It’s been nearly a week since Hurricane Sandy made landfall, but no one can yet gauge how this calamity has affected the national psyche, and the outcome of a major election. Here is what I think…
When you see your fellow citizens struggling in horribly devastated communities and preyed upon by looters after dark, you begin to wonder if perhaps we have taken too much for granted in this country. When you consider our shocking inability to turn the lights back on, you wonder what the government is actually doing with your money. Perhaps it begins to dawn on folks that the politicians have pampered us with a false sense of entitlement, but when the wind starts howling, you are on your own. Perhaps we will re-learn that the central function of government is the safety and welfare of its citizens. And government cannot perform that function well if our finances are saddled with the cost of bloated past promises. Perhaps we will cherish anew the value of thrift and hard work and never again take our good fortune for granted. For only a prosperous country can be charitable in the support of its citizens. America needs a new direction.
FREEHOLD, NJ – The Monmouth County Clerk’s Office and the Monmouth County Board of Elections continue to strive to provide a normal as possible Election Day for residents of Monmouth County in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
In 51 of the 53 Monmouth County municipalities, residents will be voting in their communities. For a complete list of locations, click here.
Provisions have been made for residents in two of the most severely storm-ravaged boroughs to vote in neighboring communities. Sea Bright residents will vote at the Fair Haven Fire House on 645 River Road in Fair Haven. Loch Arbour residents will be voting at the Allenhurst Fire House on 311 Hume Street in Allenhurst. All other residents will vote in their own community.
In 23 of the 53 municipalities of Monmouth County, there will be no changes in polling districts.
However, storm damage has required polling sites to be moved or consolidated in the remaining municipalities. These changes were coordinated with the municipal clerks in each municipality.
For questions about Election Day polling places, please call your municipal clerk.
Clean-up of areas affected by Hurricane Sandy continues. Crews will continue picking up bulk items throughout affected areas of the community daily.
Crews will return to streets as many times as needed to collect all items. You may also take bulky items to the three designated locations – Greely Park in Port Monmouth, Belford Park in Belford and Kunkel Park in Leonardo.
A brush pick up schedule will soon be released. You may begin placing brush at the curb now. Please put all brush in a safe location and do not block sidewalks and the roadway.
For those who need shelter or emergency relief items such as clothing or food can go to Croydon Hall at 900 Leonardville Road. For those wishing to donate the most requested items are new socks and undergarments for adults and children cleaning supplies, bleach, trash bags, shovels, gloves and household batteries of all sizes.
For those who would like to make a monetary donation, we’ve established an organization called the Middletown Disaster Relief Fund. Tax deductible Donations can be sent to Mayor’s Office, Town Hall, 1 Kings Highway, Middletown, NJ 07748
JCP&L has provided the Governor with a municipal restoration update. Check their website for details.
Limited Service Out Of Highlands Only. Commuters To Enter Highlands From Linden Ave/Route 36 Only
Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno comes through with additional police support
Seastreak LLC will resume ferry service between Highlands and Manhattan on Monday November 5 on a limited schedule.
Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno, Mayor Frank Nolan, Police Chief Joseph Blewet, members of the Highlands Borough Council and representatives of Seastreak met this afternoon to resolve the community’s security concerns. Nolan told MMM that Seastreak has agreed to provide additional security lighting and that Guadagno promised 6 additional law enforcement officers to manage the flow of traffic while protecting the residents and their property.
Downtown Highlands was under 8-10 feet of water during Superstorm Sandy. Only borough residents and their accompanied guests have been allowed past the police check points at the entrances to the riverside side community since the storm ended.
Seastreak ticket holders must abide by the following restrictions:
Access to and from the Highlands facility will be limited to Linden Avenue only.
A checkpoint will be in place which will limit access to ticket holders only, so please have your ticket ready to show at the checkpoint to keep traffic flowing as you arrive into town.
Seastreak will have ticketing staff at the checkpoint for customers who need to purchase tickets.
Seastreak encourages carpooling.
With the limited access to and from the Highlands facility, please allow ample time to arrive on time for your departure.
“I’m happy to see that even in their darkest hour the residents of Highlands, specifically Mayor Nolan, stepped up to help others,” said Guadagno, “this is what makes New Jersey great.”
Nolan’s home was destroyed in the storm. He and his family are temporarily living in the shelter in town.
Seastreak announced the following limited schedule:
Departures from Highlands will be:
6:00am, 7:00am, 8:00am and 8:55am
Returns from East 35th St. and Pier 11 will be:
4:15pm E.35th St./4:40pm Pier 11
5:10pm E. 35th St./5:30pm Pier 11
6:30pm E. 35th St./6:45pm Pier 11
7:30pm E. 35th St./7:45pm Pier 11
The ferry service hopes to have their Atlantic Highlands location operating by mid-week
Already Available to Military and Overseas Voters, State Opens Electronic Voting System to Make Voting More Accessible to Citizens Displaced by Hurricane Sandy and First Responders Assisting in Recovery Efforts
Trenton, NJ –The New Jersey Department of State has issued a directive today to county elections officials to permit New Jersey registered voters displaced by Hurricane Sandy to vote electronically. This directive also is intended to assist displaced first responders, whose tireless recovery efforts away from home has made voting a challenge.
“This has been an extraordinary storm that has created unthinkable destruction across our state and we know many people have questions about how and where to cast their vote in Tuesday’s election. To help alleviate pressure on polling places, we encourage voters to either use electronic voting or the extended hours at county offices to cast their vote,” said Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno. “Despite the widespread damage Hurricane Sandy has caused, New Jersey is committed to working through the enormous obstacles before us to hold an open and transparent election befitting our state and the resiliency of its citizens.”
To vote electronically, displaced voters may submit a mail-in ballot application either by e-mail or fax to their county clerk. Once an application is approved, the clerk will electronically send a ballot to the voter by either fax or e-mail in accordance to the voter’s preference. Voters must return their electronic ballot – by fax or email – no later than November 6, 2012, at 8 p.m.
Separate directives issued today enable displaced voters and first responders to vote by provisional ballot at a polling place in a county other than the voter’s county of registration. The deadline for county clerks to receive mail-in ballots has been extended to November 19, 2012, for any ballot postmarked on or before November 5, 2012. Mail-in ballots post marked later than November 5 will not be accepted.
County elections officials have also been directed to print a sufficient number of provisional and emergency ballots to accommodate voters.
Voters are encouraged to take advantage of extended office hours at county elections offices to cast their vote early and in-person. Registered voters can obtain and cast their ballot in-person at their county elections office up until 3 pm Tuesday. County election offices are to remain open, at a minimum, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm throughout the weekend, until November 5. Voters that have a mail-in ballot and choose to deliver their ballot to the county elections office in person must present their completed ballot to their county elections office no later than the close of polls on Tuesday.
Information is also available by calling 1-877-NJVOTER.
