BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
Staff Writer
Kevin Coyne FREEHOLD – Kevin Coyne is about to make a big change in his life – a change that will affect the borough as well.
Coyne, 47, has resigned his position as a member of the Borough Council to accept a position with The New York Times as a columnist for the newspaper’s Sunday New Jersey section.
Coyne’s resignation was announced at the council’s May 15 meeting. In his letter of resignation he said a job, one he did not seek, was offered to him. Coyne, who is an author and college journalism professor, said he could not decline the position. He said the ethics of his profession prohibit him from continuing to serve as a public official. He is also Freehold’s town historian.
In a letter to Mayor Michael Wilson, he wrote, “As a sixth generation native of Freehold, I have always loved our hometown with a deep-rooted devotion that I know you and our colleagues share – a devotion that is sometimes hard to explain to people for whom Freehold is just an address, not an abiding home.”
Saying it was his privilege to serve, to be elected and to be returned to that seat twice by voters, Coyne said in his letter that he decided to accept an appointment to an open seat on the council five years ago because it was his “duty” to serve the hometown he loves so much.
He said The Times has strict conflict-of-interest polices that prohibit employees from serving on public bodies.
Coyne wrote, “I loved serving on the council and I had anticipated serving on it as long as the voters would have me. I hate to leave it now, but I do so in the same spirit in which I joined it – with profound affection for this rare jewel of a community that has been home to my family for so long, and that I expect to be my home for as long as I live.”
Coyne, who works as an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Grad-uate School of Journalism in New York, is the author of three books, “A Day in the Life of America,” “Domers: A Year at Notre Dame,” and “Marching Home: To War and Back With the Men of One American Town.” He is currently working on his fourth book. He is also a contributing editor for New Jersey Monthly magazine.
Coyne, a Democrat, served as a councilman since 2001 when he was appointed to a seat that opened when George Kelder moved out of the borough. He ran and was elected to a three-year term in 2001 and re-elected in 2004.
Coyne said his decision to accept the position at The Times was one he did not take lightly or make quickly, but he noted that he was a writer long before he was a public official. He said he is not certain if he will be able to retain his position as the borough’s official historian.
As a councilman, Coyne worked to protect the borough’s historic homes and buildings. He was instrumental in the formation of the Freehold Borough Historic Preservation Advisory Committee. He served as the council’s liaison to the Carnegie Library Board of Trustees, the Human Relations Committee and the Freehold Borough Board of Education.
“Last night (May 15) was the first night I was home on Monday and not at a council meeting. It was really hard, knowing I was at home while the town’s business was being conducted and I was not a part of it,” Coyne said.
He said he does not want residents to see his resignation from the council as a loss of faith in or abandonment of the community.
“My people are buried here,” he said. “This is the town I expect to die in. My overriding motivation has been to try to preserve a truly integrated town, which is a rare, rare thing in New Jersey. This is very hard to maintain. I’m a sixth generation native. I could easily leave the borough, but Freehold Borough embodies, more than any other town, Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream.
“My kids go to the school Dr. King wanted American children to go to. That’s the motivation behind everything I’ve done – behind the Human Relations Committee, even behind the Historic Preservation Committee. Preserving the character of the town and keeping it as it is was my goal, and I make no apologies for that.”
Wilson said Coyne “was very dedicated and committed to our town. He will be sorely missed, but this is a great opportunity professionally for him and his family, one he couldn’t possibly pass up. There are some big shoes to fill.”
Borough Democrats will be getting together to come up with a list of candidates to replace Coyne on the council. Those names will be given to the governing body, which will make the final selection.
All of the elected officials of the borough government, Wilson and council members Sharon Shutzer, Kevin Kane, Robert Crawford, Mike DiBenedetto and Marc Le Vine, are Democrats.