By PETE WALTON
When it met this week, the Bradley Beach Borough Council planned to hire former Belmar mayor Matt Doherty as its permanent business administrator.
But hours before the meeting began, Doherty informed the borough that he would complete his service as acting business administrator through the end of March before leaving for another job.
Doherty has been working in the temporary post since the council reorganized in January and approved a resolution authorizing a “separation of service” with the previous acting business administrator, former councilwoman Meredith DeMarco.
Doherty earlier served as executive director of the state Casino Reinvestment Development Authority. He is the publisher of the online news site TAPinto Asbury Park.
During his 90-day tenure in Bradley Beach, Doherty played a major role in negotiating a contract between the borough and its public works employees.
Members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 152 who were working without a contract for more than two years now have a three-year agreement with the town.
“The employees here are phenomenal,” Doherty said after announcing his departure to the public. “They have been through a lot the last two years, and that was unfair. They are remarkably resilient, they’re hard working, and they care about the community they serve. They have great leadership.”
“I can tell the residents that you have a truly remarkable governing body,” Doherty said in his last appearance as acting administrator at a council meeting. “If you have five members of a council, hopefully you have three that are intelligent, hard-working and caring. You don’t have three — you have five. You have an all-star team here.”
“In the short time that Matt Doherty has been with us, he’s really been phenomenal, setting a very high bar for the next person who’s going to fill those shoes,” said Councilwoman Shana Greenblatt.
Doherty did not publicly reveal his future plans.
The council now faces a search for a new business administrator.
Also at the meeting, Council President Jane DeNoble said a target date of April 30 has been set for an auction of borough-owned property at the former First United Methodist Church on LaReine Avenue.
DeNoble said auctioneer Peter Costanzo of Neptune City will establish starting bids for the items to be sold. The auction is required by state law as the borough prepares to demolish the building and sell the land for the development of single-family homes.
The borough bought the land and the two buildings on it from the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association for $1.3 million in January 2020. Real estate professionals say that the land will be worth more than $4 million after the church and adjacent parsonage are demolished and the property is divided into four lots.
DeNoble said the borough was coordinating the auction arrangements with the Bradley Beach Historical Society and the Church of the Presidents in Long Branch. The two organizations have expressed interest in obtaining some of the artifacts in the former church.
The council approved a contract with Borough Clerk Erica Kostyz. Mayor Al Gubitosi said he and members of the council have been trying to provide a contract for Kostyz for several years. The clerk thanked Gubitosi and the council for approving the agreement.
