Round 2

The first formal step in reassigning the Cultural & Heritage Committee’s duties has been taken by the Middlesex Borough Council which heard strong objections from the group’s chairman and council liaison.

The matter will be back before the governing body in March for a public hearing and final vote.

The council introduced an ordinance on Tuesday, Feb. 27 that would reassign the C&H group’s cultural work to the Recreation Committee and library’s Board of Trustees. That move, however, spurred severe criticism from Councilman Jeremiah Carnes and C&H Chairman Mark Kranz.

Mayor Jack Mikołajczyk left the door open for reconsideration of the C&H dissolution, telling his critics, “It’s not final. We’ve still got another vote to go.”

Kranz ripped Mikołajczyk for not contacting him for comment before recently recommending reassignment of C&H’s tasks. Kranz said the pending end of the committee was “a huge disappointment” to its five remaining members.

Kranz questioned whether the mayor and council conduct other borough business in a similar manner. “I hope this is not the way you make decisions on everything in Middlesex,” Kranz said. “If it is, we’re in trouble.”

According to Kranz, current C&H members will not accept assignments to join other groups and current projects will cease. “If you dissolve the committee, you’ll lose five volunteers,” he told the council.

Carnes questioned why Mikolajczyk had only interviewed “people who have a grudge against me” prior to suggesting that C&H’s duties be reassigned. 

Carnes told Mikołajczyk he’s “an amazing person,” but “on this you’re acting in an unethical manner.”

At one point, Carnes referred to texts and emails, implying that maneuvering had occurred against him behind-the-scenes. He called the committee dissolution “political retaliation.”

“The council president told me I’m dead to him in previous statements,” Carnes said.

The council’s president is Michael Conahan. Carnes did not mention him by name, and Conahan did not respond to Carnes’ allegation.

Mikolajczyk interviewed seven former C&H committee members before making his recommendation in January. His suggestion was to have the library board handle future historical projects and the Recreation Committee oversee cultural events. The council had accepted five resignations from the group over a two-month period last fall.

The council awaited a public explanation from Carnes. But he missed several meetings late in 2023, in part due to a bout with Covid. That spurred the mayor to look into the matter.

Mikolajczyk defended his process. He added that C&H had been “largely fractured,” with some members interested in historical projects and others in art.

“At the end of the day,” the mayor said, “what started all this was a lack of information coming our way for a number of months.”

Kranz filled in blanks not mentioned previously in public. Two of the members who resigned had “disengaged” with the C&H group more than a year ago, he claimed. Three others, Kranz said, left over a “personality conflict” with Carnes.

That conflict, according to Kranz, was apparently linked to an incident between Carnes and a library staff member. The three members who left over the incident, didn’t witness it, Kranz said.

“They left, apparently, because they don’t like Jeremiah,” Kranz said. Their resignations, he added, were “a way to get back at Jeremiah.” The incident, Kranz said, was never a discussion topic at a C&H meeting.

Kranz urged that the C&H committee be left as is to continue its work. The group is attempting to work with a filmmaker on a Middlesex Borough historical documentary. A community garden is also planned.

During a four-year period, Mikolajczyk interjected, 11 to 13 members resigned from the committee. Kranz said it was due to a prior chair whom he did not name.

“I can understand why they left,” Kranz said of the former C&H members. “The person running the committee was horrible.”

When the mayor replied that a final decision on dissolution has not been made, Kranz answered, “You’re offering a solution that’s not necessary.”

Carnes noted the cultural committee was established in 2020 and Mikolajczyk was one of the council members who did so.

“All of a sudden, it’s not a great committee any more?” Carnes asked. “How is that my fault?”

Mikolajczyk replied that it was not Carnes’ fault. The committee, he said, was “not set up properly.”

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