Debated

but during that meeting, requested it be pulled. He explained that after conversations with fellow Committee members, they wanted to review the footage and information surrounding the incident.

Committeeman Cuozzo, however, made a motion for a vote on the resolution, numbered 2023-190. That motion was seconded by Committeeman Michael Hammerstone.

Mayor Bowen said “there are four committee members who have agreed that they are not prepared and would like to move it to a special meeting or the next meeting so that they can discuss it in full.”

Deputy Mayor Herb Marinari said he didn’t want it to go to June “as this is an important issue that needs to be resolved as soon as we can. I have not seen the video nor heard the audio and I can’t make a decision without that. I want to hold this off at least until the rest of us know exactly the situation that took place.”

“I have seen the video but I will respect the desires of my colleagues that are not prepared for this,” Hammerstone said.

Cuozzo said he could not speak about the content of the resolution during an executive session that took place prior to the general meeting. “I was present for these things and I believe the quotes are being taken out of context and the discussion we were having was not for anything except for a First Amendment definition of what it means to solicit.”

He accused the mayor of “making a decision about something and promoting it as if it has already happened to our entire community. I don’t think that is the way this committee should operate. It is the prerogative of the committee to censure members of the committee. However, the way this has been handled is not right.”

Township Attorney Cipriani clarified that the motion before them was whether the censure resolution be voted on. “That is the primary motion.”

Mayor Bowen said, “We have said at many pre- vious meetings to make sure these types of issues are handled independently - they go directly to counsel (attorney). This item went directly to counsel. They reviewed it.”

He added that a meeting was held that included himself, the deputy mayor, the police, the business administrator and the township counsel.

“I want to know how anybody found out about this? How did it happen?” Cuozzo asked.

“The police knew about it so they contacted labor counsel as they have the right to do. Labor counsel reviewed it and sent their recommendation and findings and wrote the resolution. When you say it is political, you are saying our counsel is political,”

Mayor Bowen responded.

“Yes, that is exactly what I am saying,” Cuozzo replied.

Mayor Bowen said, “we have had many OPRA (Open Public Records Act) requests for this. We wanted to do it in an orderly and timely basis. We were concerned that it would be another month of people requesting the video and posting it all over the internet and doing whatever they wanted to do as far as editing it and reposting it so we thought it would be appropriate and fair to you to do it in an orderly basis before all that happened.”

“You moved to pull it from the agenda. You can’t have it both ways. Which way is it mayor?” Cuozzo said.

“My colleagues have asked that it be deferred - and I respect that - so they can be prepared to discuss this serious matter,” the mayor replied.

Cuozzo voted yes to vote on the resolution during that meeting. The rest of the governing body voted to wait.

Committeeman Cuozzo also recently faced a request of censure by 53 Plumsted residents in March. That request was reviewed by Cipriani who recommended to the Committee last month that the requests not be acted on.

She stated that the complaints made in those requests were not applicable to Cuozzo’s role in public office and noted that the censure had to be in line with actions and commentary made as member of the governing body and that was not found to be the case.

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