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The Asbury Park City Council made some changes to the city’s planning board at their July 2 meeting.

The terms of City Councilman John Moor, who serves as the council’s representative to the board, and board members Seresa Grillo and Robert Feinstein were up.

The council voted to reappoint Moor and Grillo. But in a 3-2 vote, the council voted against Feinstein’s reappointment. His seat was filled by alternate member Anthony Perillo.

Mayor Myra Campbell, Deputy Mayor Sue Henderson and Councilman John Loffredo voted against Feinstein’s reappointment. Moor and Councilwoman Amy Quinn voted in favor of Feinstein [shown above, second from right, at a recent Planning Board meeting].

Feinstein, an architect, served as a full member for the past two years.

“I vote no and I push people for full-blown drawings,” Feinstein told the Sun. “I’m for development — I’m just looking for better. I’m disappointed that that is the way the vote went, because I thought I had more to contribute. Maybe I’ll run for mayor — I keep telling my wife that I might.”

Feinstein provided the only dissenting vote on the K. Hovnanian townhome project two weeks ago, a decision Quinn believes may have cost him the appointment.

“Rob Feinstein was a strong contributor to the planning board,” she told the Sun. “I believe his vocal opposition to the [K. Hovnanian] project was why he got voted off the board. If that’s the case, I think that is unethical, short sighted, and ultimately will harm Asbury Park. Without dissenting opinions, it just becomes an echo chamber.”

Loffredo and Henderson said Feinstein’s dissent on the Hovnanian vote was not the reason they voted against his renewal.

“It’s just time for a change,” Loffredo told the Sun. “Every once in a while it has to be done. It’s not a permanent position.”

Henderson said she would have liked to see a “fresh face” added to the board, adding that she was impressed with the resume of a woman who recently applied to join the board.

“There is still an opening for an alternate, but it is not critical right now,” Henderson told the Sun. “His term happens to be up, it’s not personal.”

In supporting Feinstein’s reappointment, Moor said he saw no reason not to reappoint any members since the new form of government which goes into effect January 1 will remove all appointments to various city boards and committees for the newly sworn-in council members to select.

Mayor Campbell could not immediately be reached for comment.

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