BLOOMFIELD, NJ — A Bloomfield Zoning Board member and a Bloomfield Cultural Commission member resigned Monday night at the Township Council meeting to protest the decision of Mayor Michael Venezia and the council to not reappoint Michelle Davidson as the chairwoman of the BCC. Davidson’s five-year appointment ends today, Thursday, June 30.
Resigning from the Zoning Board was Michelle’s husband, Walter Davidson. James Wollner resigned from the BCC. Walter Davidson was in his second two-year term which was to end in December. Wollner had been appointed this year.
The resignations came during the public hearing portion of the meeting. They followed a prepared speech delivered by Michelle Davidson in which she thanked her BCC colleagues and the community.
“We worked together, side by side, Democrats, Republicans, independents, various ethnicities and religions, for the benefit of our common denominator, the township of Bloomfield,” she said.
Davidson also said she was appalled that her reappointment, requested by the BCC, was totally disregarded by the mayor and council and that the commission was never informed of the decision. Roy Yokelson was appointed at the meeting to replace Davidson.
“In my opinion, your politically motivated actions were cruel, unprofessional and in keeping with your own agenda rather than that of the community,” she said. “I feel you all have finally exposed yourselves as the self-serving people that you are and hope that the voters remember this in November.”
Walter Davidson also read from a prepared text. His wife, he said, had given freely of her time for the benefit of the community but this was unappreciated by the political leaders of Bloomfield. He said his resignation was effective immediately.
“I sincerely hope what is happening here this evening is remembered during the November elections,” he said, “and that the voters ask themselves if they truly believe that this mayor and council are the right choice for Bloomfield.”
Wollner’s resignation followed.
Following the public hearing, Davidson said a rift between her and Venezia began when she served as campaign manager for Russ Mollica’s mayoral bid in 2010 and became political after she criticized Councilman Carlos Pomares’ proposal for a Hispanic cultural commission. This criticism came during the public hearing of a council meeting with Pomares’ proposal on the agenda. Davidson objected to the proposal because it was her belief that the BCC encompassed all ethnicities.
Davidson also objected to a Hispanic cultural commission because it would be eligible for taxpayer dollars. The proposal was deferred and has not reappeared. Davidson has also said that while Pomares was council liaison to the BCC, he did not regularly attend the meetings. Pomares did not return a phone call in time for this story.
“He doesn’t like me,” Davidson said of the mayor. “He’s made it personal.”
Wollner said the BCC also did not receive any financial assistance from the township.
“It was all done on a volunteer basis,” he said. “Last year, Michelle was instrumental in getting a $5,000 grant.”
Davidson has said that a portion of this grant money would be matched by township funds and would have represented the first time the BCC had received any taxpayer dollars.
“Only Joe Lopez gave us a pat on the back,” Davidson said.
Lopez is an at-large Bloomfield councilman.
In a telephone interview following the meeting, Venezia said his decision not to reappoint Davidson was not political. “I don’t even know Michelle’s party affiliation,” he said. “I thought the cultural commission should go in a different direction. We were getting feedback from commission members.”
The mayor said Yokelson had approached both him and Pomares about a BCC appointment.
“Carlos thought it would be great,” Venezia said.
The vote for Yokelson was 6-1. Lopez dissented. Pomares was absent from the meeting.
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