Mr. Murphy Went to Court
While voters throughout Monmouth County await the decision of Superior Court Judge Zazzali Hogan on whether Lori Hohenleitner was properly elected Atlantic Highlands mayor or Councilman James Murphy garnered more votes, both continue in their elected posts sitting at the same table and conducting the routine business of the borough.
Hohenleitner was legally sworn in as Mayor Jan. 1 after the Monmouth County Board of Elections determined she had a handful more votes than Murphy, and a recount confirmed that to be true. Both were sitting council members in 2023, Hohenleitner in her last year of a three year term, Murphy with one year to go.
Since the swearing in of Hohenleitner as mayor, Murphy continues to fill out his term on council. After the recount, Murphy filed a court action challenging whether every voter who cast ballots in Atlantic Highlands last November actually had the right to vote. It is that decision the Superior Court Judge is weighing after hearing testimony from both sides.
In the meantime, Hohenleitner is handling the mayoral duties with swift action and professionalism, as well as the unanimous votes of all six council members on every issue that has come before the governing body since January.
But the hostile feelings between the two officials and others on council is evident, as rarely do any of the other council members share jokes, smiles or laughter with Murphy as they do with each other, few exchange any words with him, and he sits quietly and with little interaction among the other officials.
Yet Murphy is doing his job as Councilman and doing it with the same enthusiasm and effort he has done throughout his years on the governing body.
There is no doubt, he, like all others on the governing body and throughout town, is high on praise for the police, the fire department, and the First Aid. Murphy’s detailed report was long, thorough, full of congratulations and praise, and delivered without a comment from any of the rest of the governing body. When he spoke on the commitment of the volunteer organization, Councilwoman Eileen Cusack was the first to stand and applaud.
However, at the end of Murphy’s report, without another word, Hohenleitner immediately acknowledges a borough resident for a memorial program she helped organize in Highlands. The Mayor reported on that, offering reasons why members of this council did not attend the memorial for a Vietnam war casualty from Highlands, saying it was mentioned at the Highlands Housing Authority meeting earlier in the week. The Atlantic Highlands Mayor is a member of the Highlands Housing Authority.
Murphy continued to sit silent for the remainder of the meeting.
