By Art Gallagher
Alex Desevo officially resigned his candidacy for Middletown Township Committee this afternoon, less than 8 hours after MMM reported that he was still a candidate despite press reports to the contrary.
According to The Asbury Park Press Middletown Democratic Chairman Joe Caliendo faxed Desevo’s resignation letter to Monmouth County Clerk of Elections Bertha Sumick at 3:30 this afternoon.
Caliendo told the APP that the Democrats have three volunteers to choose from to replace Desevo and that a decision will be made on Thursday evening.
Posted: June 29th, 2011 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Middletown | Tags: Alex DeSevo, Middletown Democrats | Comments Off on Desevo Resigns
By Art Gallagher
The headline in the Asbury Park Press print edition said “Candidate Quits” but as of yesterday afternoon, Alex Desevo was still a Democratic candidate for Middletown Township Committee, 10 days after his arrest for possession of crack cocaine at the Holmdel Motor Inn.
Bertha Sumick, Monmouth County Clerk of Elections, said she has not received a letter of resignation from Desevo.
Desevo might have been able to save his family the embarrassment of his troubles being front page news had he resigned his candidacy as soon as possible…like the Monday morning after his arrest. However, judging by the reaction of Middletown Mike, the Middletown Democrats didn’t learn of Desevo’s situation until after the APP published the details.
This could be great for business. The longer Desevo drags this out in a Weineresque style, the more traffic and silly comments from Middletown Democrats this site will get.
Maybe Anna Little will launch a DESEVO MUST RESIGN ad campaign.
Word on the street is that Desevo was always intended only to be a “place holder” candidate, while Middletown Democratic Chairman Joe Caliendo searched the township for “a candidate who can really represent Middletown well.”
Caliendo’s problem is that all of the people who represent Middletown well are Republicans.
Just to be neighborly (and to demonstrate to awesome reach of MMM) I’d like to help Caliendo out. Any Democrat who wants to run for Township Committee, should contact Joe Caliendo at [email protected]. Hey Joe, even Mike didn’t do that for you! No charge this time.
Posted: June 29th, 2011 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Middletown | Tags: Alex DeSevo, Joe Caliendo, Middletown Democrats | 9 Comments »
By Art Gallagher
Leaders of the Middletown Democratic Party met last night to select a new running mate for Jim Grenafege on the ticket for Township Committee, according to a report in the Asbury Park Press.
Even though the Dems have 92 members of their party committee, including Grenafege, there was no announcement of who will replace Alex Desevo on the ballot. The APP article indicates that it could take the Dems until September to select a candidate.
Municipal party chairman Joe Caliendo said, “We believe we have a good chance of winning this November, so we want to find a candidate who can really represent Middletown well,” according to the APP.
Posted: June 28th, 2011 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Middletown | Tags: Middletown Democrats | 2 Comments »
By Art Gallagher
I was in Maryland on business this afternoon when I received the news of Alex Desevo’s arrest. Someone was calling me with a scoop. Word of the arrest had made it to the holmdel-patch police blotter and the sordid details were leaking out.
My first reaction was sadness. A member of my community, someone I know by name and who knows me by name, was in the middle of a personal, family and career crisis that was about to become very public and very humiliating.
That Desevo is “on the other side” didn’t even occur to me until my friend who called with the scoop said, “do you know what they would be doing it if was one of us? They made stuff up about our guys and called their employers trying to get them fired.”
“True, but we’re not like that,” I said. The truth is some of us are like that.
Within an hour I was receiving more calls. The APP had the story. Desevo’s professional head shot was on the front page of the paper’s website. The APP beat me to the sordid details and salacious implications that I wasn’t relishing reporting.
Desevo was not the only Middletown resident charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance by the Holmdel police on June 18. He was the only one who became front page news. That is part of the price one pays when you’re a proverbial big fish in a small pond.
Sometimes, especially on a local level, I think it is appropriate to relate to each other and to both good news and bad news not as us and they but as we.
There is no point piling onto Desevo. He won’t be a candidate much longer. His arrest should not be a campaign issue, assuming he resigns his candidacy. He needs to get help and do some serious work on himself. His career is likely in shambles. His family must be under a lot of stress.
Desevo’s problems are not Democratic problems or Republican problems. They are human problems.
Desevo does not deserve our sympathy, as he brought this upon himself. Nor is his plight a cause for celebration or scorn. Concern is appropriate. Holding to account is appropriate. Support of his recovery is appropriate.
