Asbury Park Mayor Campbell Says She Wasn’t Trying To Embarrass Council Members

Asbury Park Mayor Myra Campbell said she wasn’t trying to embarrass her fellow council members at Tuesday evening’s National Night Out Celebration when she announced their names and asked that they come forward when they weren’t present.

“Everyone was invited, but attendance was not well coordinated,” Campbell said in on a phone call with MMM, “Susan Henderson (Deputy Mayor) told me she didn’t get her email about the event until after she got she home.”

“All the council members except John Loffredo, who was on vacation as I said, attended the event. When they arrived, I invited each of them to speak. Councilwoman Quinn and Henderson did speak. Councilman Moor did not.”

“We’re a council. Whenever we’re at public events, I will invite each member of the council to speak.”

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Crime Stoppers To Reward Anonymous Tipsters Of Monmouth County Crimes With Cash

Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni announced a new partnership Crime Stoppers in an effort to encourage the public to share information with law enforcement.  The announcement was made last evening at National Night Out events in Asbury Park,  Neptune City, Neptune Township and Union Beach.

“Unfortunately people with information about crimes are often reluctant to cooperate with law enforcement because they are afraid of retaliation, they do not care enough to get involved or  they want something in exchange for the information,” Gramiccioni said, “Crime stoppers offers cash, up to $5000, no questions asked, with anonymity as a solution to this lack of information.”

Citizens with information about a crime or fugitive may contact Monmouth County Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-671-4400, which is a confidential telephone tip line; they can text “MONMOUTH” plus their tip to 274637; or the can email a tip via the website at www.monmouthcountycrimestoppers.com

When a tipster contacts Crime Stoppers via tip line, email or text, the tipster is assigned a confidential code number, which becomes their only identity in the system. At no time does anyone ask a tipster for their name.  When an arrest is made, the tipster will be told to go to the Crime Stopper’s bank in Freehold, provide the confidential code number, and collect the cash.

Gramiccioni asked the the crowd in Asbury Park for information about the September 2009 murder of Red Bank Middle School teacher Jonelle Melton, who was found in a pool of her own blood in her Neptune City home.  He said the investigation has led law enforcement to believe that Melton’s murder was a case of mistaken identify; that the perpetrator went to the wrong home and intended to kill someone else.

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Pallone punts on women’s right to choose to be topless

Congressman Frank Pallone stopped at Asbury Park’s Night Out celebration this evening where Mayor Myra Campbell introduced him as a candidate for “State Senate.”

MMM caught up with Pallone for a brief moment before the formal festivities and asked him to take a question about equal rights.   He said he couldn’t answer whether women should have the right go topless wherever men do because no one had ever asked him that question before.

He said he doesn’t think the New York City woman sitting in Monmouth County Jail for going topless in Spring Lake has much of a case because of laws against indecent exposure.

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Former Asbury Park Housing Director Arrested

Mark W. Holmes

Mark W. Holmes, 52 of Lawrence Township (Mercer County), the former Executive Director of the Asbury Park Housing Authority, was arrested yesterday and charged with Second Degree Theft By Deception, according to a statement released by Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiconni.

The charges allege that Holmes, also a former Mayor and Councilman in Lawrence Township, stole in excess of $75,000 while directing Asbury Park’s 587 public housing units.  The funds came from a $99,897 Department of Labor and Work Force Development grant that was intended to pay for computer training and other marketable skills for the public housing residents.

Additionally, Holmes is charged with using the Housing Authority’s debit card and an American Express for personal expenses of almost $20,000 and for submitting reimbursement vouchers for $3,397.28 in expenses he charged to the American Express card.

The investigation was conducted by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office of Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Bureau.  Assistant Prosecutor John Loughrey, director of the bureau, is prosecuting the case.

Holmes is currently living in public housing at Golden’s Palace in Freehold.  His bail is $70,000 with a 10% cash option. If convicted, he faces 5-10 years in State Prison.

Official Misconduct was not among the charges listed against Holmes in Gramiconni’s statement. Official Misconduct convictions in New Jersey require minimum imprisonment terms without eligibility for parole.

Holmes resigned his job suddenly in June of 2011.  In July of 2011 the Housing Commissioners asked federal housing officials and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office to investigate financial mismanagement under Holmes’ watch. Holmes had held the job since late in 2008.

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New Asbury Park Government Off To Rocky Start

John Lofreddo, left, Myra Campbell, center and Susan Henderson.
AsburyParkSun.com photo

The hope of a new beginning was replaced with anger today in Asbury Park when the new city council was sworn in.

John Moor, the top vote getter in the May 14 non-partisan election, was expected to be appointed mayor by his colleagues, as is the tradition.  He had the 3 votes he needed on the 5 person council by virtue of his own election and that of two of his running mates, Amy Quinn and Myra Campbell who ran on the One Asbury ticket in the non-partisan election.

Then sometime over the weekend, Campbell split with her running mates and made a deal with returning council members John Lofreddo and Susan Henderson, who ran for reelection on the Forward Asbury ticket, to get the mayoral title for herself.

The mayor’s office in Asbury Park is largely ceremonial in the city’s form of government.  The appointed City Manager, a full time employee appointed by the council, runs the day to day operations of the city. Asbury Park elects their entire council once every four years.

