The Asbury Park City Council honored longtime City Attorney Frederick Raffeto on Dec. 18 and unanimously appointed Kevin Starkey, Esq., to replace him as municipal attorney.

Raffeto, who received a council proclamation, said he was nominated by the governor and confirmed by the New Jersey State Senate last week to serve on the New Jersey Tax Court. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank the mayor and council, all of the staff at city hall, my fellow professionals, and the residents of Asbury Park for 21 amazing years as your city attorney," Raffeto said during remarks to the council.

Mayor Moore and other council members thanked Raffeto for his service. The proclamation read by a council designee noted Raffeto's decades of municipal work, including land-use and redevelopment matters dating to the early 2000s.

The council then considered Resolution 20 24 5 39 to appoint Kevin Starkey of the firm Starkey, Kelly, Canally, Cunningham, Turnback & Yayon as municipal attorney and to authorize execution of a professional services agreement. The motion passed on a unanimous voice vote.

Council members said the appointment fills the municipal-attorney role previously held by Raffeto and replaces another departing firm member. Mayor Moore acknowledged the change and thanked the incoming counsel for agreeing to serve in the role.

The council did not provide a public timeline for when Raffeto’s Tax Court duties begin beyond his remarks that he would start duties in January. The resolution and proclamation mark a formal transition in the city's legal representation.