Posted: June 24th, 2011 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Middletown | Tags: Alex DeSevo, Middletown | 23 Comments »
Funding Measure Now Heads to Full Senate
Middletown—Senator Joe Kyrillos, co-prime sponsor of legislation establishing New Jersey’s landmark Environmental Infrastructure Trust (EIT), is pleased to announce that special financing for the cleanup of Middletown’s Shadow Lake has cleared the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee today:
“It has been a very long fight for the residents of this community,” said Kyrillos. “I am thrilled that the financing for this project is finally nearing approval. The Environmental Infrastructure Trust was established for just this purpose- to restore contaminated natural treasures and improve the environmental quality of our communities.”
If approved by the Legislature, the bill appropriates $2.7 million in low interest financing for the Township of Middletown to dredge the Shadow Lake in order to remove contaminated sediments at the bottom of the lake. The dredge spoils will be transported to a properly licensed facility off site.
“Thanks to the efforts of Senator Kyrillos the residents of the communities surrounding Shadow Lake can rest easier knowing that a project more than a decade in the making is nearing reality,” said Middletown Mayor Tony Fiore. “In addition to the Senator’s efforts in helping secure financing for this project, he has assisted the Township with the NJDEP to find a qualified site outside of Middletown for disposal of the dredge spoils.”
The legislation now heads to the full Senate for consideration.
Posted: June 16th, 2011 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Joe Kyrillos, Middletown, Tony Fiore | Tags: Joe Kyrillos, Middletown, Press Release, Shadow Lake, Tony Fiore | Comments Off on Shadow Lake Cleanup Clears Budget Committee
By Art Gallagher
The Middletown Township Committee came to an agreement with the Superior Officers Association that prevents the demotion of four officers, which saves the jobs of four patrolman.
The SOA agreed to pay the greater of 1.5% of their salaries or 25% of the premium of their current PPO health insurance plan or to switch to the Township’s HMO plan and contribute 1.5% of their salaries to those premiums.
The SOA will receive raises for 2011 of 1.5% in October, with no retroactive pay, and 2% per year for 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Mayor Tony Fiore said he is hopeful that the Township will settle with the PBA at their meeting tonight, and thereby save the jobs of 6 additional officers. Fiore said that the PBA’s representative informed the committee that the union voted to accept the township’s proposal, the details of which are not yet public, over the weekend. Pending review today of the documents submitted by the PBA, it appears that police layoffs have been avoided in Middletown.
Posted: May 2nd, 2011 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Middletown | Tags: layoffs, Middletown, Police | 6 Comments »
Middletown Deputy Mayor Pamela Brightbill will not be seeking a third term on the Township Committee, according to a statement released by the Middletown GOP today.
Zoning Board Member and Housing Authority Commissioner Stephanie Murray will be Mayor Tony Fiore’s running mate. Fiore is seeking his second term on the Township Committee. The candidates filed their nominating petitions today.
“While my commitment to public service is no less no than it was six years ago, I feel that it is the right time to pass the baton to another active member of our community, which is why I am pleased to support Stephanie Murray for Township Committee,” said Brightbill. “I know Stephanie will make and excellent addition to the Committee and help preserve the quality of life we all enjoy in Middletown.”
In addition to serving as a member of the Zoning Board and Housing Authority, Murray has also served as a member of the Township’s Parks and Recreation and Open Space Committees. She is the founder of the community group known as “Middletown Mornings” which is an open forum for residents to meet with their local public officials. Murray holds a B.A. from Fordham University and runs a small publishing company.
Fiore said of Murray, ” I know Stephanie Murray will serve the taxpayers of Middletown well based on her record of service on the Zoning Board and as a Commissioner on the Housing Authority. Stephanie is not only a tireless member of our community, but also a dedicated wife and mother to three children whose family has lived in Middletown for 10 years.”
Posted: April 11th, 2011 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Middletown | Tags: Middletown, Pamela Brightbill, Stephanie Murray, Tony Fiore | 6 Comments »
By Art Gallagher
Jim Grenefage and Alex DeSevo have filed petitions for run for Middletown Township Committee as Democrats.
Grenefage ran unsuccessfully in 2008 and ran for Assembly in 2009. DeSevo ran for Assembly in 1999 and for Township Committee in 2003.
