Murphy’s Law: Businesses that cater to “Hippie Mother F**kers” not welcome in Red Bank
By Art Gallagher
Everything that could go wrong did go wrong for Red Bank Council President Art Murphy yesterday when RedBankGreen posted a video of his drunken vulgar rant with former patrons of the former Red Bank business, Lucky Break Billiards.
Before the morning was out, the Asbury Park Press had picked up the story and Red Bank Republican Chairman Sean DiSomma was posting memes of Murphy on facebook. Murphy is a Democrat running for reelection this year. If DiSomma’s GOP candidates beat Murphy and his running mate, Councilman Michael DuPont, Republicans will control the Red Bank municipal government for the first time in this millennium.
Murphy’s drunkenness in the video probably won’t hurt him politically. Red Bank voters have demonstrated a high tolerance for alcoholism in their elected officials. Murphy’s vulgar language probably won’t hurt him either. His f-bombs make him a little less couth than Governor Chris Christie who is still in the running to be the next President of the United States.
But the back story that led to the video can and probably should hurt both Murphy and DuPont in November.
What the Democratically controlled governing body of Red Bank did to James Hertler and his pool hall, as reported by RedBankGreen, is disgraceful.
RBG has the nitty gritty, if you’re interested.
But in a nutshell, Hertler did everything right when opening his pool hall, Lucky Strike Billiards, a BYOB establishment, in 2011. He even hired former Red (faced) Bank Mayor Ed McKenna to grease the slide for him. He fully disclosed during the permitting and zoning process that BYOB was a critical element of his business plan. Once all his approvals and permits were in place, Herlter transformed a storefront that had been vacant for four years into his pool hall.
The business was growing and on the verge of profitability when, after being open for 18 months, Red Bank officials closed Lucky Break down for violating a non-existent BYOB ordinance. The Red Bank police lied at first and claimed the shut down was a the behest of then NJ Alcoholic Beverage Control Director Mike Halfacre. But Halfacre debunked that story, asserting that the ABC does not regulate BYOB establishments.
Hertler tried to make a go of it, turning customers who wanted to bring their own beer and wine into his establishment away, but it didn’t work and he closed. Murphy, in his drunken rant, blamed the closure on Hertler’s “Hippie Mother F**cker” customers being unwilling to put quarters in the Red Bank parking meters.
I called Murphy yesterday for comment about the video and about the Lucky Break fiasco. He didn’t call me back.
More from my site
Sweeney coming to Red Bank to raise campaign cash for Murphy and Dupont- DiSomma to Sweeney: Stay out of Red Bank
Red Bank Dems rushing $2.2 million bond ordinance to detect leaking toilets
Halfacre Joins Genova Burns
Losers: The Battle for Monmouth
Dyin for a quarter
Red Bank Council President Art Murphy To Resign, Will Not Seek Another Term
Gopal Surrenders Red Bank- Sweeney coming to Red Bank to raise campaign cash for Murphy and Dupont
RED BANK: LUCKY BREAK’S SHATTERED DREAM
Your own governor–from your own party, on a daily basis disrespects the citizenry of Jersey. From the Seaside boardwalk incident, to the Navy Seal, to the Jim Keady, “Shut up and sit down.” Who, by the way will probably knock out Sean Kean for Assembly, due to the given notoriety to Mr. Keady.
Talk about calling the Kettle black.
The “titular” head of your party wanted to take a bat and beat Senator Loretta Weinberg. Where was your outrage then??
Grow up and grow a thick skin. It’s called the blood sport of politics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_h4tAku2n0
Drunken power exposed. The contempt the democrats have for the public displayed again.
After allowing the waterfront park to become an eyesore and cutting down all the trees and plants, this guy Murphy and the other “pretend to be green conservationists” on the RB Council tried to sell Maple Cove Park to developers – not once but twice. I have the paperwork on this.
The public along with Councilwoman Burnham and Freeholder Curley saved this tiny waterfront park for public use.
A very decent Mayor Menna had to smack down his council who always find ways to screw the public and business owners in Red Bank.
What happened to the boat launch? Where did the money go? How did the former Police Station get transferred out of public ownership?
It is getting impossible to find parking,let alone pay for it, get around the overcrowded, over- developed streets, or afford the ever- increasing taxes and water/ sewer rates, in that place. The amount of employees, and the insane practice of bonding to pay thousands $ in “unused sick time” when people retire, has been and continues to escalate out of control, in a town that size: only Councilwoman Cindy Burnham consistently votes in the taxpayers interest- we need much more help, and now!! Time for a big change!!
I saw that bonding for unused sick time. Fiscal insanity = paying operating costs with borrowed money. Like running up your credit cards to pay the mortgage. Maybe that is where Sweeney got the idea to bond and borrow for current pension payments. Cindy is not alone though. There are many people fighting the good fight against the CORRUPT DEMOCRAT MACHINE.
delusional and clueless libs that dominate RB finally wake up to the reality that we are too broke, crowded, and expensive, with more empty storefronts on Broad than they want to admit: “hip town” is “slip-town,” these days!- so, wake up Red Bankers, and throw the bums out!!
https://soundcloud.com/occupyredbank/dyin-for-a-quarter
While Holt is one of the most impotent Representatives in terms of sponsoring any meaningful legislation and is as submissive to House Leader Nancy Pelosi as the eunuchs who defended the imperial rulers of the Ming dynasty, Holt is effective in directing taxpayer money to his supporters. While Holt s supporters tout their disdain for Corporate America, they are quite willing to throw their self-defined lofty notions under the bus for the opportunity to feed at the trough of government spoils.