It was a festive last regular meeting of the Atlantic Highlands Mayor and Council December 14 and Council President Lori Hohenleitner presented Santa Gordon with the Volunteer of the Month award as the jolly gent read to youngsters in the Library, then came in to enjoy the crowd at the Council meeting.

Santa is a native of the borough and has been volunteering and delighting his residents with his kindness and generosity for more than two decades. Councilman Brian Dougherty won the Ugliest Shirt contest and treated the rest of the officials out for a celebration of the good-natured contest.

A special Council meeting will be held tonight, December 28 for transfer of funds and payment of bills. The meeting is set for 2 p.m.

When Jimmie King, administrator of Care One at Middletown, walks out the door of the Route 36 nursing facility today, it will be on a red carpet, with staff and residents cheering him on in his new adventures. But there will be tears in their eyes and memories too precious to share about a boss who makes nursing home residents his first priority.

King, a native of Middletown, who has been in care giving in long-term care facilities for 33 years, literally worked his way to the top through his own high standards, love of his patients, and a genuine promise to himself he would always continue to strive to do better every day.

A product of the Middletown school system from Leonardo grade school, Bayshore Junior High and Middletown South High School, King continued his education under his own series of self-designed five-year plans. He pursued his first position in nursing as a certified nursing system, then quickly became a licensed practical nurse, both from the educational and practical programs at Monmouth County Vocational School in Long Branch. He then went on to Brookdale College to earn his RN.

Being a registered nurse was one goal achieved, so Jimmie set about another five-year plan and earned his undergraduate, then his master’s degrees in nursing at Kean College. Another goal, another plan and Jimmie next attended Longtree and Associates LNHA pre course. After completing an untold number of hours of training with Douglas Kreil LNHA, Jimmie became a licensed nursing home administrator.

To him tell it, it all started with the late Helen Marchetti, a former Mayor in Atlantic Highlands, and the administrator at the now closed Atlantic Highlands Nursing Home where Jimmie got his first job and was guided by the woman he still calls one of the most influential people in his life.

Jimmie’s grandmother lived across the street from the Middletown nursing home just off First Avenue in Atlantic Highlands. Jimmie had worked at Riverview Hospital, liked being in a position where he could help people, and decided to apply for a position across the street from his grandma’s home. As part of the interview for the job, he met with the administrator, Mrs. Marchetti. He recalls how he was hired on the spot, but more endearingly recalls how Helen, dressed impeccably with well coifed hair and a caring demeanor, had him sit on a bench between the house where her office was located and the facility where the patients were, and talked to him about his future.

“She exuded confidence and leadership,” he said this week, recalling those days when he was 20 years old. “She asked me about my plans for the future and while I had not really thought about that before, by the time we finished the conversation, my plan was to go and apply for the LPN program and a study-intensive five-year plan.”

In the small world in which we live, Helen decades later became a long-term care resident at Care One after Jimmie became administrator and died there last year. “It was one of my greatest moments in health care to attend Helen Marchetti’s final Birthday party at the facility where I am the administrator. I am also so grateful was able to say final goodbyes to her and allow her to transition peacefully to the next life in my presence.”

Jimmie has many memories of the joy of meeting and caring for residents, seeing them on their way back to health, or administering to them and overseeing their care as they pass on, the joys of knowing them mingled with the sadness of letting them go. “What I hold closest to my heart at Care One King James are my residents and staff. They are the reason I strive for excellence on a daily basis. They deserve the utmost respect. I learn life lessons daily from them all,” this humble but dedicated administrator said.

Helen was not the only former care administrator or owner under Jimmie’s care. The late James Snyder, who built the facility more than half a century ago, as well as his wife, Judy, were both long-term care residents at Care One. Their son, Glenn, was the owner of the facility and Jimmie was a licensed practical nurse at the time. The care each received was no different than what every resident at the care center receives on a daily basis. That’s because to Jimmie, “Ensuring my residents and staff have the best experience on a daily basis is my goal. Not many people can say they make over 100 people smile daily simply by doing my job.”

There are huge disappointments along the way, mingled with the joy of helping people get better or assisting them in their final hours of life. One of the most frustrating throughout all his years in the field has been the Covid 19 virus. “That is one of the most difficult things any healthcare worker deals in these present times,” the administrator said., “It has affected the long-term care industry greatly and has caused great change. When family members couldn’t visit their loved ones, it was heart breaking.” But King and his staff worked ceaselessly to keep the facility as Covid free as possible, ensuring safety of residents when new residents, or residents returning from hospital stays came in, through scrupulous testing and separation until he was certain there were no contaminants.

Though stern and strict in all areas of health care, it’s Jimmie’s ‘soft side’ and obvious love for each patient that the King James family will miss the most. A frequent visitor to every resident’s room, a popular attendee at all their parties and activities, a beaming smile in every hallway, and a caring listener to any complaint or woe, Jimmie King has inspired many and receives the accolades of staff and resident alike.

“ He’s amazing! That’s all I can say,” according to Cheryl Flesch of Highlands. A dietary aide in the spotlessly clean kitchen for seven years, Cheryl said King “is always there for everybody, both employee and resident. He goes above and beyond; you can’t say enough great about him.”

