Yesterday (April 8th) I attended a press conference at The Breakers in Spring Lake, organized by AssemblymanDave Rible and Monmouth County Freeholder Director Tom Arnone, which addressed initiatives to bring 2014 Super Bowl travelers to the coastal Monmouth and Ocean Counties.
Super Bowl XLVIII will take place on February 2nd, 2014, at the Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, which is within an hour of most of Monmouth County. “Monmouth and Ocean counties are closer to the Meadowlands than people realize,” said Dave Rible. “Our state’s excellent transportation network and first class hotels and dining facilities offer people a chance to take in a part of New Jersey that will play an important role in next February’s most watched event. Our rebound from last year’s superstorm is well under way. The beach communities don’t close after Labor Day. The partners we have assembled will make sure visitors are aware of the Shore’s year-round attractions and are worth a visit during their stay leading up to the Super Bowl.”
Tom Arnone, who spearheads initiatives to strengthen Monmouth County’s economy and create jobs stressed the importance of tourism to the local economy: “A vibrant tourism industry is an integral part of our economy in Monmouth County and being involved with the Super Bowl will be a tremendous boost for our local businesses. I look forward to working with local merchants to use this historic event to bring more tourism and more business to Monmouth County.”
The event was attended by local politicians (also including Freeholders Serena DiMaso and John Curley, and Asbury Park Economic Development Director Tom Gilmour), business leaders (Evelyn Mars and Adam Puharic from the Southern Monmouth Chamber of Commerce, Bob Hilton from the Jersey Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau, Chris Fotache from Jersey Shore Vacations) and tourism officials (NJ Tourism Director Grace Hanlon and Monmouth Tourism Director Jeannie De Young). Special guests were two-time Super Bowl winner with the NY Giants, Lee Rouson, and former NY Jets star Joe Klecko.
The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is awaiting response from the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (NJOEM) Hazard Mitigation Unit after it submitted numerous requests totaling more than 1 billion dollars in funding as a result of Superstorm Sandy. On March 31, 2013, OEM delivered 185 letters of intent to the NJOEM Hazard Mitigation Unit for various mitigation projects, which include home elevations, property acquisitions and flood control measures, as well as various infrastructure improvements and emergency generators for critical infrastructure.
The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) provides grants to states and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after a major disaster declaration. The purpose of the program is to reduce the loss of life and property due to natural disasters and to have mitigation measures in place which can be implemented during the immediate recovery from a disaster. “Monmouth County was severely impacted by Superstorm Sandy, and, the projects submitted by Monmouth County and each municipality will provide the necessary protection of life and property, should another disaster occur,” said Sheriff Shaun Golden.
Monmouth County OEM has been collecting the letters of intent from each municipality since mid-December. “These letters are the first step in notifying the state as to the projects for which the municipalities wish to seek funding to mitigate, and, the priorities in which they fall within the respective jurisdictions,” said Michael Oppegaard, Coordinator of the Monmouth County Office of Emergency Management. “We now must wait to hear from the state mitigation office as to how they intend to prioritize and fund these projects.”
Under the Robert T. Stafford Act, HMGP is authorized to direct and govern mitigation projects as long as a community has an approved Hazard Mitigation Plan. Monmouth County’s Plan was completed and approved in 2009 and includes all 53 municipalities within the county. “Hopefully the state will look favorably upon Monmouth County when selecting and prioritizing the projects under this program,” said Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone. “This will allow the residents and communities to rebuild stronger, safer and smarter.”
Gigi Dorr has reopened Jakebob’s…off the bay…five months after the Union Beach landmark was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy. The new restaurant is decorated with the doors of homes that were destroyed by the storm.
U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg missed work, on doctors orders, for the entire month of March. On Friday he released a statement saying he will not return to Washington on Monday as the Senate convenes after a two week recess, according to reports in The Star Ledger and Politico.
“I regret that I will not be returning to Washington next week as I continue treatment for, and recuperate from, muscle weakness and fatigue. My physician continues to advise me to work from home and not travel at this time,” Lautenberg said in a statement issued by his office.
Lautenberg added: “I am disappointed I will not be present for the opening of the debate on gun legislation in the Senate. It is an issue I am deeply passionate about, and my victories over the gun lobby are among my proudest accomplishments. I am, however, gratified that my legislation to ban high-capacity ammunition magazines will be one of the key amendments offered to this bill.”
Lautenberg will also miss the confirmation of U.S. Magistrate Patty Shwartz to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, a nomination that was initially blocked by New Jersey’s junior senator, Bob Menendez.
“I have worked hard since Judge Shwartz’s nomination by President Obama toward her confirmation, and I am confident that she will be confirmed by a strong majority of my colleagues,” Lautenberg said.
