BRADLEY BEACH — The Bradley Beach Borough Council wasted no time at its reorganization meeting on New Year’s Day and appointed ex-Belmar mayor Matthew Doherty as acting business administrator.
To fill the critical position, which was the subject of a drawn-out lawsuit in state Superior Court last year, the council unanimously approved a resolution appointing Doherty as acting business administrator. Doherty had served as the mayor in Belmar for seven years, stepping down in 2018.
“As a new administration, we have a lot to accomplish in 2025. We are excited to have Matt in place on day one of a new beginning, ready to help Bradley Beach accomplish great things as we move forward together,” Mayor Al Gubitosi said.
Gubitosi, along with two council members, were sworn in to their new positions at the council’s reorganization meeting (related story, page 9).
According to the resolution, Doherty will be paid a salary based on the annual rate of $150,000 prorated for his term of employment. The ex-Belmar mayor was appointed in the same capacity as Meredith DeMarco, not to exceed 90 days unless reappointed by the mayor and council. His term will expire on March 31.
Looking to the future, Doherty told The Coast Star following the reorganization meeting, “The long-term goal is to identify a permanent business administrator who can guide Bradley Beach through its next phase of growth and development. Whether that individual will be me or someone else will ultimately be up to the mayor and council to decide… If the mayor and council decide that I am the right fit for the long term, I would be more than happy to continue. But right now, my focus is on doing my best in the interim role.”
On Jan. 7, Doherty gave his first “administrator’s report” and addressed the Bradley Beach public at the council’s first business meeting of the year.
“A little background on me as you may know, I’m a politician in recovery. I used to be the mayor in Belmar. The mayor and I have been talking for a while now about Bradley Beach and some of the challenges here. I can tell you that I see my role as one where I report to the mayor, I answer to the council, but I ultimately serve the residents of Bradley Beach,” Doherty said at the council meeting.
Additionally, Doherty said that Gubitosi has tasked him with “finally settling” the contract negotiations between borough employees from Local Union 152. Local Union 152, whose membership includes town court, clerical, dispatch and public works staff members, have been without a contract for over two years. Finalizing a fair contract for the borough’s employees was a main pillar during Gubitosi’s campaign for mayor.
Gubitosi introduced the Bradley Beach public to Doherty at the reorganization meeting and provided a brief description of his municipal government background and career experience.
Doherty was first elected to Belmar council in 2006, and later was elected mayor for two terms, at the helm of the community in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, noted Gubitosi. In 2018, he resigned as mayor to become executive director of the New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, where he worked until 2022.
In the past, Doherty reported on local happenings and in Bradley Beach through his online publications, TAPInto Belmar/Lake Como and TapInto Asbury Park. According to Doherty, he will no longer be reporting on Bradley Beach during his tenure as he believes “it is important to separate my professional responsibilities from journalistic endeavors to avoid any conflicts of interest.”
Doherty said he will continue to report on news matters outside of Bradley Beach during his time of employment.
Doherty holds a master’s degree in public policy and a bachelor of arts degree in government, both from Georgetown University in Washington D.C.
“This council interviewed a number of highly qualified candidates for our new acting business administrator role. Council members were consistently impressed by Matt’s deep municipal government experience, his enthusiasm, his can-do attitude, his successful history working in support of his municipal employees and his powerful commitment to serve the public,” Gubitosi said of the borough’s new acting borough administrator at the reorganization meeting.
DEMARCO TERMINATED
Prior to voting on a resolution that appointed Doherty, the council unanimously voted to terminate former councilwoman-turned-administrator Meredith DeMarco. DeMarco, whose appointment by former mayor Larry Fox was viewed as controversial by current Mayor Al Gubitosi and members of the council, as reflected in the resolution language.
“Mayor Fox unilaterally issued an employment agreement to Meredith DeMarco, as acting business administrator… for 90-day appointments which was not ratified by the then-Governing Body,” the resolution states.
The resolution continues on to list five reasons justifying the termination of the former administrator, ultimately declaring her appointments by the former mayor as “null and void.”
The terminating resolution disputes Fox’s “statutory authority” to make a recurring appointment. Additionally, the resolution states that Fox’s most recent 90-day appointment of DeMarco came on Dec. 23, 2024 and that her position ended in conjunction with Fox’s term.
In October 2023, according to the resolution, DeMarco was first appointed as acting business administrator by Fox, an appointment resolution the council consistently voted down. Since her permanent appointment to the position was rejected on several attempts by the council, Fox continued to reappoint her to the position every 90 days in a holdover capacity.
At the Dec. 6, 2023 council meeting, the council adopted an ordinance that amended a previous ordinance, repealing the mayor’s temporary appointment power. The ordinance stemmed from a disagreement regarding the 90-day reappointment of DeMarco. As a result, the mayor filed litigants rights and triggered a continuation hearing, which was heard in front of state Superior Court Judge Richard W. English on March 7, 2023.
Judge English ultimately ruled that the ordinance, which repealed the mayor’s ability to continuously appoint DeMarco to the position, was null and void, and DeMarco remained in the position until the new administration’s first meeting on New Year’s Day.
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