JACKSON TOWNSHIP, NJ – Jackson Township Councilman Marty Flemming, who is running for mayor in tomorrow’s election, said on Sunday he would oppose a township deal to stop the construction of four private schools on a farm on Leesville Road.
When asked by residents of the neighborhood on Sunday at a meet-and-greet campaign event, Flemming said he opposed a plan by Jackson Township Mayor Michael Reina to enter into a land swap agreement that would give developer Bellvue Estates LLC a tract of land on the Lakewood-Jackson border in an industrial zone near Cross Street in exchange for the property the company owns on Leesville Road.
The plan, which will preserve the old farmland property at no additional cost to the taxpayers, was applauded by residents in the western side of Jackson at town hall last Wednesday.
On Sunday, Flemming said he would oppose Reina’s plan and would allow for the construction of four schools on the property. Flemming told residents he would purchase the land from Mordechai Eichorn instead, which isn’t for sale. On top of that, Flemming and the township council recently depleted township open space funds, so the township has no money to purchase the tract.
The estimated value of the land purchased a year ago by Bellvue Estates, LLC could be as high as 2.5 million dollars at this point, well above the appraised $1.5 million value. That means the township would not be able to legally purchase the property.
Flemming who originally proposed to build 60 homes on the property later met with Eichorn at a campaign fundraiser where he hosted the Lakewood developer and Jackson VAAD leader Mordechai Burnstein.
Jackson Township Mayor Michael Reina said, “I haven’t heard that Marty is opposing the project, but if he is, that’s different from what he said at our town hall meeting. It wouldn’t surprise me if he is once again flip-flopping on a topic depending upon the audience he’s speaking to.”
At that public town hall meeting Flemming told residents he would support Reina’s plan. At his private campaign meet and greet on Sunday, Flemming told close supporters that he would oppose Reina’s plan.
Eichorn, who reluctantly accepted the plan that sets his timeline back two years and will cost him several hundred thousand dollars in legal fees and engineering work declined to comment on Flemming’s reversal today.
When asked about Flemming’s new plan to purchase the land from Eichorn, today Eichorn said the township appraisal is only twenty percent of the land’s current market value.
“That’s not going to happen,” Eichorn said.
A resident who spoke on the condition of anonymity today said she was very disappointed in Flemming.
“He’s playing games. He lied to us last week,” she said. “We were going to vote for Marty, but now we’re not.”
Flemming’s campaign did not respond to Shore News Network for comment today. Flemming initially said he was upset that the plan would be credited to Reina and that he was not involved in the negotiations between lawyers and engineers.
