The Auditor: Booker gets prime office space, Belmar Republicans go after Christie and more

The Auditor: Booker gets prime office space, Belmar Republicans go after Christie and more (via NJ.com)

Getting into the U.S. Senate at an unusual time has its perks. After Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) was sworn in on Thursday, he didn’t get the usual rookie hazing: the worst office space available. Instead, the former Newark mayor nabbed Office 141 in…

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Christie to mark one year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy

Governor Chris Christie will spend tomorrow, the one year anniversary date of Superstorm Sandy destroying much of New Jersey’s coastal and inland waterway communities, traveling the state to honor residents, first responders and volunteers for their strength and resiliency over the past year, as well as to highlight the significant strides New Jersesyans have made in recovering from the historic storm.

In Monmouth County, Christie will make stops in Union Beach, Belmar and Sea Bright.

During his first Monmouth County visit at 2:30 PM, Christie will be accompanied by First Lady Mary Pat Christie to visit the Ciangiotta residence at 46 Scholer Dr., one of over 100 homes that have been or are being rebuilt by volunteers from Gateway Church of Christ, with funding from the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund that Mrs. Christie leads and other charities.  Pastor Carl Williamson declined to say what is on the agenda for the Union Beach visit other than greeting residents and volunteers.  Mayor Paul Smith said that Mrs. Christie’s charity has already contributed $1.5 million to recovering Union Beach residents and that more contributions are expected.

At 4PM, Christie is scheduled to meet and greet students and community members at St. Rose High School in Belmar.  The school was “hammered” by Sandy, according to Mayor Matt Doherty who said the school was filled with fish and turtles after the storm.  “The Governor’s visit to Belmar is an indication of his commitment to the Jersey Shore’s recovery,” Doherty said.

At 7:30PM, the Governor will attend a potluck dinner and bonfire at the Sea Bright Fire House, followed by a meet and greet with patrons of Angelica’s Restaurant, which is opposite the firehouse on Ocean Ave, at 8:30.

Christie will also be making stops in Bergen, Essex, Middlesex and Ocean Counties throughout the day.

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36 Mumps Cases Being Investigated, Most Still Tied To D’Jais

The number of cases of mumps being investigated by the Monmouth County Health Department has jumped from 27 to 36.  One case has been confirmed, according to a statement by the department.

“Individuals are continuing to come forward to report mumps-like symptoms,” County public health coordinator Michael Meddis said. “The median age of the individuals under investigation is 26. With the exception of one pre-school aged child, all of the individuals are adults and 39 percent of the cases involve females.”

The cases under investigation include individuals who have or had mumps-like symptoms as early as August 3. As in previous updates, most of the individuals under investigation have either been patrons or employees of D’Jais Bar and Grill in Belmar.

D’Jais voluntarily closed its doors to patrons last week. The Health Department provided cleaning and sanitizing recommendations to D’Jais management.

On Sunday, County Health Department nurses immunized 32 D’Jais employees with the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine. Several D’Jais employees submitted immunization records that were evaluated for age appropriate MMR immunization.

“If you believe that you may have been exposed to someone who has experienced mumps like symptoms, call the Monmouth County Health Department,” said Meddis. “Our public health nurses can answer your questions and evaluate your need for additional follow-up.”

The Monmouth County Health Department continues to ask that anyone who is experiencing swelling of salivary glands along with fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness and loss of appetite should seek medical attention and call the Health Department at 732-431-7456.

Of the cases under investigation, individuals in Monmouth County are from Asbury Park, Belmar, Colts Neck, Farmingdale, Howell, Keyport, Long Branch, Matawan, Middletown, Neptune City, Tinton Falls and Wall. Individuals who reported hometowns from outside the county are from the New Jersey towns of Brick, Ogdensburg, Emerson, Fairfield, Jackson, Lawrenceville, Monmouth Junction, Point Pleasant, Saddle Brook, Waldrick, Warren, Whippany and Woodbridge. Individuals who reported out of state hometowns are from New York City, Philadelphia, Straussberg, PA and Port Saint Lucie, FL.

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Mumps Outbreak Traced To D’Jais in Belmar

UPDATE, 9/6/13 D’Jais is closed voluntarily for the weekend

The Monmouth County Health Department is investigating 22 cases probable cases of mumps in the county, 15 of which have come forward since yesterday, according to a statement issued by County Public Health Coordinator Michael Meddis.

“Since yesterday, an additional 15 individuals with mumps-like symptoms have come forward,” County public health coordinator Michael Meddis said. “The medical professionals advised these individuals to be on bed rest, increase their fluid intake and take steps to reduce their fever.”

 

Twenty-one of the individuals are adults and most of them have been either a patron at or an employee of D’Jais in Belmar in the last several weeks. The one youth is of pre-school age.

 

Individuals in Monmouth County are from Asbury Park, Belmar, Farmingdale, Howell (4), Keyport, Long Branch (3), Neptune City, Tinton Falls and Wall. Individuals who reported hometowns from outside the county are from the New Jersey towns of Woodbridge, Saddle Brook, Ogdensburg, Emerson, Lawrenceville, Point Pleasant (2) and Port Saint Lucie, Florida.

 

The Monmouth County Health Department asks that if you are experiencing the swelling of salivary glands along with fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness and loss of appetite you should seek medical attention and call the Health Department at 732-431-7456.

