Deputy Mayor Tony Fiore will not seek a 5th consecutive term on the Middletown Township Committee.
In a February 29 email to Middletown’s Republican leadership, Fiore said, “My recent expanded responsibilities at work (which include many nights of travel) coupled with my most important responsibilities as a husband and father, will make it impossible for me to continue to serve the Committee the only way I know how, at 110%.”
“The Township is in better shape than it was when I came into office 12 years ago,” Fiore said in a phone interview. “That’s what I’m most proud of.”
First elected in 2008 in the wake of Operation Bid Rig, the investigation by Chris Christie’s U.S. Attorney’s Office that resulted in the indictment and convictions of many Monmouth County elected officials including a Middletown Township Committee member, Fiore has been the driving force in reforming Middletown’s municipal government.
In the final segment of our interview with Tony Fiore and Stephanie Murray, the Middletown Township Committee members speak about what they have accomplished for their community and their plans for the next three years if reelected.
In this second segment of Art Gallagher’s interview with Middletown Township Committee members Tony Fiore and Steph Murray we learn about Murray’s background, education, family and her new career. Towards the end of the segment, the Deputy Mayor talks about the publicized financial issues she and her family have been through and how they handled being in The Asbury Park Press’s spotlight over that personal matter. Read the rest of this entry »
On March 29th, thousands of residents and local elected officials from Monmouth County will converge upon the Collins Arena at Brookdale to speak against the proposed Monmouth County Reliability Project as proposed by First Energy and its subsidiary JCP&L. This additional hearing called for by Office of Administrative Law Judge Gail Cookson, follows a meeting held on January 25th at Middletown High School North where thousands attended and many were turned away. As an elected official in Middletown who will not have the opportunity to speak at this meeting per the Judge’s request, I will not remain silent with the question I would have asked Judge Cookson: What’s the point of this hearing?
Tony Fiore, a Monmouth GOP Vice Chairman and a Middletown Township Committeeman announced his endorsement of Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon to replace Senator Joe Kyrillos in the State Senate next year.
“As a Republican elected official in the largest municipality in the 13th legislative district, the upcoming retirement of Middletown’s Senator Joe Kyrillos is vitally important to us,” Fiore said. “For the past 28 years we have been extremely fortunate to have Senator Kyrillos representing our district as an advocate for residents and taxpayers of our district and the entire state. His leadership and advocacy on behalf of our township and our district will be sorely missed. The next Senator from the 13th must continue to fight for us in Trenton while working with our local leaders to help keep our local municipalities and county under fiscally conservative Republican control.
The recent filing of the proposed JCP&L Monmouth County Reliability Project should serve as a wake-up call to all taxpayers in the state of New Jersey. The proposed 10 mile project with upwards of 200 foot monopoles to be installed on New Jersey Transit right-of way, will have a negative impact on the property values of all adjoining properties and potentially, properties within the line of site. The impact alone in Middletown could be upwards of $1.5 million in lost value. However, don’t despair taxpayers of Middletown, Holmdel, Hazlet, Aberdeen and Red Bank, according to their BPU filing, JCP&L will be making a $9.8 million payment towards the local municipalities through Energy Receipts taxes.
Congressman Chris Smith, center, meet with Middletown Administrator Anthony Mercantante, Public Works Director Ted Maloney, Mayor Stephanie Murray and Committeeman Tony Fiore (right) in the Township’s new Emergency Command Center on the 2nd Anniversary of Superstorm Sandy.
Congressman Chris Smith visited Howell and Middletown Townships on the second anniversary of Superstorm Sandy to assess the progress of recovery and determine remaining needs to be fought for in Washington.
Smith joined Mayor Bill Gato and Deputy Mayor Rob Nicastro at the Mariners Cover community along the Manasasquan River to the the sites of four demolished homes that had been damaged by Sandy and Hurricane Irene in 2011, and one remaining home that is slated for demolition. The homes were purchased by the township with state and federal funding.Disney Princess Chambre de rebond
In Middletown, Smith joined Mayor Stephanie Murray, Committeeman Tony Fiore, Administrator Anthony Mercantante and Public Works Director Ted Maloney in the Township’s Emergency Command Center from where Fiore directed the rescue and recovery efforts two years earlier in the aftermath of the storm, before touring three sites in the Township still in need of federal support. While in the command center Smith recalled that NBC’s Andrea Mitchell showed up and asked to interview him. “I told her to interview Fiore because he was the one doing the work. She refused, so I spent the interview talking about him and the amazing work he was doing protecting the lives and property of his community.” Fiore was Mayor during the recoveries of Hurricanes Irene in 2011 and Sandy in 2012.
R. Craig Weber was sworn in as the 8th Chief to lead the Middletown Township Police Department over its 86 year history last evening before an overflow crowd at Town Hall.
Mayor Stephanie C. Murray administered the Oath of Office as Weber’s family stood beside him.
During his remarks, Weber acknowledged the support and friendship of his Deputy Chiefs and all the members of the department. He welcomed the Chiefs of several area municipalities and law enforcement leaders from County, State and Federal law enforcement agencies. Weber said that under his leadership there would be an increased level of cooperation with other agencies.
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino was in custody for over 2 hours on simple assault charges
Fiore wants the Monmouth County Prosecutor to investigate
Middletown Committeeman Gerry Scharfenberger cuts the ribbon at Sorrentino’s tanning salon last March. photo via facebook
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino was arrested in Middletown this afternoon after Township Police broke up a fight between the reality TV star schmuck and his brother Frank.
Detective Lt. Steve Dollinger told MMM that a call came into to the Middletown PD shortly after 2PM reporting a fight at the tanning salon owned by Sorrentino. The actor was arrested, charged with simple assault and released on $500 bail at around 5:15. Dollinger declined to comment further, but other sources told MMM that Frank Sorrentino had a black eye and that Mike’s hand was bandaged as a result of the fisticuffs.
The story of Sorrentino’s arrest was first reported by TMZ, the entertainment gossip website. Last week TMZ, which is located in Marina del Rey, California, broke the story that employees of the tanning salon filed complaints with the Middletown Police that their $100-$200 paychecks had bounced.
Citing the shortage of federal and state funds available to assist Superstorm Sandy impacted homeowners in rebuilding their homes, the Middletown Township Committtee this week joined Marlboro Mayor Jonathan Hornik and Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon in calling on the state legislature and Governor Chris Christie to put the more than $100 million in Affordable Housing Funds that are sitting dormant to work.
With a unanimous 5-0 vote, the committee passed a resolution on Monday, April 21, calling for legislation that would reinstate Regional Contribution Agreements (RCAs) “for the limited purpose of getting victims of Superstorm Sandy back in their homes during this time of need.”
RCAs were created in the original 1985 Fair Housing Act whereby towns with funds raised from developer fees or through bonding could transfer up to half of those funds to another community for the purpose of building affordable housing as required by the New Jersey Supreme Court’s Mt. Laurel decision.
