Governor Chris Christie will be back on Monmouth County on Monday morning.
At 7 am, the governor is scheduled to appear on MSNBC’s Morning Joe Show which will be broadcast live from the Five Ave Pavilion in Asbury Park.
At 11am, Christie and U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan are scheduled to visit businesses and greet patrons along Bay Avenue in Highlands, starting from The Memoria Project in Veterans’ Park. At 11:45, he will hold a press conference at Moby’s, 2 South Bay Ave.
Christie is expected to announce federal approval of $1.8 billion in relief funds for housing, infrastructure and business recovery activities, according to a report in The Star Ledger.
At his press conference in Long Branch on April 18, the governor said he was waiting on federal funds for a grant program that would award up $500,000 to businesses and $150,000 to homeowners.
We often complain about the leftist slant of the mainstream media here at MMM. However, now is a time for those of us who live and do business at the Jersey Shore to say thank you in advance, and least to Comcast’s NBC properties.
NBC’s Today Show is broadcasting from Highlands on Saturday morning (Hint for Greg, put that on the list.) and 300 Comcast and Sherman Williams employees will volunteer to help Highlands business and homeowners rebuild their properties.
On Monday the 29th, MSNBC’s Morning Joe will broadcast from the Fifth Avenue Pavilion in Asbury Park, according to a report on Asbury Pulp.
It’s not just a problem of attracting ‘bennies’ to come back with their money. A few weeks back, a local elected official called me to ask for a recommendation for a Highlands restaurant on the water to hold an event. For years his group gathered at Bahrs. Where can he go on the water now that Bahrs is closed? “Bahrs Landing is Still Standing“, I told my friend.
This kind of news coverage does not happen by accident. I’d bet Christie’s team had something to do with it happening. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him appear on his two favorite morning shows. I’d love to see him in Highlands on Saturday morning, but I would guess he’s more likely to hang with Mika and Joe on Monday. Maybe he will bring his bff Bruce with him.
Cable network HBO is in talks with to bring their hit series Boardwalk Empire to Asbury Park according to a report on AsburyParkSun.
HBO may shoot its popular drama “Boardwalk Empire” in Asbury Park in the future.
The cable network is in talks with the city and boardwalk redeveloper Madison Marquette to possibly bring the show here, said Madison Marquette’s senior vice president, Anselm Fusco, today.
“We are in conversations with HBO and the city,” Fusco said. “It would be really great. We think it would be fantastic if we could figure it out.”
The show stars Steve Buscemi as Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, an Atlantic City gangster. Martin Scorsese is the executive producer. Filming of its fourth season has reportedly begun.
The show, inspired by the true story of Atlantic City corruption during prohibition written by Superior Court Judge Nelson Johnson seated in Atlantic County, was primary shot in New York City during its first three seasons.
Jersey Jokers Thursdays brings top comics and laughs to Asbury
The summer promises to be funny now that the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park has announced a monthly comedy show. The last Thursday of every month will bring great headliners and laughter to the historic venue. The seminal show will be hosted by Jersey Jokers own, Chris Covert and features Asbury Park native, Kevin Israel, with the Howard Stern Show’s Reverend Bob Levy headlining.
“We’re really excited that the Wonder Bar agreed to host this monthly event,” said Kevin Israel, a local comic who has performed all over the country and been featured on XM/Sirius Radio’s RawDog comedy channel. “Asbury has a long history of arts and entertainment, a successful comedy show is a natural extension of that history.”
“We are very pleased to be chosen as the venue for Jersey Jokers Thursdays,” said Debbie DeLisa, Manager of the Wonder Bar. “We feel this will be a welcome addition to The Wonder Bar Schedule! “
Jersey Jokers is New Jersey based comedy production company that has been producing shows throughout the state.
By Tommy De Seno, Asbury Park Historian, proud Blue Bishop and contributor to More Monmouth Musings
[PRELIMINARY NOTE TO FREEHOLDERS: I KNOW YOU ARE BUSY. IF YOU CAN’T READ ALL OF THIS ABOUT WHY YOU SHOULDN’T BUY A PARK IN ASBURY, SKIP TO REASON #6 BELOW. BUT I HOPE YOU WILL TAKE THE TIME TO READ THE WHOLE LETTER]
Asbury Park is everyone’s business. Why? The rest of the taxpayers in the State of New Jersey spend $60 million annually on the schools. Even though the High School graduates only about 95 students, they just installed an $800,000.00 turf football field. Go Blue Bishops.
The City turns to the State of New Jersey annually for $10-12 million to close their budget gap.
So yes – the business of Asbury Park is everyone’s business. We should all closely monitor their elections, but since they hold non-partisan elections in May they get ignored.
Now I’m not here to beat up the City by the Sea, the Urban Sand, my beloved childhood home of Asbury Park. If anyone cares to know I’ll gladly regale you with lectures on how Asbury Park got to be where it is (it isn’t just their fault) and how they should get to where they need to go.
But blog space compels me to limit my words to one issue at a time, and that issue right now has to do with the Monmouth County Parks Commission possibly purchasing a piece of land on Asbury Park’s beachfront.
