N.J. loses again in quest to bring sports betting to state

WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Tuesday threw out New Jersey’s sports betting law, once again blocking the state from expanding its gambling options to augment Atlantic City and the horse-racing industry. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia ruled that the state’s law violated a 1992 federal ban on sports betting, the Associated… Read the rest of this entry »

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Monmouth County Launches Flooding Awareness Program

John Szeliga, Verizon; Middletown Mayor Gerald Scharfenberger; Monmouth County Freeholder Deputy Director Serena DiMaso; Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden; Capt. Jay Steingold of Naval Weapons Station Earle; FEMA Region II Administrator Michael Moriarty and Tony MacDonald Director of the Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute.

A countywide collaboration with Monmouth County’s government, FEMA, Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute, New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, National Park Service, Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve at Rutgers University, Navy Weapons Station Earle, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Verizon designed to raise the public’s awareness of flood risks and to encourage the mitigation of those risks was launched this morning in Middletown with the installation of a High Water Mark (HWM) sign at the Belford Ferry Terminal.

FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program’s High Water Mark awareness program gives participating municipalities Community Rating System (CRS) points which result in residents of the community getting a break on their flood insurance premiums.

Municipal participation is voluntary and there is no cost to the towns for participating.

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John Bennett files an unemployment claim

John Bennett, the part time borough administrator of Lavallette since a month after he left his full time borough administrator position in Oceanport, has filed an unemployment claim, according to a statement by Councilman Stuart Briskey during the Oceanport Borough Council meeting on June 16.

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Bennett lands in Lavallette

John Bennett

John O. Bennett III, the former Acting Governor, former Monmouth GOP Chairman and former Borough Administrator of Oceanport is the new Administrator of the Borough of Lavallette in Ocean County.

Bennett’s job in Oceanport ended on April 30th when he was replaced by Ray Poerio, an Edison resident who had been the Recreation Director of Scotch Plains, Union County.

Bennett announced his retirement from the Oceanport job last fall after he, and his part time work as an attorney, became an issue in the local election.  After Mayor Michael Mahon was defeated by current Mayor Jay Coffey’s write-in campaign, Bennett reapplied for the Oceanport job.

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Driver who hit cop directing traffic was high on drugs, police said

FREEHOLD –The 21-year-old driver of a car that hit and seriously injured a West Long Branch police officer directing traffic at a high school football game was high on drugs at the time of the incident, authorities said on Thursday. Michael Reyes of Oceanport was under the influence of heroin and marijuana when he hit West… Read the rest of this entry »

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John Bennett: Not the retiring type

By Art Gallagher

John Bennett

Oceanport Administrator John Bennett is applying to keep the job that he announced his retirement from in October.

Bennett’s retirement is effective December 31.  When I met him at Oceanport’s temporary Borough Hall today, there was no signs of him slowing down.  He was working with a borough employee on the town’s debt amortization schedule when I arrived. Over lunch he was excited about the future of Oceanport and proud of what he’s accomplished in his two years as administrator.  He was also well aware the that town needs to heal the divisions…that he is in the center of….that resulted in Mayor Michael Mahon going from being unopposed for reelection last month to being defeated by write-in candidate Jay Coffey.  “I promised I would give 110% until my last day,” for former Senate President and Acting Governor said.

Bennett is hopeful that his last day will come after December 31.   “I love being an administrator,” he said, “I wish I had done this earlier in my career. I submitted my application for the job.”

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How a write-in candidate ousted Oceanport’s incumbent mayor

OCEANPORT — Before the summer, John “Jay” Coffey didn’t have any intentions of becoming the borough’s next mayor. A member of the Board of Education, Coffey was an active participant in the community — but he didn’t start regularly attending Borough Council meetings until after a slew of officials in the borough resigned. The resignations caught… Read the rest of this entry »

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Jay Coffey is Mayor-elect of Oceanport

Oceanport Mayor-elect Jay Coffey

Attorney John F. Coffey II received 949 of the 988 write-in ballots in the Oceanport election for mayor, according to Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon.  Incumbent Mayor Michael Mahon received 721 votes.

All machine and Vote By Mail ballots have been counted. There were 15 provisional ballots cast in Oceanport, which will be counted on November 9.   Jay Coffey is the Mayor-elect of Oceanport.

For Borough  Council, full-term, there were 807 write -in votes. Write-in candidate Cullin Wibble received a total of 694 votes. Candidates John A. Patti received 901 votes and Patricia Cooper received 843 votes.

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Unofficial Oceanport Results Will Be Reported By Days End

Presumed Oceanport Mayor-elect Jay Coffey, center,addresses supporters as Culllin Wible , left, and Councilman Joe Irace,right look on. photo via facebook

In the Oceanport mayoral race, “Write-In” has defeated incumbent Mayor Michael Mahon by a margin of 988 to 721.

Monmouth County Clerk told MoreMonmouthMusings this morning that each of the Write-In votes will be reviewed today in order to determine the winner of the race, subject to the counting of provisional ballots and certification of the election.

A bi-partisan coalition of Oceanport leaders supported Attorney Jay Coffey, a registered Democrat, in his campaign unseat the Republican mayor who was unopposed on the ballot.  Coffey is widely expected to be the winner of the campaign. He declared victory last evening.

Oceanport’s all Republican municipal government has been in turmoil for the better part of the year as Mahon stopped communicating with members of the Council, particularly regarding redevelopment issues at Fort Monmouth, and a growing distrust of Borough Administrator John Bennett festered throughout the governing body and members of the public.

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Irace: In Oceanport, Write-in Coffey and Wible

By Councilman Joe Irace

Oceanport Councilman Joe Irace

For the past eight years, it has been my  privilege to serve the people of Oceanport.  At all times, I have done what I felt was best for our borough because I, like you, truly love our collective home. As you know, I have been very outspoken on behalf of Oceanport.  I have used my position as Councilman to keep Oceanport residents informed of important issues pertaining to Oceanport, oftentimes to my own personal detriment within the very Council on which I serve.

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