertion saying his administration has tried to represent all of the minority groups in the township.
Unfortunately Tom Catley and his Republican cronies do not agree with our selection, Manning said. The facts are: with all of the appointments my administration has made since January 1, we have been sensitive to the diversity of the various boards and we will continue to do so.
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Published every Thursday.
March 30th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
Republican cronies? Interesting. Its important to know that, except for one poor attempt at humor that bombed, not a a single one of the “cronies” had a bad thing to say about Mr. Williams or his abilities to serve as Chairman. The supporters of Mr. Jones on Monday evening were clearly from both sides of the political fence. One common thread was that the removal of an icon like Mr. Jones because he put the interests of mid-town residents above his own political party was disappointing as well as cleary retaliatory. It clearly shows that Mayor Manning and his Democratic allies “have been sensitive to the diversity of the various boards and we will continue to do so just as long as those appointees stay true blue party line D’s without having personal opinions.