Hanlon Launches Election Education Website

Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon

FREEHOLD, NJ – On Monday, Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon launched a new voter education website to assist voters in Monmouth County with elections information.

The website, www.MonmouthCountyVotes.com, was designed in collaboration with the Monmouth County Board of Elections and the Monmouth County Superintendent of Elections to provide voters and residents of Monmouth County with an easy to use website dedicated to elections and voting assistance.

“We are very excited to provide this website to Monmouth County voters to assist them with all of their election needs and questions,” said Hanlon.  “All of the County’s election information is now available in a single location. This is really about helping voters, potential voters and candidates access the most up-to-date and important information with the click of a mouse.”

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Greg’s List: Things to do in Monmouth County this weekend, October 2-4, 2015

By Greg Kelly

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Friday, October 2

• Always … Patsy Cline at Algonquin Arts Theatre (Manasquan) – MORE INFO
• Steven Wright at Count Basie Theatre (Red Bank) – MORE INFO
• Bruce Springsteen: A Photographic Journey at Monmouth U (WLB) – MORE INFO
• Jersey Shore Ghost Tours (Red Bank) – MORE INFO
• Friends of the Howell Library Used Book Sale – MORE INFO
• Divine Right at Jersey Shore Arts Center Theater (Neptune) – MORE INFO
• August Wilson’s Seven Guitars at TRT (Red Bank) – MORE INFO
• The 39 Steps by Monmouth Players (Navesink) – MORE INFO
• Artist James Deane: A Hidden Treasure at Monmouth U (WLB) – MORE INFO

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The Arnone Report: Bi-partisan team work yields success with Shark River project

By Monmouth County Freeholder Tom Arnone

Freeholder Tom Arnone

After a very long period time and with many notable road blocks and obstacles, I, along with a great team of my colleagues, including Senator Jennifer Beck (R-11), and Neptune Committeeman Randy Bishop, am so happy to announce that the New Jersey Department of Transportation’s (NJDOT’s) Office of Maritime Resources has awarded the bid to complete the Shark River dredging project. The project’s contract was awarded to Mobile Pumping & Dredging Co., of Chester, PA.

This huge step forward is a result of years of work coordinating with the many agencies that have authority over this project. After being involved in this project for more than fifteen years as Mayor of Neptune City and now as a member of the Board of Chosen Freeholders, I am personally very happy to see this project finally begin.  I have worked with other officials throughout the years whom were also very passionate about this project, including Tom Catley, former Mayor of Neptune Township, as well as other past mayors of the surrounding towns and those in office today. The County has long continued to work cooperatively with these local officials, as well as state and government agencies to move this dredging project forward.

This is a large project, with approximately 106,000 cubic yards of material to be dredged.  With cooperation from the Monmouth County Reclamation Center, which is able to accept and reuse the dredged material, and the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders providing funding, we have made this project a reality. Not one part of the Shark River project was easy or simple, but we found a way to accomplish this.

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Shark River Dredging Contract Awarded

The New Jersey Department of Transportation’s Office of Maritime Resources has awarded the bid to complete the long awaited Shark River and Shark River Spur Dredging Project to the low bidder, Mobile Pumping & Dredging Co., of Chester, PA. MPD’s bid of $7,649,817.50 was $1.8 million lower than the next closest bidder.

The State of New Jersey will contribute over $5 million to the project. Monmouth County will contribute $1.1 million and Neptune Township has committed $450,000.  Belmar, Neptune City and Wall Township are expected to share the remaining costs of the project, according to a statement isssued by Senator Jennifer Beck,  Freeholder Tom Arnone and Neptune Township Committeeman Randy Bishop.  Beck said the project will start this year, “if all the stars align,” and will be completed by the end of 2016.

“After over two decades, there has finally been a bid awarded to dredge Shark River. Notably, The National Marine Fisheries only allows dredging work from July 1st to December 31st, so I’m happy to see this monumental step taken forward, which, if all the stars align, will allow dredging to begin this year. None of this could have been possible without the work of Freeholder Tom Arnone and Committeeman Randy Bishop, working together in a bipartisan fashion with every state, county, and local stakeholder to make this project happen. While the State is investing more than $5 million, the project couldn’t have moved forward without the assistance of Monmouth County, which is accepting the material at its landfill and helping to fund the trucking. In addition, a number of surrounding municipalities have preliminary agreed to share in the cost of the project” said Beck.

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Drought watch issued for 12 counties, 6 million people as N.J. water worries worsen

A drought watch has been issued in parts of 12 New Jersey counties, encompassing more than two-thirds of the population, after months of dry, warm weather that have driven the state’s water supply to worryingly low levels. Rainfall totals in parts of northern and central New Jersey have been just over 50 percent of average over… Read the rest of this entry »

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Tax Board Rejects Curley’s Call To Suspend Assessment Program

Prosecutor Mum On Whether He Will Investigate Anonymous Allegations

Freeholder John P. Curley

The Monmouth County Board of Taxation voted unanimously on Friday to reject Freeholder John Curley’s call that they suspend their new method of assessing values on properties in the county for property tax purposes.