Whatever you do, my dear Freeholders, don’t buy it.
By some numbers, Asbury Park looks like a waste of time for Republicans. Only 464 of the city’s registered 7,404 voters are Republicans. 2,723 are Democrats and 4,209 are Unaffiliated, according to Wikipedia.
By other numbers, no one in New Jersey should ignore Asbury Park. New Jersey taxpayers fund the city’s schools and municipal government. Trenton sent $57.6 million to Asbury Park for its schools in 2011-2012 and $9.5 million for its current municipal budget.
Governor Chris Christie will be holding a press conference on the Asbury Park boardwalk tomorrow afternoon, Monday August 20.
Following his meeting the press at 3PM, Christie is scheduled to greet boardwalk patrons and beach goers along the boardwalk and emphasize the importance of clean beaches and waterways to the New Jersey shore economy.
Asbury Park Mayor Ed Johnson announced that he will not seek a second four year term next May, according to the Asbury Park Sun.
In a letter posted on his website, Johnson thanked Asbury Park residents for the opportunity of serving for the last 13 years as city’s Urban Enterprise Zone, councilman and mayor.
Asbury Park elects all five members of its governing body every four years in non-partisan elections that take place in May. The city has a referendum to study a change in its form of government on the ballot this November.
This story requires one to consider social mores, conservatism, government powers, libertarianism, class, classlessness, tradition, expression, subsidiarity, humility, pride and manners. In other words, it’s practically the reason Ricochet.com was created.
My beloved little city of Asbury Park, NJ made national headlines in 2010 when a local storekeeper, while attempting to drum up business, made a push for the City by the Sea to have a nude beach. The measure was ultimately rejected. That it was seriously considered at all shows how liberal Bruce Springsteen’s adopted hometown has become (of the 5,418 registered voters, only 390 are Republican).
What a difference two years makes though. Former councilwoman and Republican Committeewoman Louise Murray has found a 50 year old ordinance on the books that says people in Asbury Park may not wear bathing suits on the boardwalk. At a recent council meeting she pleaded with the City to once again enforce it. Her plea has been picked up as newsworthy locally, regionally, and nationally now that Drudge has given it a headline. The City Council is considering her request.
I don’t know if there is a social conservative backlash to the Obama Administration going on in this country but this might actually be proof of it. Here is an exchange between Ms. Murray and Asbury Park Deputy Mayor John Loffredo as reported by a local website, www. moremonmouthmusings.net:
“I’ll be darned if I want to be standing at a bar and have somebody slither up in a Speedo or bikini that shouldn’t be in a bathing suit,” Murray said. “It’s disgraceful … I implore you to enforce this, but do not amend it.”
Deputy Mayor John Loffredo responded, “I honestly don’t disagree with you.”
Why is that exchange important? Loffredo is one of New Jersey’s first openly gay elected politicians and a Democrat. He’s a liberal. He supports Asbury Park’s annual Gay Pride Parade (and you know how they dress marching in that). Yet he doesn’t disagree with Ms. Murray about this. A shift in social mores?
A bit of history about Asbury Park for context. It was founded as a Methodist retreat in the late 1800s. It had been a dry town where certain sports were originally banned as they might attract bettors. This one square mile City still has nearly 40 churches. So full of elegance was it that when I was a boy people would dress up to walk downtown and women working at the local department store were forbidden from wearing pants.
Asbury Park GOP Chairwoman Louise Murray wants the city to start enforcing an old, but current, ordinance that prohibits citizens from wearing beach attire on the boardwalk, according to a story in the Asbury Park Sun that was picked up by the Star Ledger, NJ 101.5, but not the Asbury Park Press.
Murray made her appeal to the city council during their meeting on June 20:
“I don’t want to go back to 1940 or 1950 but the bottom line is you have on your books an ordinance — no person clad in bathing attire shall be on the boardwalk or public walks adjacent thereto,” Murray said. “Asbury Park was known for being the classiest boardwalk in the summertime. You never went down there unless you were dressed.”
In the past, beachgoers could not walk the boards barefoot without someone telling them to put their shoes on, recalled Murray, who is also a former city councilwoman.
“I’ll be darned if I want to be standing at a bar and have somebody slither up in a Speedo or bikini that shouldn’t be in a bathing suit,” Murray said. “It’s disgraceful … I implore you to enforce this, but do not amend it.”
Deputy Mayor John Loffredo responded, “I honestly don’t disagree with you.”
The ordinance specifically states, “No person clad in bathing attire shall be on the boardwalk or the public walks adjacent thereto.” It also prohibits holes deeper than 12 inches to be dug in the beachfront
Of the 5418 registered voters in Asbury Park, 390 are registered Republicans. Murray must be trying to expand her base by appealing to the city’s social conservatives and law and order types.
Asbury Park is everyone’s business. Why? The rest of the taxpayers in the State of New Jersey spend $60 million annually on the schools. Even though the High School graduates only about 95 students, they just installed an $800,000.00 turf football field. Go Blue Bishops.
When last we heard of Republicans in Asbury Park, 