Sweeney wants to pay for beach safety and maintenance by getting rid of cops and dpw workers
Photo credit: www.SignsByTheSea.com
MMM has called Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester) three times since he jumped on board with the Senator Mike Doherty (R-Warren) in sponsoring legislation that would ban shoreline municipalites from selling beach badges or imposing other user fees to pay for lifeguards, beach cleanup and policing, if those towns accept federal and state money to rebuild from the destruction of Hurricane Sandy. He hasn’t called back. Steve Sweeney is a kitten. Kitten, kitten, kitten!
Given that he won’t talk to us, we’ll have to judge Sweeney’s crusade for free sand in his ass by what others report he says. The Senate President invited himself to a meeting with the Asbury Park Press Editorial Board earlier this week to make his case for free beaches.
“You don’t charge me to breathe air, why are you charging me to sit on a beach?”
We should be grateful that the top elected Democrat in New Jersey hasn’t figured out how to tax breathing (yet). But really now, our Senate President thinks breathing air (as opposed to grapefruit juice?) is analogous to sitting on a beach? That is something we should be concerned about, especially since this guy is considering a run for governor.
Sweeney told the APP that Belmar and the other shore communities that impose beach user fees should cover those costs by consolidating police forces and departments of public works. He said he would “beat up mayors down the shore” to make it happen “because its not acceptable, you know, to charge beach fees.”
Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty took Sweeney’s first beating:
“I asked (Doherty), how many people live year-round in his town,” Sweeney said. “He’s got a one-square mile town, he’s got 5,800 people. Now, could we run a shared police department? I met his public works director today, could we run a shared public works office?”
“You guys know how I feel about shared services,” Sweeney told the APP. We don’t know if the APP knows how he feels, but MMM thinks Sweeney is thwarting shared services and other methods that municipalities could use to reduce the size and cost of local government. If Sweeney was serious about property tax reduction and more efficient local government he would have passed Governor Christie’s property tax tool kit.
Super storm Sandy and the following nor’easter may have dealt us quite a blow, but I am pleased to report that the county is actively working to get our businesses up and running as we move toward the next year and the next tourism season.
Through a coordinated effort, we are encouraging visitors to return to Monmouth County’s beaches, parks, historic sites, cultural attractions and shopping venues.
We are doing this by actively participating in the “Jersey Shore OPEN” campaign. This is a grass roots effort to encourage businesses to display a specially created “Jersey Shore OPEN” sign for Monmouth County. This regional approach will help further our many public relations efforts to spread the word that Monmouth County is recovering and open for business.
I encourage your business to join this campaign. By displaying this sign, your local business can clearly show that you are open and supportive of other Monmouth County tourism efforts. You can download the sign from the county website at www.tourism.visitmonmouth.com. The “Jersey Shore OPEN” campaign is a joint program with Ocean County Tourism and the Jersey Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Tourism is important because as an industry it supports thousands of jobs and typically generates nearly $2 billion in business activity for the county. We are confident that Monmouth County will return to prominence as one of the best family vacation spots in the state.
I will convene a roundtable meeting with mayors from various municipalities in January. We will address the 2013 tourism season and offer the help and assistance of the county’s tourism division. Our local leaders will be of great assistance as we focus and target the county’s 2013 promotional program.
The county’s 2013 tourism promotion activities will include creating focused radio, print and internet promotion on recovery efforts and business and attraction reopening. We are also expanding social media efforts to promote and engage visitors and residents. Keep in mind that we will also distribute the 2013 Visit Monmouth Travel Guide that is the cornerstone of the county’s efforts to promote Monmouth County as a tourism destination.
Monmouth County will also participating in targeted, key travel shows such as the Philadelphia Inquirer Travel Show, the Atlantic City Boat Show and the Montreal Hunting and Camping Show. These travel shows are uniquely suited to the visitors who enjoy vacationing at the Jersey Shore.
Remember, the county tourism division is here for you. If you have out of town visitors, call 732-431-7310 and they will put together a packet of information to help you entertain your guests. Likewise, if you have a business that relies on tourism, the office can help you connect with many ways to reach visitors. Together we will strengthen our economic vitality and restore the wonderful quality of life that Monmouth County enjoys.
Happy Holidays and get ready for a great 2013.
Thomas A. Arnone is Freeholder Deputy Director Monmouth County and Liaison to the Department of Public Information and Tourism
Senator Mike Doherty wants the Jersey Shore rebuilt with high-rise condos
State Senator Michael Doherty (R-Warren) would go a lot further than eliminating beach badges from the Jersey Shore if he had his way. Doherty says that the pre-Sandy Shore was a failed economic model reminiscent of the 1950’s Catskill Mountain bungalow communities and that our coast should be rebuilt in the image of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Ocean City, Maryland and Destin, Florida with high-rise condos with pools, free beaches and high end merchants.
Photo Credit: Myrtle Beach Area Convention and Visitors Buerau. Click for larger view.
Doherty has proposed legislation that would prohibit coastal communities that accept state or federal funds to rebuild from selling beach badges or otherwise charging the public for access to the shore. The bill would also require municipalities to provide free restroom facilities from Memorial Day through Labor Day annually.
Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester) has signed on as a prime co-sponsor of the bill. That means it is not likely to be buried in committee never to see that light of day.
“It is likely that state and federal taxpayers will provide hundreds of millions of dollars to repair and replenish New Jersey beaches that were washed away during Hurricane Sandy,” said Doherty. “Considering the massive public resources that will be directed at rebuilding many New Jersey beaches, it only seems fair to ensure that everyone have the opportunity to enjoy free access to the beaches they will support and help rebuild with their tax dollars.”