Curley’s call to suspend the program came last week after he said received an anonymous letter from a group of realtors, appraisers, tax assessors and former tax assessors alleging that the program, “Tax Assessment Demonstration Program,” is not being implemented in accordance with the law that created it and implying that Matthew Clark, the Tax Board Administrator, has inappropriate dealings with the program vendors.

Curley referred the anonymous letter to Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni, declaring in his own letter to the prosecutor that it is “omnipotent (sic) that all government business be conducted with full transparency, ethical and legal standards.”   Curley also wrote Tax Board President James Stuart to request the tax assessment program be suspended while Gramiccioni investigates.  He then released the anonymous letter and his letters to Gramiccioni and Stuart to the Asbury Park Press.

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Burry and Hammond To Receive History Awards

Freeholder Lillian G. Burry

MANALAPAN, NJ – Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon is pleased to announce that Freeholder Lillian G. Burry has been selected to receive the inaugural M. Claire French Award for Leadership in Historic Preservation and Joseph W. Hammond has been selected to receive the 2015 Jane G. Clayton Award at Archives and History Day.

Both awards will be presented at Monmouth County Archives and History Day on Saturday, Oct. 3 at the Monmouth County Library Headquarters.

“Both of these recipients are very deserving of recognition,” Hanlon said. “There is no public servant more deserving of the inaugural M. Claire French award than Lillian Burry. Lillian has been an advocate, champion and enthusiast of historic preservation in Monmouth County as a citizen and throughout her entire career as a public servant and elected official.”

Freeholder Burry has made many notable contributions to historical preservation throughout her career, including heading Matawan’s Historic Preservation Program while serving on the Matawan Council, during which time the group purchased and restored the borough’s most historic 1700’s era mansion. She also founded and chairs the Colts Neck Historical Preservation Committee.

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FEMA extends deadline for Sandy homeowners

WASHINGTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency agreed Tuesday to give Hurricane Sandy homeowners an extra 30 days to ask the government to review their damage claims. FEMA agreed to the last-minute extension just hours before the original deadline. The agency initially agreed to review all claims submitted by homeowners in response to allegations that insurers… Read the rest of this entry »

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Former Asbury Park Mayor Considering Gubernatorial Run

Ed Johnson photo via facebook

Former Asbury Park Mayor Ed Johnson is “seriously thinking about” running for governor in 2017, according to a report on PolitickerNJ.

“I know a little about raising cities from the dead, and I know about staring down Hurricane Sandy,” said Johnson, who runs his own private consulting firm. “There are no greater troubled waters than our state right now. Whether it’s Democratic or Republican it just keeps going.Everything I’ve done, people said ‘you can’t do that,’ and we did it. People now say the state is too far gone, too broken, it can’t be fixed. I think it can be. I’m not saying I’ve made a final decision. It would be a wildcat, barn-burner election, no question, but the people must regain control of this state.”

Johnson stared down Hurricane Sandy by hosting New Jersey Democratic leaders at a pre-election rally on October 28, 2012.    Senator Bob Menendez, Cory Booker, then mayor of Newark, former Governor Dick Codey, Congressman Frank Pallone and state Senator Barbara Buono joined Johnson and Monmouth Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal in a rally for Menendez and President Obama while the rest of New Jersey was preparing for the worst and  praying to be spared by the troubled waters of Sandy.

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The Arnone Report: Locals’ summer follows a great season, Hire locally for county work

By Thomas A. Arnone, Monmouth County Freeholder

Freeholder Tom Arone

I can’t believe I am saying this, but summer has slipped away before our eyes. While the calendar does not officially declare autumn until September 23, the unofficial end of the season is Labor Day, when our beaches officially close, lifeguard towers are put away and the school doors open.  As most of us locals know, some of the best beach and park days are still ahead of us, as September and October provide us with the perfect weather to continue to enjoy these gems we are lucky enough to call home.

The 2015 summer tourism season went extremely well, as we were blessed with great weather – modest temperatures and very little rain; in addition both the Memorial Day and Labor Day holidays provided us with an extra two weeks of the season.

I am extremely happy to hear that most beach towns are providing initial reports that badge sales were up over last year, with some reporting the 2015 season as a record year.  Asbury Park has already reported that beach badge sales were up 21% over last year and Belmar has already exceeded their final total number from 2014. Spring Lake officials have reported that beaches have been crowded all season and the shops on 3^rd Avenue are doing record business.  Long Branch not only reported record crowds at Ocean Fest, but has continued to experience a packed beach and boardwalk all summer, with all Pier Village shops and restaurants doing very well.

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