Torchia promoted to Captain of Ocean Township Police Department

Timothy R. Torchia  has been promoted to the rank of Captain of the Ocean Township Police Department, Police Chief Steven R. Peters announced this afternoon.

Captain Torchia started his career as police officer in February of 1996 for the Borough of Deal and was hired by the Township of Ocean in May of 1998. During his career Torchia has been assigned to the Patrol Bureau, the Criminal Investigation Bureau and Administration. Recently, he served as the department’s public information officer.

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Oceanport Man Gets 6 Years For Child Porn

Kevin Long, 28, of Wolfhill Avenue in Oceanport, was sentenced to six years in state prison for distributing photos and video which depicted child sexual abuse, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Superior Court Judge Richard W. English imposed the sentence on Friday, January 4, 2019.  Long pleaded guilty to one count of second degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child involving the Distribution of Child Pornography on October 22, 2018. Read the rest of this entry »

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Arnone Report: Happy New Year!

By Freeholder Director Tom Arnone

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great holiday season spent with friends and family.

It’s hard to believe it is already January, but here we are. Thankfully we’ve lucked out so far with no major snowstorms impacting our area. However, as I have noted before, the Monmouth County Department of Public Works and Engineering has been preparing for inclement weather for months and is ready to serve at a moment’s notice.

I would like to discuss the county’s annual reorganization meeting that was held last Thursday afternoon. I can’t mention this meeting without first thanking the students in the singing group Stardust from Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School in Freehold Township. After hearing them sing at an event last fall, I asked if they would like to perform the National Anthem at our reorganization meeting. I can speak for the entire Freeholder Board when I say what a terrific job they did!

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Middletown Has An Outbreak Of Cooperation

Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden issues the Oath of Office to Middletown Mayor Tony Perry while Allannah Perry holds the Bible. Jan 6, 2019

A simmering political and legal battle between the Middletown Board of Education and the Middletown Township Committee was extinguished on Sunday morning when both boards tabled conflicting resolutions regarding the date of the annual Board of Education elections.

The Township Committee had a resolution on its agenda to move school elections to April.  The BoE scheduled a Special Meeting to pass a resolution to keep their elections on the annual general election ballot in November.

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Neptune City Democrats Schedule Special Meeting To End Local Government Shutdown

Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling, Neptune City Council President Pamela Renee and Renne’s family celebrate the Renee’s Oath of Office before the shutdown. January 1, 2019.  Photo via Neptune City Democrat’s facebook page

The Borough of Neptune City Council has scheduled a Special Meeting for Monday, January 7 at 7 p.m. to reverse a major snafu by the new Democrat controlled council.

Neptune City Democrats got off to an inauspicious start when they took control of the borough’s governing body for the first time in four decades on New Year’s Day.

Senator Vin Gopal issued the Oath of Office to new Councilman David Calhoun and Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling witnessed Councilwoman Pamela Renee oath to perform the Office of Council President to the best of her ability.  The Democrats then effectively shutdown Neptune City’s government by voting not to pay the borough’s bills, including payroll.

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Republicans Take Control In Belmar

Freeholder Sue Kiley, Belmar Council Members Tom Carvelli, Jim McCracken and Patricia Wann, Mayor Mark Walsifer, Sheriff Shaun Golden, Freeholder Director Tom Arnone and Freeholder Gerry Scharfenberger celebrate Republican government in Belmar, Jan 5,2019 at the Belmar Fishing Club

The Borough of Belmar has a Republican mayor and a majority Republican Council for the first time since the town’s residents voted in the current form of government in 1990.

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Moving School Elections Back to April is in the Best Interest of Parents, Students and Taxpayers

By Tony Fiore, Deputy Mayor, Middletown, NJ

Middletown Deputy Mayor Tony Fiore

In 2012, the Middletown Township Committee voted on a resolution to be a part of what was an initial pilot program to move the local Board of Education Election from April to November.  The benefit of entering that program was that election costs could be saved for the Township while school budgets would not be subject to voter approval so long as they complied with the 2% cap.

After 6 years of election data, it has become clear the potential benefits of this change do not outweigh the unintended fiscal and political costs of continuing to elect Board of Education members during a partisan electoral cycle.

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Congressman Smith: Reports that he voted against the wall are inaccurate

In a phone interview with MMM this morning, Congressman Chris Smith, R-NJ 4, said that published reports by New Jersey Globe and SaveJersey claiming that he voted with Democrats to reopen the federal government without funding a wall for our southern border are incomplete and inaccurate.

“I am a strong supporter of securing our southern border, including the wall–I voted for $5.7 billion for the wall in December-– and have been throughout my career,” Smith said.  “The bill I voted for yesterday, H J Res 1, would fund the only Department of Homeland Security and only until February 9.”

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Middletown’s Millennial Mayor

Tony Perry

Tony Perry, 28, will become the youngest mayor in Middletown’s history when the Township Committee meets on Sunday to reorganize for 2019, according to an announcement by the Township.

Perry was elected to a three year term on the Township Committee last Election Day. He has been a member of the Committee since November of 2017 when he was appointed to fill the vacancy created when Steve Massell resigned upon taking office on the Monmouth County Tax Board.

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Freeholder Gerry Scharfenberger’s remarks upon being sworn in

As prepared for delivery

Thank you everyone and happy New Year.  It is an absolute honor to be standing here as a part of this new and much improved Freeholder board.  My first year on the board has been not only a great learning experience but also very productive.  One of the initiatives I am most proud of is the Faith Based initiative we passed early last year.  This is designed to provide services and programs without tax dollars in partnership with houses of worship and other non-profit organizations.  It’s also a way to right size government which in my opinion, has taken on way too many of the roles of the private and non-profit sectors over the years.  Another initiative I have worked on this year on behalf of the board is the creation of affordable housing in the county through a partnership with Habitat for Humanity.  So far, two municipally-owned lots have been identified in Middletown and one sub-dividable lot in Highlands to be turned over to Habitat at no cost for the construction of up to 15 units.  Meetings with several other municipalities are being scheduled to inventory similar lots that can be redeveloped for affordable housing.  This is the way it should be done – without the heavy hand of government and some costly, environmentally devastating unfunded mandate foisted upon the taxpayers.

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