 

Meddis added that the investigation is continuing as new cases are presented and to determine the source of transmission and identify close personal contacts.

 

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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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Mayors Helping Mayors: Gulf Coast Mayors Visiting Jersey Shore, NJ Mayors Next Week

Former Waveland, MS Mayor Tommy Longo tours Sea Bright with Mayor Dina Long in February. Longo, three other Gulf Coast former mayors and former Congressman Gene Taylor will address the Bayshore Conference of Mayors on May 17 in Keansburg, Photo: NJ.com

A group of former mayors and a former congressman who led their Mississippi communities to recovery from Hurricane Katrina are coming to the Jersey Shore next week to share their knowledge and experience with New Jersey’s mayors and senior municipal officials who are continuing to deal with the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

The group will be speaking at a meeting of the Bayshore Conference of Mayors on Friday evening May 17, 7PM, at Anthony’s Restaurant, 65 Church St in Keansburg.  All mayors and senior municipal officials of towns impacted by Sandy are invited, according to Union Beach Mayor Paul Smith, the conference president.  Those wishing to attend should contact Smith via text or phone call at 732-713-0506.   If someone who should have gotten an invitation didn’t, this is it. Readers are encouraged to pass this post on to their mayors.

The Mississippi delegation, comprised of former Congressman Gene Taylor and former mayors Brent Warr, Eddie Farve, and Tommy Longo, is being flown to New Jersey free on charge by Southwest Airlines.  Their lodging is being donated by Dominique Ervin, General Manager, Hampton Inn of Neptune/Wall and Sal Cannizarro of Immediate Care Medical Walk In of Hazlet.

This mayors helping mayors project is the brainchild of author and former CNN correspondent Kathleen Koch.  A Bay St’ Louis, MS native, Koch has dedicated herself to supporting survivors of natural disasters since Katrina.  She is the author of Rising from Katrina: How My Mississippi Hometown Lost It All and Found What Mattered and is donating a signed copy as a door prize for the conference.  She was sent to Japan by the U.S. State Department in March of this year to deliver her message of Resiliency and Words of Hope to the survivors of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami of the second anniversary of that catastrophic event.

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Belmar Councilman Jim Bean Lodges Ethics Complaint Against Mayor Matt Doherty Over AshBritt Contracts

Bean cites Local Finance Board’s Decision Against Marlboro Councilwoman Randi Marder To Support His Complaint

Doherty Dismisses Complaint As Politics

Belmar Councilman Jim Bean. Photo credit: Belmar.com

Belmar Councilman Jim Bean, a Republican, has written to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs’ Local Finance Board requesting an investigation into a “potential violation” of New Jersey’s Local Government Ethics Law by Mayor Matt Doherty, a Democrat.

Doherty’s wife, Maggie Moran, a former Deputy Chief of Staff for Governor Jon Corzine, worked as a consultant for AshBritt, the Florida company that performed debris removal throughout much of New Jersey after the Superstorm Sandy.  Belmar paid $2.67 million to AshBrit and its affiliates, according to Bean’s complaint which can be found here.

Doherty said that Bean is “Belmar’s Bayshore Tea Party….a cancer on the Republican Party.”

“This is the second, politically motivated, baseless complaint Bean has filed against me in the past 8 months, ” Doherty said, “If he didn’t waste his time on this nonsense maybe he could actually do something useful for the people of Belmar.”

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Middletown’s Website Named Best In New Jersey By Monmouth University Study

Middletown Township’s has the best municipal website in the State of New Jersey by a Monmouth University study performed by the school’s Polling Institute and its Graduate Program in Public Policy.

The project assessed 540 municipal websites in New Jersey for content, ease of use and citizen interaction.

Red Bank’s site earned an Honorable Mention, coming in 22nd on the list of 540. Five other Monmouth County sites were in the top 100, barely. Spring Lake’s site is ranked #82, Manasquan #89, Tinton Falls #91, Belmar #93 and Marlboro #95.

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Belmar Councilman Takes Issue With Doherty’s Veracity On AshBrit Contract

Doherty says he maintained the highest ethical standards.  Charges Councilman Jim Bean with his own conflict

UPDATED

Belmar Councilman Jim Bean, a Republican, says that Mayor Matt Doherty, a Democrat, “kind of lied” when he told MMM that he recused himself from voting on the borough’s contract with AshBrit, the Florida company that was hired by the Christie administration for Superstorm Sandy cleanup.

We asked Doherty if he had recused himself from voting on the borough’s business with AshBrit because we had documentation that his wife, Maggie Moran, was acting as a sales agent for the company in its efforts to secure lucrative business in cleaning up municipalities impacted by Sandy.  He said he did.  But that was not the whole story, according to Bean, who said that the borough council’s vote to authorize payments to AshBrit occurred two weeks after Doherty signed the contract.

Bean sent along an email exchange between him and Doherty to back up his complaint:

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Congressman Chris Smith’s Statement At Belmar Boardwalk Groundbreaking

Yesterday, in the State of the State address in Trenton, Governor Chris Christie eloquently spoke of the courage, tenacity and resolve of the people of New Jersey both during and after the worst storm in our history.

He introduced and told the stories of a few jersey heroes.  However, the statehouse could have been filled to overflowing with people who performed remarkable feats of selflessness and bravery.

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