Greg’s List: Things to Do in Monmouth County This Weekend, February 16-18, 2018

By Greg Kelly

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Friday, February 16

• Bye Bye Birdie at Spring Lake Community House – MORE INFO
• When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet at BCC (Lincroft) – MORE INFO
• Lovers & Other Strangers by Center Players (Freehold) – MORE INFO
• Hot Latin Nights with the Mambo Kings at Count Basie Theatre (Red Bank) – MORE INFO
• Free Tax-Aide Program (Shrewsbury, Wall Twp.) – MORE INFO
• Rare Wildlife Revealed Art Exhibit at Monmouth U. (WLB) – MORE INFO
• Simulcast Racing at Monmouth Park (Oceanport) – MORE INFO

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Murphy fires Scharfenberger for skipping his press conference

Freeholder Gerry Scharfenberger takes the Oath of Office on Feb 3.

Republican Freeholder Gerry Scharfenberger was fired from his job in the Murphy administration this afternoon. PoliticsDW broke the story.

“I paid the price for not attending the press conference,” Scharfenberger said when reached by MMM.  The freeholder was referring to Governor Murphy’s event in Marlboro last week to promote his scheme to convert property taxes into charitable donations as workaround to the new federal tax law which caps the deduction for state and local taxes at $10,000.  Murphy claimed bi-partisan support for the scheme, but only five Democrat mayors from Monmouth County showed up to support the governor.

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Arnone Report: Freeholders continuing to cut budget

By Monmouth County Freeholder Director Tom Arnone

Freeholder Director Tom Arnone speaks at the NJTPA Board Meeting – Jan 22, 2018

I hope everyone is doing well! Despite the Groundhog’s prediction, we are only a few weeks away from the start of spring and warmer weather.

I would like to briefly discuss the budget my colleagues and I on the Board of Chosen Freeholders introduced during our meeting on February 8^th.

As it currently stands, County taxes would increase by only 1 percent. However, I cannot stress enough that this budget is still a working draft with the opportunity, rather the goal, to make additional cuts to keep the tax levy as flat as possible. If the budget stayed the same and was adopted as-is, this would be the first slight tax increase in seven years while continuing to keep the great services and infrastructure improvements throughout the County.

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Pezzullo Says He Will Support Hugin For U.S. Senate

Bob Hugin and Rich Pezzullo

Rich Pezzullo declared that he would suspend his candidacy for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate if Bob Hugin, the recently retired Executive Chairman of Celgene Corporation becomes a candidate.

Speaking to several hundred Monmouth County Republicans at the annual Lincoln Day Dinner, Pezzullo, of Freehold, said, ” I actually like the guy and trust him to advance our agenda vigorously and fearlessly. I encourage him to quit waffling and get into the race.” Read the rest of this entry »

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Oceanport Man Charged With Distributing Child Pornography

Kevin A. Long, 27, of Wolfhill Avenue in Oceanport, iwas charged with second degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child in connection with the Distribution of Child Pornography and third degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child in connection with the Possession of Child Pornography, according to an announcement by Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Long was arrested following a joint investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and federal Homeland Security Investigations. Evidence collected during the investigation suggests Long may have been engaging in inappropriate conversations with children online. Read the rest of this entry »

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Murphy claims bi-partisan support for property tax/charity scheme. Republicans disagree, call for NJ reforms

Marlboro, NJ-With Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty looking like Chris Christie standing behind Donald Trump on Super Tuesday — and four other Democrat mayors standing behind him, Governor Phil Murphy today declared he had bi-partisan support for his plan to have the state’s municipalities set up charities to accept donations in lieu of property taxes.  Murphy said that the recent income tax reform passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump is a tax increase on New Jersey’s middle class.   The scheme he is proposing would, if allowed by the IRS, reverse the impact of the tax reform law’s $10,000 cap on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction.

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Fulton being vetted for top MVC job

Doherty said to have failed the background check for the job

Brenda “Sue” Fulton is being vetted to be Governor Phil Murphy’s MVC Chief

Brenda “Sue” Fulton of Asbury Park is Governor Murphy’s current choice to become Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, according to a source who told MMM that the West Point graduate has consented to four way background check.

Fulton’s 2016 running mate for Monmouth County Freeholder, Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty, said he “respectfully declined” the Governor’s offer to lead MVC at a Borough Council meeting on Monday night.

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Governor Murphy to hold press conference in Marlboro on Friday morning

Gov Phil Murphy and Marlboro Mayor Jon Hornik

Governor Phil Murphy will be in Marlboro Township on Friday for a press conference about his scheme to allow property tax payments to be classified as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.

The tax reform law passed by Congress and signed by President Trump last December limited the deduction for state and local taxes to $10,000.  All members of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation, with the exception of Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-NJ3) voted against the measure.

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Winning Jersey Cash 5 ticket sold in Port Monmouth

A patron of the Wilson Ave Deli in the Port Monmouth section of Middletown won $192,167 on Wednesday by hitting the winning numbers of the NJ Lottery’s daily Jersey Cash 5 game.

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What’s the difference between sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment and rape?

Disgraced Freeholder John Curley was Censured and Reprimanded for sexual harassment.

By Sarah L. Cook, Professor & Associate Dean, Georgia State University, Lilia M. Cortina, Professor of Psychology, Women’s Studies, and Management & Organizations, University of Michigan, and Mary P. Koss, Regents’ Professor of Public Health, University of Arizona. The terms “sexual abuse,” “sexual assault,” “sexual harassment” – and even “rape” – crop up daily in the… Read the rest of this entry »

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