Posted: April 9th, 2011 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Middletown | Tags: Alex DeSevo, Jim Grenefage, Middletown Township Committee | 4 Comments »
Conforms With 2% Cap Levy Law Absent Needed Tool Kit Reforms
MIDDLETOWN – The Middletown Township Committee anticipates introducing its 2011 municipal budget that is $3.87 million (5.9%) less than the Township’s 2010 budget.
“Middletown’s proposed municipal budget is very austere and in full conformance with the new 2% cap levy law despite the Legislature’s continued failure to enact the Governor’s tool kit reforms that would empower the Township to make further cuts,” said Middletown Mayor Tony Fiore. “We are hopeful to continue to rein in spending through ongoing negotiations with the Township’s collective bargaining units with a focus on decreasing the Township’s health care costs.”
“Cuts in the proposed budget include the layoffs of 26 employees, including 10 police officers, and the third consecutive year of salary freezes for the Township’s managerial employees,” continued Fiore. “Middletown will continue to focus on core governmental functions while seeking other ways to continue to reduce costs though interlocal agreements and the Township’s solar initiative that is currently under way.”
Proposed Budget Data and Facts
· The proposed 2011 municipal budget is $61,114,285 compared to the adopted 2010 budget that was $64,979,576.
· The proposed budget represents an actual decrease in spending of $3,865,291 (5.9%) from the 2010 budget.
· The largest cost drivers offsetting the Township’s $3.87 million in budget cuts are tax appeal refunds, State-mandated pension contribution increases of 22%, and costs associated with deferred charges due to numerous retirements last year.
· The proposed 2011 budget anticipates an increase in the total tax levy of $1,357,855 which complies with the new 2% cap levy law and will cost the average Middletown homeowner approximately $5 per month.
· The municipal budget makes up only approximately 22% of the average property tax bill, the remaining portion relates to the school and county tax levies.
Posted: April 4th, 2011 | Author: admin | Filed under: Middletown, Property Tax Tool Kit, Tool Kit | Tags: Middletown, Press Release, Tony Fiore | 14 Comments »
By Nicole Gough
Middletown, March 21- Mayor Anthony Fiore announced that the township committee will introduce a budget that complies with the 2% property tax cap. He thanked the library board for contributing $500 thousand to the township budget.
Fiore stated on Monday that there would be a budget proposed at the April 4th meeting despite concerns over the extensive paperwork involved in the $500 thousand from the Middletown Library surplus.
Fiore expressed gratitude toward the library board, saying that he was grateful that “reasonable minds came together” in terms of returning 1/2 million dollars of a $1.2 million surplus. Fiore also acknowledged that this type of occurrence is not unique to Middletown. Fiore noted that the township has been under stress in regards to the budget, and the money from the surplus would relieve some of that stress.
“The library still has a good surplus,” he said.
In response to concerns over whether the .5 million would be included in the April 4 budget, Fiore said that papers were already being prepared in order to maintain expediency.
“We will propose a budget on April 4 that will be in full compliance with the 2% property tax cap,” said Fiore.
Committeeman Gerry Scharfenberger urged citizens to support the governor’s toolkits, stating that “they will give us the tools we need to operate more efficiently.”
In response to Scharfenberger, Fiore said the toolkits “make sense for us,” as they “provide mayors like myself the opportunity to do more with our budget.”
Even without the toolkit, Fiore was confident that the budget would move forward.
“We will provide a budget without a toolkit,” he said. “We will move forward, as difficult as it is.”
The Township Committee also addressed concerns regarding the paving project initially included in the library surplus. Because of the returned portion of the surplus, the project would need to be put on hold.
Committeeman Kevin Settembrino, who spoke about parking bundling at a library board meeting, responded, saying the project could continue next year if the board had the money, and “they won’t have to incur interest charges.”
Apart from the library initiative and budget legislation, the meeting also focused on promoting volunteer groups and the Live Where You Work program, which rewards citizens who live and work in Middletown and meet certain income requirements. Committeeman Steve Massell encouraged citizens to advocate the program and inform others whom they thought might qualify.
Fiore commented on the solar initiative, noting that it will be expanded to include both the library and the sewer authority. Fiore said Middletown would not only be the greenest town, but “also the one to generate more bang for buck for our taxpayers.”
Fiore also read a proclamation recognizing March as Developmental Disabilities Month and highlighting the contributions of the Arc of Monmouth.
Posted: March 22nd, 2011 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Middletown | Tags: Gerry Scharfenberger, Middletown, Tony Fiore | 16 Comments »