By Tim O’Meilia
Basil Diamond, the man who led the battle to revamp Manalapan’s voting system eight years ago, is back on the Town Commission. But he isn’t the mayor, as many had hoped.
Instead, commissioners chose Vice Mayor Kelly Gottlieb, who was Diamond’s cohort in the 2002 electoral skirmish, to succeed Tom Gerrard as mayor. Gerrard resigned July 28, citing family medical reasons.
Diamond, who served six years on the commission before retiring in 2008, got a consolation prize from the commission. He was picked to fill Gottlieb’s commission seat. Both positions have seven months remaining.
Neither selection came easy. In response to a letter from the town clerk gauging the interest of town voters, 81 respondents favored Diamond and 46 backed Gottlieb, although the letter was not meant to be a straw poll. But Gottlieb, a commissioner for eight years, got the votes of four commissioners.
“How are we ignoring our constituents?” asked Commissioner Louis DeStefano after Gottlieb was nominated. “I assume we are here to represent the voters. I have found time and time again it’s a self-serving commission.”
Commissioner Peter Evans nominated Gottlieb. “I believe we should do what precedent prescribes,” he said, noting that many residents are out of town for the summer.
Commissioners Marilyn Hedberg, William Bernstein, Evans and Gottlieb voted for her. Howard Roder and DeStefano dissented.
“I want to thank those who did support me,” Gottlieb said after she was sworn in. “And for those who didn’t support me, I hope in the next seven months I can gain your confidence.”
Commissioners couldn’t initially decide on a vice mayor. Evans declined the nomination and neither Hedberg, Roder nor Bernstein could get a second to their nominations.
Instead, they decided to fill the newly vacant commission seat. Diamond was quickly approved by a 3-2 vote. DeStefano, Roder and Evans backed Diamond. Hedberg and Bernstein opposed. The mayor votes only in case of a tie.
Diamond was promptly elevated to vice mayor on a 5-1 vote, with Bernstein dissenting.
“We’ve been through a period of time where in the elections process feelings get more extreme than they need to be. That process is over,” he said.
Diamond said he returned to the commission to help soothe the contentiousness among commissioners that has slowed decision-making. He said his time off the commission left him more sensitive to residents’ concerns.
“In my wildest expectations, I didn’t think I’d be vice mayor,” he said. “I had a 2-1 margin on the residents’ responses but I knew I didn’t have the votes on the commission to be mayor. But at least I can vote.”
A Diamond proposal helped resolve an issue that had been hanging since April. The commission agreed to a policy on drafting ordinances for the commission’s consideration.
The commission agreed unanimously to require commission approval before any town commissioner, advisory board or advisory board members can ask the town attorney to research or draft an ordinance. The exception would be housekeeping changes or state mandates under the direction of the town manager.
The issue arose when former Mayor Tom Gerrard asked the town attorney to revise Palm Beach County’s turtle protection ordinance to fit Manalapan without seeking the commission’s approval.
In action taken at the Aug. 4 meeting, the commission:
• Set the tentative tax rate at $3.10 per $1,000 of taxable property value after Town Manager Tom Heck proposed a $3.589 rate, which could be reduced during budget workshops and hearings in August and September. The current rate is $2.80. “This causes us to be more fiscally responsible,” DeStefano said. Commissioners voted five times before settling on the final figure by a 4-2 vote.
• Sent a proposed change in the size of real estate signs in yards back to the zoning commission. The zoning commission recommended maximum 80-square-inch signs after hearing complaints from real estate agents, but the Town Commission prefers a 40-square-inch limit on Point Manalapan to match the ocean limits.
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