To the Editor:
I am writing to address the unfortunate and disruptive performance by Councilman Fenimore at last week’s Ship Bottom council meeting. On the verge of an election, his attempt to claim victimhood for a controversy of his own making is very disappointing. It was Councilman Fenimore who called into a statewide radio station weeks ago to publicly accuse Ship Bottom’s governing body and employees of “backroom deals,” implying to hundreds of thousands of New Jersey listeners that our local government operates through shady means.
Those of us who were the obvious targets of this baseless attack cannot be expected to accept character assassination without defending ourselves and deserving an explanation. Yet, during the meeting, Councilman Fenimore acted shocked to be held accountable.
When challenged to place specific names and facts on the record, he doubled down rather than providing any evidence. When asked numerous times to support his disparaging claims against the governing body, he had absolutely nothing to produce. Instead, in a public forum, he directed his accusations at one of Ship Bottom’s lifelong and dedicated employees and our highly respected borough administrator/CFO/and QPA. The uninformed, public charge he leveled against this fine employee did not even amount to an improper procedure, let alone any crime he implied.
Would it not be obvious, the potentially wide repercussions of such reckless behavior? Why would any dedicated professional want to work for a municipality where an elected official puts personal politics above an employee’s faithful service? And, due to this selfish quest for political leverage, Ship Bottom may now face administrative reprimand or costly litigation. Unfortunately, if that happens, it will be the taxpayers who pay the price for his actions, rather than the foolish official who committed them.
I’d also like to express my extreme disappointment in the disrespectful behavior displayed by Mr. Hiros at the same meeting. During the public portion, he chose to singularly target the mayor by addressing him directly with off-point questions seemingly with the sole intent of insulting or embarrassing this public servant whose tenure ends in just two months. Mr. Hiros’ closing remark, “enjoy your last 60 days as mayor,” delivered with a sarcastic tone, was a deeply uncalled-for display toward a man who has dedicated 28 years of service to our community.
Anyone paying attention to Ship Bottom’s history must appreciate William Huelsenbeck’s sincere stewardship of this town. The fact that many of our current citizenry chose Ship Bottom to be their new home during his leadership is quite the tribute alone. But there is also a generational depth to this history, as the Huelsenbeck family played a long-standing role in shaping the town we love. Their contributions to making our municipality what it is today date back many decades, to the first half of the 20th century. That level of leadership and public service deserve respect, not mean-spirited political theater. I am grateful that our voters previously recognized this disingenuous approach and rejected Mr. Hiros’ bid to represent our friends and neighbors on the council.
For future meetings, I remind Mr. Hiros and all attendees of the official “public comment” rules clearly stated at the bottom of every agenda: “The mayor and council should be addressed as a collective body, and not as individual members.” Politics are politics, but let’s try to conduct our town’s business as neighbors, with spirited debate when appropriate, but a level of civility and decorum that better reflect the true virtues of our community.
Ship Bottomers: Please consider attending one of our mayor’s final two meetings, certainly if there is an issue he can assist you with, but especially to bid him well and say “thanks.”
David Hartman, councilmanShip BottomNovember 4, 2026
