Hearing Set for Interlaken Case
By DON STINE
A hearing on lawsuit filed by an Interlaken resident charging borough officials withheld public information about the fate of the local police department will be heard in Superior Court on June 3.
Superior Court Judge Lawrence M. Lawson, seated in Freehold, met this week with Interlaken attorney Dennis Crawford and Walter M. Luers, who represents Robert Napoli the Interlaken residents filing the suit.
I feel the law suit has definite traction and feel confident that our position will be supported by the judge, Napoli said.
Napoli, a former councilman, filed the suit earlier this month charging borough officials held meetings regarding the fate of the police department in private and withheld public information in the matter from the public all in violation of the states Sunshine Law.
Mayor Robert D. Wolf III and the Borough Council initiated a several-month study on whether to keep or disband the small police department or merge the department with neighboring towns.
On April 2 the council voted to keep the police department after residents turned out in large numbers to support maintaining the force.
Napolis suit charges the decision was made mostly in secret with limited public input, disclosure or facts.
The suit does not seek monetary damages but seeks a more open public meeting agenda in the borough.
This is all for the people and this decision will open up the doors of the local government, Napoli said.
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