Brian Kroeper of Brick a unit secretary for the past six years, describes King as “easy to approach, fair, always ready to jump in and help wherever needed, a good guy to work for…”

Nicole Mezzina of Hazlet has only been at Care One as its receptionist since last year. But that’s long enough to see “how sweet how compassionate he is,” she said. “He always put everyone first, he is not just the administrator.” And Nicole searches a second for the right word, then smiles and says,” he is the heart of the community.”

Nurses, aides, maintenance workers, volunteers, residents…. they all say the same thing. Residents like Ady, who lived at Care One for more than a decade before moving last month to be closer to her daughter, does not speak. But her affection for Jimmie was always exhibited in her sparkling eyes, her warm handshake, her laughter as she sang a song to him only he could understand. She speaks for all the residents in her affection for an administrator who was as visible in the hallways and dining room as he was in his open door office.

On Thursday, December 28, when Jimmie King walks out of Care One at Middletown for the last time as its administrator who has made a difference, he will truly get the red-carpet experience.

That is one of the many programs and traditions he has established at Care One. But he doesn’t take any credit for that either, instead praising Emily Vasquesz his senior vice president overseeing Care One Newton in Massachusetts. It was there he saw the Red-Carpet Clap Out he believes now elevates customer service and the residents’ and staff’s overall experience at Care One Middletown.

“I first witnessed the Red-Carpet Clap when I visited Emily at her facility, and she asked me if I would be part of a discharge tradition they have at the facility. I watched as the staff gathered in the main lobby and rolled out a red carpet. Within minutes a resident came off one of the units and the staff erupted into a cheer and clapping. The resident’s eyes filled with tears of joy, and she thanked each staff member as she passed them with a princess wave. As I am clapping and enjoying the moment, I look at her son; he comes over and shakes my hand with tears in his eyes and thanked me for taking such great care of his mother and making her feel so special. He said it was one of the greatest things that ever happened to his mother. I will never forget that experience and am forever grateful to Emily for allowing me to share that moment and for purchasing my red carpet at Care One Middletown. It has forever changed the staff and residents’ feelings at Care One Middletown.

So what does the future now hold for Jimmie King, who has left his footprint and heart beat at Care One at Middletown? “I want to continue to make a positive impact on the healthcare industry.  If you remain positive and strive for excellence daily the rest will fall into place.:

Then he thinks a second, sits back, laughs and says, ”Jimmie King Vice President or Jimmie King President of a corporation sounds really good.”

Judging from the words of Mayor-elect Lori Hohenleitner at the end of the last regular meeting of the current Atlantic Highlands Mayor and Council, it would seem that the first action of the new governing body should be to introduce an ordinance defining what bad behavior is.

As council president, Hohenleitner presided at the council meeting in the absence of Mayor Loretta Gluckstein, who was unable to attend because of personal commitments. Gluckstein did not seek election last November and Hohenleitner was elected to the position over Councilman James Murphy in a hotly contested ballot race. (see related story.)

The December 14 meeting was light, cheery, happy-go-lucky with council members posing for votes on who had the ugliest Christmas shirt and genuine cheerfulness and camaraderie taking over most of the meeting.

Yet before it was all finished, Hohenleitner who started her monthly report for the public citing her daily sweep of the borough, her check with the police department every day and her pride in how beautiful residents have decorated homes for the holidays, changed the tenor of the meeting. She said she hoped all have “renewed commitment to be good neighbors” and that she is excited to welcome everyone to come to meetings and “it is important for you to speak up.”

“We’re gonna work well moving forward” the mayor elect continued before concluding ….and anyone who tries to get in the way of that……..”You’re welcome….. BUT Bad Behavior will not be taken kindly.”

Bad Behavior????

It sounds more like a violation of an American’s rights under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Bad Behavior?

Is it Bad Behavior for a resident to ask a question?

Or is it Bad Behavior for a resident to ask too many questions?

Perhaps it is considered Bad Behavior for a resident to oppose something an elected official advocates?

Or how about when a councilman whispers to another while someone in the audience is speaking, is that Bad Behavior?

Or how about when a council member scolds a resident for turning around?  Is that Bad Behavior?

There was a time a few months ago when the meeting was halted for a medical emergency and someone shut off the audio for the ZOOM attendees, but left the video running. Was that Bad Behavior? Seeing something untoward happening but not being kept informed resulted in a private telephone call from a ZOOM attendee, private words exchanged on that private call from hundreds of miles away, and a complaint to the police that called for an investigation of a threat .

Was the caller from hundreds of miles away guilty of Bad Behavior? While someone in the audience or at the council table may have thought so, the investigation that followed found the Police , including the Chief, apparently did not find that phone conversation was Bad Behavior.

It is for reasons like these that if the mayor elect’s mandate is to be enforced, an ordinance has to be in place to define what bad behavior is.

The words of the mayor-elect, all officially recorded and available to be listened to at any time in public records, should be enough to make residents worry about whether they are being threatened, intimated, or being informed their First Amendment rights are in distinct jeopardy.

