Disgraced ocean gate mayor suspended without pay from county patronage job

Disgraced Ocean Gate Mayor Suspended Without Pay from County Patronage Job

Posted by
1 min read
March 22, 2022

OCEAN GATE, NJ – If you are a mayor of a town in Ocean County, there’s a good chance you have a patronage job with the county. The same holds true for disgraced Ocean Gate Mayor Paul Kennedy who was arrested last week by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office for stealing public funds.

Now, Mayor Kennedy has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of the criminal case lodged against him by Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer.

Ocean County Administrator Carl Block today told Shore News Network that Kennedy has been suspended without pay from his job in the county’s public works department where he earns an annual salary of $47,100 per year. Block did not provide further details, but it has since been alleged that Kennedy may have used his county vehicle while committing his crimes in Ocean Gate over the past 10 or so years.

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office charges Kennedy with stealing money from borough parking meters, selling county property on the Facebook marketplace, and pocketing money from government public auction websites in which borough assets were sold. More allegations are coming to light in the case, but so far, no further charges have been filed with the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.

Today, Shore News Network reached out to Ocean County GOP Chairman Frank Holman and Vice Chairwoman Pat Lane regarding Kennedy’s actions and received no comment.

According to Ocean Gate township records, Holman’s firm, Holman Frenia, has served as the municipal auditor for the borough of Ocean Gate through the periods where Kennedy committed his financial crimes.

When asked why the Holman Frenia firm, which Holman claims to have stepped down from, handing the reigns to his daughter, the theft of funds was not discovered through annual financial audits by his firm, Holman did not reply to emails and texts.

The incident draws attention to political party bosses having lucrative jobs in municipalities and possible conflicts of interest. In 2021, Holman’s accounting firm took in $4.1 million in public contracts, mostly in Ocean County and in towns across New Jersey where the chairman has made political contributions.

In Ocean Gate, Holman’s firm billed the Ocean Gate Board of Education $36,844 in 2021. The firm also billed the borough of Ocean Gate $35,315.84 for municipal accounting and auditing services.

Phil Stilton

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

Readers can submit story tips, corrections, public records, or media inquiries through the official Shore News Network website or its verified social media channels. Shore News Network welcomes corrections and updates when new information becomes available as part of its ongoing commitment to accurate and transparent journalism.

Don't Miss