Lautenberg, 89, announced in February that he would not seek reelection in 2014.
Should the senate seat become vacant on or before August 27, New Jersey’s election law requires that a successor be elected in the November general election. If a vacancy occurs after August 27, the next election for the seat would be on schedule in November of 2014, unless the governor calls for a special election sooner. Governor Christie could appoint a temporary senator or leave the seat vacant.
James O’Keefe of Project Veritas released a new investigative video yesterday designed to expose the hypocrisy of CNN’s Piers Morgan and the employees of Robert DeNiro’s Tribeca Studios on the issue of guns.
LD 13 GOP State Senate challenger Leigh-Ann Bellew wasted no time in kicking off her campaign to unseat incumbent State Senator Joe Kyrillos.
“Negative” is not a strong enough word for the press release Bellew sent out this afternoon. “Scathing” is a more accurate description.
IN OFFICE SINCE THE 1980s, KYRILLOS TAKES HEAT FROM CONSERVATIVE PRIMARY CHALLENGE
Union Beach, NJ — State Senator and defeated 2012 U.S. Senate candidate Joe Kyrillos, a leading GOP “moderate” who has broken with most Republicans on taxes, abortion and gun control, is facing a conservative primary challenger backed by a full slate of candidates.
“Joe Kyrillos has been in office since the 1980s – that’s nearly 30 years – and his ‘accomplishments’ have included tripling state spending, endorsing new and expanded gun control laws, and supporting abortion,” said Leigh-Ann Bellew, a Union Beach educator and conservative activist challenging Kyrillos in the June 4 Republican Primary.
Little Silver, April 1- Asm Declan O’Scanlon (R-13) today announced that he had an epiphany early Easter Sunday morning – now sees light regarding the true reason for supposed highway safety rules and regulations!
“I can’t believe how long I’ve been so misguided and naive!” said O’Scanlon. “All this time just not getting it! It’s all about the money! Huge piles of money for local officials to spend in their budgets, more piles of money for campaigns of compliant state elected officials and truckloads of the stuff for lobbyists! Hell, in at least one instance we have actual “gifts” given by a camera company to officials running a program”.
“I just never visualized the potential. I was always focused on the fact that our traffic laws and enforcement methods should be justified by sound engineering and focused on actually increasing safety. What an idiot! Now though, unburdened by the shackles of actually caring about any of those irrelevant concerns, I see the true potential of the tools we have at our disposal.”
O’Scanlon invited legislators to join him in not only abandoning the effort to end the red light camera program or – even make it more fair to motorists – and actually go the other direction. O’Scanlon’s new plan calls for cameras at every light at every intersection. He goes further and calls or the installation of new traffic lights at EVERY intersection. “Imagine the revenue potential!” he exclaimed. “But we can do even more! Part of my legislation will eliminate yellow lights all together. Every single time a light change we’ll nail a few unsuspecting suckers – kind of like now except we’ll nail even more! Another section of the legislation will mandate that every motorist come to a full stop every 100 feet. We’ll tell them it’s for “safety”, really!”
Other sections of O’Scanlon’s legislation would lower speed limits to 15 mph. “People won’t be able to leave their driveways without breaking the law. Think of the $ we’ll make!!!” said O’Scanlon. “The entire, brilliant package will be called the Road Improvement Program to Promote Outstanding Freeway Focus – RIPPOFF, for short! I have probably just begun to scratch the surface here” conceded O’Scanlon. “I am sure over the next few weeks and months we’ll come up with even more ways to attack out constituents innocently driving to work or to their kids schools or music lessons. This program will be like a vacuum of their hard earned money. And we have the pioneering red light camera program to thank for starting us down this path!”
The event was attended by local politicians (also including Freeholders Serena DiMaso and John Curley, and Asbury Park Economic Development Director Tom Gilmour), business leaders (Evelyn Mars and Adam Puharic from the Southern Monmouth Chamber of Commerce, Bob Hilton from the Jersey Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau, Chris Fotache from Jersey Shore Vacations) and tourism officials (NJ Tourism Director Grace Hanlon and Monmouth Tourism Director Jeannie De Young). Special guests were two-time Super Bowl winner with the NY Giants, Lee Rouson, and former NY Jets star Joe Klecko.
The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is awaiting response from the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (NJOEM) Hazard Mitigation Unit after it submitted numerous requests totaling more than 1 billion dollars in funding as a result of Superstorm Sandy. On March 31, 2013, OEM delivered 185 letters of intent to the NJOEM Hazard Mitigation Unit for various mitigation projects, which include home elevations, property acquisitions and flood control measures, as well as various infrastructure improvements and emergency generators for critical infrastructure.