An ordinance would then have to spell how what is the meaning of bad and what is behavior?

Is making a scowl or bursting out laughing bad behavior? Are scowls or laughter even behavior or are they spontaneous reactions? Is talking too fast bad behavior as some of us believe? Or is it bad behavior to come to the mike at every meeting and ask the same questions that have not been answered, as another resident feels?

Are some of these silly, or laughable possibilities? Are some of these possibilities out in left field?

Perhaps.

But then there were some who tried to limit a resident’s talking at public meetings to a few minutes until the residents pointed out that was  wrong….hmmmm bad behavior?….and got it restored.

There were those who take it lightly that a recount was called in the last election. But it showed that at least one voter’s right to cast a ballot had been denied. One vote, did not make a difference, no big  deal.  But a voter’s right had been taken away until restored with a second look.

There were the tens of thousands of people who were denied their right to freedom of religion because the Governor, or President, or both, ordered churches be shut down during the original Covid crisis. Done for safety sake?   Most likely. But it meant wiping out an American’s right under the Constitution.   Does it all start with a threat that “Bad Behavior will not be taken kindly?”

Who knows? There were those who scoffed when some Bostonians said the taxes weren’t fair….. until they dumped a few barrels of tea in the water.

Was that Bad Behavior on the part of the Yankees? Or was it their absolute right to oppose what they Felt was Bad Behavior  by those in power who were dictating what they said was right and just.

Atlantic Highlands Elections-Questions Remain

Council President Lori Hohenleitner will be sworn in as Mayor at the reorganization meeting January 1. But it will be up to a Monmouth County Superior Court Judge to determine whether she will serve the four-year term to which she was elected in November.

The Monmouth County Board of Elections confirmed today that an election contest has been filed and is going to Superior Court to determine the accuracy and validity of several ballots in the election in which a recount had Hohenleitner winning the election by five votes over Councilman James Murphy.

“It’s all about integrity and ensuring the people in a democracy know their vote is important,” said Murphy, in confirming action has been filed questioning a number of signatures on write-in ballots as well as ballots that appear to be from non-residents but were counted.

Nor is this the first time this appears to have happened, Murphy said, referring to further questioning of ballots cast in 2021 which appear to be from residents who at the time did not live in the borough.  “It appears to be a similar pattern and there are similar names being questioned in both elections,” he said.

The councilman, who has made it a part of his campaign to note he is a native of the borough and a third-generation resident, raising his children in the same town where he was raised, said that while he would hope to be the victor, this is not the primary reason for taking the contest action.

“This is all about integrity and voting in a democracy,” he said, “people need to be confident their vote is counted, is accurate, and the entire voting process is as it should be in the United States, in a democracy.”

Hohenleitner and Murphy both currently serve on council, and both ran for the position of Mayor. Current Mayor Loretta Gluckstein did not seek re-election. Hohenleitner, who term on council expires this month, ran for the mayoral position with incumbent Jon Crowley, seeking another term, and newcomer Alyson Forbes.

Murphy, who still has one more year to run in his council election two years ago, ran for mayor with Ellen O’Dwyer and Vincent Whitehead seeking the two council seats. Crowley and Forbes appear to have won both seats, though O’Dwyer also only lost by a few votes.

Should Hohenleitner not be successful in retaining the mayoral post, she will no longer be part of the governing body, since her term expires this year. Should Murphy be seated as mayor, the new governing body would then appoint another Republican to fill the one-year unexpired term on council.

Murphy confirmed there appear to be ‘questionable’ signatures on write-in ballots, and at least one case where a write-in ballot for him was not counted.  There seem to be names of voters who lived, but no longer live in the borough but voted by mail, and in other cases, votes cast by people who may have an Atlantic Highlands zip code but do not live in the borough. With questions like these, the election had to be questioned, he said, “purely for voter integrity and democracy.”

Murphy noted the Republicans, with the financial aid of the Monmouth County Republican committee, had filed for a recount last month when the polls showed he lost the election by four votes. The recount conducted in Freehold showed an additional vote for Hohenleitner, giving him a loss by five votes.

The councilman conceded that both the recount and the current action are costing money, and the local GOP is seeking donations at this time, but “it is about integrity, and it has to be done.”

“All I care about is that the election is run right, and every vote is counted how and where it should be,” the councilman continued, “It is important for every voter to feel confident and comfortable that his vote is counted. It is integrity that matters.”

According to the Monmouth County Board of Elections, the election contest goes before a County Superior Court Judge and what happens after that cannot be determined until his decision is made. Since the matter would definitely not be heard and decided before the January 1 planned reorganization, Hohenleitner will be sworn in as mayor. After that, according to a spokesman for the election board, “it depends on what the judge decides. There are a lot of moving parts here.” There are residency issues as well as “all kinds of other things.”

When contacted by VeniVidiScritpto, Councilwoman Hohenleitner said ” I have faith in the system. I just want to what is best for Atlantic Highlands, I feel sorry that the poll workers and the administrators who run the voting process are being questioned; I will just continue to move forward and see what happens, our small town needs to come together”