Ventnor Mayor Beth Holtzman and her grandson Enzo.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
VENTNOR – Beth Holtzman has announced she will be stepping down as mayor of the city strictly for personal reasons.
Holtzman said the Imagine Ventnor Team accomplished most of its agenda over the last seven years, but personal issues require that she resign from the Board of Commissioners.
“I don’t want the people of Ventnor to think I am not fulfilling my commitment to the city, but I have to abide by the law. I have no choice,” she said early Thursday morning.
Holtzman notified department heads that she is “tough,” but not when it comes to issues of the heart. She thanked them for their hard work and making her tenure as mayor a “wonderful experience.”
“I wanted to do this face to face, but probably won’t get the words out without being completely hysterical,” she told them. “Unfortunately, free will does not exist when it comes to the law.”
Holtzman said she is being forced to sell her home in Ventnor Heights to satisfy the terms her divorce agreement with David Holtzman. The couple has been separated for four years and is approaching their final divorce.
She said she will be seeking a residence in an offshore community where housing is more affordable.
“I don’t just want an apartment, I want a home ” she said.
Holtzman lives with her son, partner Jason Dorn and his son.
Holtzman has lived in Ventnor for more than 50 years, and it breaks her heart to leave, she said, but she feels the city is in good hands with her counterparts on the commission. The Imagine Ventnor slate took office in May 2016 and has led the city in a positive direction.
“We saw the direction Ventnor was going in, which wasn’t good, and I reached out to Tim Kriebel and then to Lance Landgraf. We decided to run together as a team, set some goals, and most of them have been accomplished,” she said. “We turned Ventnor into one of the most marketable shore towns around. Most of what Imagine Ventnor imagined has come to fruition.”
From left, Ventnor Commission candidates Tim Kriebel, Beth Holtzman and Lance Landgraf.
Holtzman said she will put her house on the market, which will likely sell quickly.
“It’s a seller’s market here,” she said, “so when word gets out it will go fast.”
She has not announced the date she will resign to start a new chapter in her life.
“A friend once told me our book is already written, we just have to live the chapters. This has been a really good book and I hate to turn the page,” she said. “But my faith is strong. I truly believe God puts us where he wants us to be for a reason.”
Holtzman said once she resigns, the two remaining commissioners will appoint someone to fill her seat until a special election can be held. Whoever wins the special election will serve her unexpired term.
Ventnor is slated to have a Board of Commissioners election in May 2024.
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