Has high praise for Congressmen Chris Smith and Rush Holt.
Angry with Congressman Pallone and JCP&L
Middletown Mayor Tony Fiore has set up a charitable fund to assist residents of the storm battered bayshore sections of the township. The Middletown Disaster Relief Fund is accepting tax deductible donations to help residents of Leonardo, Belford, Port Monmouth and North Middletown.
Donations can be sent to:
Middletown Disaster Relief Fund
c/o Mayor’s Office
1 Kings Highway
Middletown, NJ 07748
Praise for Smith and Holt
“Congressman Chris Smith has been an absolute godsend, he’s the hero of the bayshore,” Fiore exclaimed during an interview on Friday. “The north side of the township is a disaster area. Smith was here for hours. He’s getting us added security and federal assistance. That part of town is not even in his district.”
“Rush Holt has been great. Middletown is not part of his district anymore, yet he called and offered his help for which I am very grateful.”
Where’s Frank?
Fiore is not happy with Congressman Frank Pallone.
“I haven’t heard from him since August of 2011. Someone should tell him that his constituents on the bayshore are hurting. He’s off surveying a fishing pier in Middlesex County that no one fishes from and that is far from where anyone lives.” Fiore said that a “low level staffer” from Pallone’s office called his Mayor’s office. The mayor’s assistant called back and asked that the congressman call the mayor directly on his cell. Fiore said he hasn’t heard from him.
“JCPL was better after Irene”
“I’m tired of hearing about how this is the worst storm ever and how they’ve never encountered anything like this. Take the excuses back to Ohio,” a frustrated Fiore said of electric utility JCPL, a subsidiary of Ohio based First Energy Corp.
“PSE&G and Atantic City Electric are restoring power much faster than JCP&L is, I’m really tired of the excuses. They should have been better prepared.”
Fiore was highly critical of the utility during and after the August 2011 Hurricane Irene. His frustrations with them are worse this time.
“They are avoiding being held accountable, said the mayor ,”during Irene they gave me frequent updates and promises with which I could keep Middletown residents informed. Now they are informing directly with the public. There is no elected official holding them to account. My government affairs representative is doing as well as he can, but he and I can get the same information from the company’s web site.”
It seems better than soliciting votes at a cemetery, but it is still illegal.
Linda Baum, the Democratic candidate for Middletown Township Committee was asked told to leave Middletown High School South on Tuesday. Baum was greeting students on their way into school. When school started she entered the building and asked the administration to announce her presence over the intercom and have students come to meet her.
This was not Baum’s first attempt at seeking ineligible voters. Over the summer she campaigned at the River Plaza Elementary School.
Baum did not return MMM’s calls seeking comment. She is challenging Deputy Mayor Steve Massell for a three year term on the committee.
Joe Caliendo is stepping down as chairman of the Middletown Democratic Party after 25 years. He will continue to serve on the County Committee and as Sergeant-At-Arms of the county organization.
Caliendo was reelected as the Middletown Democratic leader on June 5. He was an instrumental supporter of Vin Gopal’s landslide victory as Monmouth County Democratic Chairman. His resignation is effective upon the election of a new Chair.
The Democrat’s Executive Committee will hold a special election on July 18th.
Don Watson
Port Monmouth resident Don Watson, President of the Democratic Social Club and Sergeant-At-Arms of the local committee has announced his candidacy. Watson will likely be the only candidate.
Former School Board Member Lenny Inzerillo, a past candidate for Assembly, Freeholder and State Senate, told MMM that he had been approached to run for Chairman but was not likely to run. “Why rock the boat?” Inzerillo said.
Former Township Committee Member Sean Byrnes said Watson “is a hard worker and will probably do a good job.”
A “major infrastructure failure” at the Swimming River Water Treatment Plant in the Lincroft section of Middletown has shut the water off for 3,000 Holmdel residences and closed Brookdale Community College until further notice.
Holmdel-Hazlet Patch was the first to report the story, scooping the Asbury Park Press pay site by an hour.
A statement from New Jersey American Water Company that was emailed by the Borough of Tinton Falls to its residents and forwarded to MMM by a reader states that the failure includes the loss of two transmission mains leaving the plant and well as the raw water main coming into the plant. New Jersey American Water customers in Monmouth County may be experiencing low water pressure or no pressure at this time.
Photo credit: lostcreekquarnberg blog
Residents of Middletown, Holmdel, Aberdeen, Highlands, Seabright, Rumson, Fair Haven, Little Silver, Oceanport, Shrewsbury Township and Borough, Tinton Falls and Long Branch are requested to limit all non-essential water use while NJAW works to restore service.
Save water, shower with friends.
UPDATE 4:32
Middletown Township sent out an automated phone call at 4:30 to residents and businesses announcing that all outdoor water usage is restricted.
Usually we leave the posting of video from the Middletown Township Committee meetings to MiddletownMike or the Middletown Democrats.
This week we received several phone calls about Township Committee candidate Linda Baum’s remarks to the Committee. Since Mike hasn’t posted the video yet, we ran over to Town Hall and requested an audio of the meeting to hear what all the fuss was about.
Baum and Deputy Mayor Steve Massel face off in the November election for a three year term on Middletown’s governing body.
Moody’s Investors Services downgraded Aberdeen’s $14.9 million in general obligation debt to A1 from Aa3, citing the Township’s seven year trend of balancing its budget by drawing down reserves and relying on one shot gimmicks.
The Township’s cash reserves were down to only $61,392 at the end of 2011.
Moody’s Investors Services has affirmed its AA2 rating on Middletown Township’s $67 million general obligation bonds.
In a statement issued on Friday, March 23, the rating agency said,
“The Aa2 rating reflects the township’s sizable tax base, low debt profile, and sufficient liquidity and reserve levels. The affirmation also considers the township’s narrow fund balance of $2.14 million (or 3.5% of revenues) in fiscal 2010. The primary driver of the $3.70 million fund balance drawdown was due to an influx of negative tax appeal judgments following the 2009 revaluation, which resulted in $1.3 million impact on fund balance. Additionally, decreased state aid and increased health care and retroactive labor salary expenditures further pressured operations. However, in fiscal 2011, new management responsively conducted a reassessment of assessed valuation and reduced the budget by 5.8%. The unaudited year-end fund balance for fiscal 2011 is estimated to be $5.87 million (or roughly 9.2% of revenues). Moody’s expects the township to improve and maintain liquidity and Current Fund balance to reported unaudited figures. Inability to achieve such levels, will result in negative rating credit pressure.”
Moody’s recognised the Township’s prudent management, low debt level with rapid amortization and sizeable tax base with high levels of resident income.
Mayor Tony Fiore said that he was very pleased by the rating agency’s opinion. “At a time when many municipalities, including some of our neighbors, are seeing their credit ratings reduced, I am pleased that Moody’s recognised the prudent decisions that our administration has implemented during these most challenging economic times.”
Randall Gabrielan’s tenure as president and trustee of the Middletown Library is over.
Gabrielan submitted his resignation to Mayor Tony Fiore this morning, almost three weeks after Fiore asked him to step down. Fiore asked for the resignation on January 25 upon discovering that Gabrielan, an author of history books about local area towns, had been signing purchase orders as an officer of the library for sales of his own books.
“In his letter of resignation Gabrielan admitted that he was wrong and that he understood my position in asking for his resignation,” said Fiore, “I appreciate that he did the right thing for the Middletown Library and taxpayers by stepping down. I also appreciate his many years of service to the library.”
Gabrielan, who earns $36,000 per year as the Executive Director of the Monmouth County Historical Commission, could not be reached for comment.