Sweeney said, “Where taxpayers are paying for beach restoration, they shouldn’t be taxed a second time just to walk on the sand. As New Jerseyans, we are all in the recovery and rebuilding process together. That means we should all be able to enjoy the reopening of our state’s greatest natural resource together, too.”
MMM called Doherty and Sweeney to ask how beach maintenance, life guards and police would be paid for under their plan. Sweeney hasn’t gotten back to us, but Doherty gave us an earful.
Stingrays have venomous spines along or near the base of the tail. The muscular whip-like tail can be lashed about quickly in defense. Occasionally beach-goers will accidentally step on stingrays that are partially buried in the sand near the beach resulting in a painful, serious wound in the foot. Although the spines are dosed with venom, wounds are not normally lethal. However, it is still important to get medical attention as soon as possible to avoid any potential infection. Electric rays defend themselves with electrical discharge, although these charges are considered dangerous, there have been no reported human fatalities as a result of electric rays. Physicians in ancient Rome prescribed electric discharge from electric rays as a treatment for many illnesses.
How to avoid being stung by stingrays? Other than getting the hell off of the beach, Bester says, “do the stingray shuffle” and wear shades:
Humans should do the “stingray shuffle” when walking along sandy bottoms close to the beach. The “stingray shuffle” is performed by sliding or shuffling your feet in the sand. This gives any stingrays in the vicinity enough warning that they are able to swim away. Also, polarized glasses will assist in seeing stingrays in shallow waters. If you catch a stingray on a fishing line, be sure to cut the line and release the animal without handling it to avoid any potential injury.
I suppose its good news, from an environmental point of view, that we have sting rays in our Jersey waters. I’m waiting for blowfish to come back before I really celebrate.
Governor Chris Christie had a SITUATION in Seaside Heights last night.
He exchanged harsh words with a heckler on the boardwalk and pursued his taunter who preferred to keep walking rather than engaging in a confrontation with the ice cream cone wielding executive.
Someone recorded the exchange and sent the video to TMZ.
Snooki won’t be cavorting along the Jersey shore of the Hudson River anytime soon.
The birthplace of the Chairman of the Board and baseball doesn’t have to worry about Snooki and JWoww filling the vacancy created by Jon Corzine’s departure, thanks to Mayor Dawn Zimmer telling MTV that a spinoff to the show that made Seaside Heights an international destination will not be filmed in her city, according to a report on NJ.com.
I usually agree with InTheLobby and Declan O’Scanlon, but in the case of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority granting a $420,000 tax credit to MTV for the 2009 production of Jersey Shore, I’m not so sure.
I’m not fan of the show. I never watched it. The promotions and buzz about it are enough for me to know that I’d rather see a Law and Order re-run. Yet, there is no denying that the show has generated quite a bit of economic activity. That’s what tax credits are supposed to do.
Tax credits are not subsidies in the sense that the government is writing a check. They are promised tax reductions given to induce investment that will, hopefully, generate economic activity and more overall tax revenue than the amount of the credit. Since Governor Christie has taken office, New Jersey has granted much larger tax credits to spur investment in Atlantic City and the Meadowlands.
Is the Jersey Shore tax credit a good deal for New Jersey? I don’t know. The Treasury Department would have to calculate the increased tax revenue that resulted from the show. It would take $6,000,000 in increased sales of hair gel, contraceptives and alcohol to generate $420,000 in sales tax to “break even” on the tax credit. I don’t buy hair gel or contraceptives. I don’t watch the show, so it hasn’t driven me to drink more. We’d have to rely on Treasury data to judge if increase sales taxes paid for the tax credit.
But we’d also have to include increased income taxes in the analysis. How much do Snooki, the Situation and the rest of the cast pay to New Jersey in income taxes? What about the rest of the crew? What about the increased income, and taxes for Seaside Heights businesses and their employees?
Is MTV paying any taxes to New Jersey as a result of the show at all? If they hadn’t produced the show, they certainly would not have paid any taxes. If the tax credit induced them to produce the show, that is what it was designed to do.
“I can’t believe we are paying for fake tanning for ‘Snooki’ and ‘The Situation’, and I am not even sure $420,000 covers that,” said Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth). “This is a great investment for the taxpayers, as if they can make a show called ‘Jersey Shore’ anywhere else.”
Declan obviously doesn’t watch the show either. They can make a show called ‘Jersey Shore’ in Italy.
Boardwalk Empire, the HBO hit series about the history of Atlantic City is not shot in New Jersey. The beach scenes are shot in Coney Island, New York.
The Jersey Shore tax credit made headlines because State Senator Joe Vitale and the Italian American ONE Voice Coalition’s moral sensibilities are offended by how Italian Americans are depicted on the show. They called for Governor Christie to veto the tax credit. Christie doesn’t have the authority to veto the tax credit. Vitale should have known that. He probably did know that and just wanted to get his name in the papers. What he did instead was generate more free publicity for the show he says offends him.
Vitale and ONE VOICE might have better luck in the courts. Earlier this week the Appeals Court set public moral sensibilities as a standard for what is legal in New Jersey. If Vitale can convince a judge that the public’s moral sensibilities are offended by Jersey Shore, maybe he can get the show shut down, or get it moved, along with all the economic activity it is generating, to Italy or New York.
Mayor Matt Doherty and Governor Chris Christie walk the Belmar boardwalk. Photo Credit: Tim Larson, Governor's Office
By Art Gallagher
Governor Christie had such a good time in Belmar today that he’s going back to the beach tomorrow to promote New Jersey’s clean beaches and water.
Christie will be making a stop in Manasquan at 2PM with remarks to the press and then head to the Boardwalk and Dupont Ave. in Seaside Heights at 3:45PM.
Christie spokesperson Michael Drewniak hasn’t responded to my email asking if there are any plans to meet or avoid the cast of Jersey Shore during the Seaside Heights visit.
