MEET MICHAL DIMICELI & NEIL BLECHER:

A Fair Haven For All

Michal DiMiceli and Neil Blecher are active members of the Fair Haven Community who are running for Council in 2023 to represent ALL of the residents of Fair Haven. Michal serves on the Environmental Commission, is a member of the Green Team, is a volunteer on the Fair Haven Day Committee and is a PTA class mom at Fair Haven Public Schools. Neil sits on the Brush and Leaf Committee and volunteers at various Sickles Elementary School activities and with Fair Haven recreational sports.

Both Michal and Neil are proud parents of children in Fair Haven's public schools. Together they bring decades of professional experience, enthusiasm, compassion, a strong sense of community and a desire to get things done. They will dedicate themselves to preserving and maintaining what all that is wonderful about Fair Haven while focusing on areas that need improvement. Michal and Neil will be advocates for a more sustainable, safer, resilient, resourceful and thriving community.

MORE ABOUT MICHAL . . .

Michal DiMiceli is an active and compassionate member of the Fair Haven Community, currently volunteering with multiple commissions and committees including the Fair Haven Environmental Commission, The Green Team, The Fair Haven Day Committee and as a class mom at Fair Haven Public Schools. This is her second term on the Environmental Commission and her third year on the Green Team where she co-founded and co-chairs Love Where You Live Day, Fair Haven’s first sustainable fair. As the Chair for the Fair Haven Fireworks in 2022 and a volunteer on the Fair Haven Day committee in 2023, Michal is committed to uniting the community through borough events that are fun for all ages. This year, she enjoyed her time as a third-grade class mom at Sickles Elementary School and had a blast volunteering for Tug of War at Field Day.

Michal is experienced in many areas with a diverse professional portfolio spanning multiple industries including fashion, sports, publishing and government with expertise in sales, event production, budgets, management, public relations and marketing. As the Vice President of the local media group, The Journal Publications, Michal focused on working with small businesses in Monmouth County and looks forward to collaborating with the businesses of Fair Haven to ensure a striving business district.

Currently, Michal works in Administration for the City of Long Branch, aiding the Mayor John Pallone and the Business Administrator, planning events, writing press releases and grant applications, and coordinating on new development projects.

As the campaign manager for Legislative District 13 in 2021, field organizer for Congressman Frank Pallone’s re-election campaign in 2022, and a county committee representative for District 6 in Fair Haven, Michal is well versed on campaigning and local politics, and has nurtured strong relationships with many of our state and county government representatives. Michal has already leveraged her skills and relationships to help Fair Haven and will continue to do so as an elected official.

At Brown University, Michal majored in psychology and was a multi-sport Division 1 athlete playing lacrosse, field hockey and rugby. She also competed as a nationally ranked gymnast when she was younger. These days, she prefers being a spectator, enthusiastically cheering on Fair Haven youth sports from the sidelines.

Originally hailing from New York and Connecticut, Michal rounded out her tri-state residency settling almost 10 years ago in Fair Haven, New Jersey with her husband Joe, their 9-year-old, Segovia and their black and white Shichon, Eddy. She and her husband chose Fair Haven to be close to her in-laws in Middletown and to be closer to the shore. She is a huge fan of Fair Haven and understands just how special it is with the tight knit community, access to the Navesink river, unique business district, and biking lifestyle, just to name a few.

Michal looks forward to the opportunity to represent all of the residents of Fair Haven and will dedicate her time to preserving Fair Haven’s wonderful assets while working on areas that need improvement. She will continue to focus on environmental issues with an emphasis on stormwater management, green infrastructure, and maintaining our natural resources and historical landmarks. Michal will prioritize effective grant funding procurement, utilizing her experience, to establish a grant-seeking and writing process that reflects Fair Haven’s needs and captures all possible opportunities to improve infrastructure, services, facilities, and more.

Michal welcomes the chance to work hard and advocate for you as the newest member of the Borough of Fair Haven Council.

MORE ABOUT NEIL . . .

Neil Blecher is committed to improving all that makes Fair Haven our cherished home. Neil is an active member of our community, which includes his service on the Fair Haven Brush and Leaf Committee. As part of that role, Neil is innovating how our town manages brush and leaf collection, with a specific focus on the environment, preservation, and street safety. Neil also volunteers his time for various Fair Haven recreation sports activities, and coaches his kids’ recreation soccer teams. In addition, Neil supports public education by regularly volunteering for various classroom activities at Sickles School.

Neil is a practicing attorney, working in-house at a global consulting firm. In that role, Neil focuses on corporate matters and provides pragmatic guidance to solve complex legal and financial issues. As part of his responsibilities, Neil leads the drafting, review and negotiation of complex contractual matters, with a specific focus on protecting his client’s financial standing and mitigating risk. Neil also manages a team of legal and business professionals from diverse backgrounds. He is uniquely qualified to not only manage the legal complexities of municipal governance, but also to make Fair Haven safer and more resilient.

Neil received a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers, his law degree from Seton Hall, and a Masters in Law from Georgetown. Neil has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at St. John’s University School of Law, where he taught Internet Law and Drafting and Negotiating Complex Transactions in Information Technology. Prior to attending law school, Neil served as a Congressional intern and worked for Vice President Al Gore.

Neil is a New Jersey native and moved to Fair Haven from Hoboken with his wife Sue, his son Nathan and daughter Sloane. Neil adores the tight-knit Fair Haven community, as well as the excellent public schools, which both of his children attend. In his spare time, Neil is an avid cyclist and loves spending time with family and friends in our wonderful community.

One of Neil’s passions is street safety. During Neil’s time in Hoboken, he coordinated a community effort to dramatically improve the traffic management system for one of Hoboken’s busiest thoroughfares. This included working with local, county, and state officials to secure funding and approval for enhanced safety features. Neil will bring that same focus and advocacy to improve Fair Haven’s roadways. Neil will also focus on the quality of our town’s natural amenities to ensure that they are properly maintained for future generations.

Neil looks forward to working with the entire Fair Haven community to bring fresh ideas, open-mindedness and balance to our town.