Jackson Township Councilman and mayoral candidate Marty Flemming upset over land deal because he wasn’t notified.
JACKSON, NJ – Jackson Township Councilman Marty Flemming today is upset over a land purchase announced by Mayor Michael Reina to stop the development of four private schools on Leesville Road.
His complaint? He wasn’t involved in the process.
Flemming had met with the developer earlier this year to convert schools into high-density development. Luckily, the Jackson Zoning Board shot down that proposal.
Reina today said after Flemming’s months of unsuccessful negotiations with Lakewood Developer Mordechai Eichorn he tasked township administration officials and attorneys to step in to make a deal to preserve the land for open space.
Flemming, even with his close relationship with Eichorn, was unsuccessful at closing the deal.
“If we didn’t step in after Flemming’s failed negotiations on the last project, we’d be seeing four schools where schools, or possibly high-density housing where they shouldn’t be built in Jackson,” Reina said today.
Eichorn today confirmed the deal. He credited a local resident in the neighborhood who suggested a compromise between himself and the township. Reina facilitated the meetings between lawyers to make the deal happen.
“It’s not ideal for me,” Eichorn said. “There are some details to be worked out, but yes, it’s a done deal at this point.”
“My priority is to protect existing neighborhoods within Jackson Township, and to protect and honor the rights of all Jackson residents. We have found a way to achieve both outcomes with this agreement once it is finalized and approved,” Reina said saying the deal was not just election time theatrics like those being performed by his opponents. “This deal is moving Jackson forward.”
The purchase will now have to be approved by Flemming and the council once they are provided the details of the negotiation and purchase price, but Flemming said he was doubtful.
“This is way too convenient to be happenstance,” Flemming said in an interview with the Asbury Park Press “I’m the council president, and I have no idea what the price is. I have no idea what the terms are. The mayor held the residents in Leesville hostage to make a political point and, if it wasn’t a political point, then why wasn’t the council involved?”
Reina said the township council would be briefed on the settlement in accordance with township laws, and they will be the ones to have the final say on the approval and review of the deal.
Flemming did not say whether or not he would vote to approve the purchase.