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Obama to speak at Convention Hall in Asbury Park on Tuesday

President Barack Obama will visit Asbury Park on Tuesday, according to a report at The Star Ledger.

Obama, accompanied by Gov. Chris Christie, is expected to visit with families and business owners, according to the White House. The president’s visit comes roughly 200 days after he toured the region with Christie in the days immediately after the hurricane.

After touring the area, Obama will deliver remarks at Convention Hall in Asbury Park, according to the White House statement. The event at Convention Hall is open to the public. Tickets are limited to one per person and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Grand Arcade at Convention Hall.

Gov Chris Christie and President Barack Obama greet residents sheltering in Brigantine. Oct 31, 2012. Gov’s Office/Tim Larsen

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Thanks Gannett, for the kick in the teeth #STTS

Photo credit: www.SignsByTheSea.com

Ugh!

As if the weather wasn’t a damper enough to the Jersey Shore kickoff that Superstorm Sandy ravished businesses, their employees and  shore area municipalities desperately need, the shore’s biggest newspaper, and its most popular columnist/blogger are working against us too.

The Asbury Park Press Editorial Board (formerly known here as the Neptune Nudniks, a title we retired the day before Sandy hit, but are tempted to bring back after today’s doozy), opines today that Governor Christie should issue an Executive Order doing away with beach badge sales.

What is really insulting, is that the APP blatantly show how ignorant they are about the New Jersey economy, our tax structure and the cost allocation of our various governments.

There is another logical reason for making the beaches free: revitalizing the Shore economy. What better extra inducement to get people to come to the Jersey Shore? Free beaches could mean millions of dollars in additional revenues for towns. More money spent in restaurants and bars, on summer rentals and motel stays, on souvenirs, on gasoline. For some families, beach fees are prohibitive. For a family of four, they can run $40 or more. That kind of expense can make the difference between going to the beach or staying home. Or between going once or twice a summer instead of several times during the season.

Doing away with beach badges would be a logical thing to do if it would bring revenues to shore towns. Duh!  Why didn’t the mayors think of that!?

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‘A-Team’ hires Monmouth GOP Chairman To Challenge Asbury Park Election Results

John Bennett

The A-Team slate of candidates in the Asbury Park election has hired Monmouth County Republican Chairman John Bennett as their attorney to challenge today’s election results.

Bennett told MMM’s Tommy DeSeno that he will be verifying what votes were not counted and why. He said he would also be looking at how many votes of the thrown out absentees may have voted provisionally and still need to be counted.

An A-Team campaign worker told DeSeno that the team believes they can pick up three of the five seats on the City Council. The didn’t win any seats in the unofficial count of machine and vote by mail (absentee) ballots.

The A-Team is comprised of former Councilman James Keady,  former board of education member Redmond Palmer, Duanne Small, Nora Hyland and Daniel Harris.  The top three A-Team candidates, Keady, Small and Harris,  would need to pick up approximately 200 votes that have been rejected in order to over come the leads of the bottom three “unofficial” winners, Myra Campbell, Sue Henderson and John Loffredo.

Keady received 409 votes in the unofficial tally; Small 405 and Harris 388.  Unofficial winners Loffredo received 640 votes, Henderson 608 and Campbell 598.

Four candidates of the 22 who ran, lost “unofficially” with more votes than the A-Team’s top three.  Incumbent Kevin Sanders, a former mayor and former Republican of the Forward Asbury slate received 574 votes, Joe Woerner of the One Asbury slate received 566 votes, Talesha Crank of One Asbury received 441 votes, William Potter of the Forward Asbury slate received 431 votes, and Gregory Hopson received 428 votes.

The top “unofficial” winners, John Moor with 699 votes and Amy Quinn with 693, both of One Asbury, appear to be safe in what appears to be an inevitable recounted elected.

UPDATE 11:42 PM  AsburyParkSun  reports that A-Team candidate Jim Keady claims that 332 mail-in ballots have not been counted.  Keady said 80 of the ballots were discarded because they were not filled in properly.

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Split Ticket Wins (Unofficially) in Asbury Park

John Moor, Amy Quinn, John Loffredo, Sue Henderson and Myra Campbell are the top five vote getters of the 22 candidates for Asbury Park’s City Council, according to the Monmouth County Clerk’s website.

The results include vote by mail ballots according to Debbie who answered the phone at the Board of Elections.  Debbie would not give her last name.

Moor, Quinn and Campbell ran together on the One Asbury slate.  Incumbents Loffredo and Henderson ran on the Forward Asbury slate in the non-partisan election.

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Jersey City Reports Election Results Faster Than Asbury Park Does

Fulop has a strong lead in Jersey City

One hour after the polls closed in today’s municipal elections, Asbury Park has no results posted on the Monmouth County Clerk’s website.

In Jersey City, with 43% if the voting districts reporting as of 8:54 PM, Councilman Steve Fulop is on pace to defeat incumbent mayor Jerry Healy by a comfortable 54% to 37% margin.

UPDATE 9:10 pm  Fulop declared victory on facebook at 9 pm.  With 66% of the districts reporting, Fulop has 53% of the vote, Healy has 38%.

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