Harmon on Truncer
Former Atlantic Highlands Mayor Mike Harmon, a 33-year member of the Monmouth County Parks Commission, and a friend and associate of the late Jim Truncer, offered his own thoughts and words at the passing of the Monmouth County Parks Executive Director.
In referring to an outstanding interview conducted by Flora Higgins 20 years ago with Mr. Truncer, Harmon pointed out “For me the following section of that interview is something I think is a good lesson in leadership and grace. It shows vision and ability to look over the horizon while graciously giving credit to the County Commissioners and park staff. Jim reinforces these traits in the context of parks and they apply to any team with a worthwhile endeavor.
Question
In response to Ms. Higgins question to Truncer “ If you had any advice that you would like to leave to people who will be hearing or reading this interview in fifty, seventy-five, or one hundred years, what kind of advice would you like to give?
The visionary director explained “I guess I’d say that what happens today was thought about and was based on what somebody did twenty years ago, good and bad, and I think you have to think of that horizon of twenty plus years. If we don’t, opportunities are lost, and it’s a very difficult thing to do. People are accustomed to thinking in terms of their immediate needs and what’s happening now, and not thinking in terms of what we need to do today to prepare for what may inevitably happen twenty years from now.”
Follow Up
Ms. Higgins followed up with her belief that “certainly our park system has had the benefit of your foresight, commitment, and expertise.
Over his 58 years as the Monmouth County Parks Director, Mr. Truncer had increasingly heard this type of glowing compliment. After all under Jim’s guidance, the Park System expanded from 350 acres on three parks to more than 18,000 acres of park land, which includes 37 parks, six golf courses and 148 miles of trails. The Monmouth County Park System had 8.7 million visitors in 2022.
Credit
Mr. Truncer was always gracious and made the point of assigning credit to those who deserved to be recognized and thanked and he responded, “You’re very kind to say that, and I appreciate that, and I would again say that we have been very fortunate to have had support from our Monmouth County Commissioners (then called Freeholders) who have really been interested in seeing these things happen. Without that support they just won’t happen, and we all realize that. The other is our ability to attract and retain highly qualified professional people who certainly don’t work here because of the salary, they work here because they want to do a good professional job, and that’s been very beneficial to all of us.”
And that, Harmon pointed out, exemplifies the leadership and thinking of Jim Truncer who truly has led the way in making Monmouth County Parks the best in the state of New Jersey. “Mr. Truncer taught us well and for the Monmouth County residents of today, tomorrow and fifty years from now, we will carry on together. ”
