Councilwoman: Belmar Residents Showing 'Selfless Generosity and Tireless Spirit'

Reorganization meeting remarks from Belmar Councilwoman Jennifer Nicolay:

I'm honored to have been re-elected to serve the next three years as Councilwoman here in Belmar.

I want to thank my incredibly supportive family (my husband, Bart, and children, Julia and Jack) who held down the fort took care of each other while Mommy was busy campaigning. And a special thanks to all of my friends who helped with door-knocking, dropping literature, and phone calling. To everyone who donated to the campaign, displayed a yard sign, wrote a letter to the papers or talked with your neighbors and friends about my campaign, thank you very much. I am humbled by your support and grateful for your efforts. All of your hard work produced a great election night victory!

It was an extraordinary year for Belmar in many ways. There were many great accomplishments – we had no property tax increase for the second year in a row. We worked to make our beach the #1 Beach in Monmouth County. We increased recreation programs for children, persons with developmental disabilities and seniors. We accelerated the revitalization of Main Street and even brought a new mini-golf course and restaurant to the Marina. Belmar was “perfect” at the end of the summer. Then Sandy visited our beautiful town bringing devastation and destruction.

We were incredibly blessed that no lives were lost thanks to the amazing efforts of our First Responders. However, many residents were greatly impacted by the storm losing their homes, possessions, automobiles. We still have folks who are displaced and were unable to spend the holidays in their homes. Please continue to keep these people in your prayers. 

They say difficult times often bring out the best in people. We can all agree whole-heartedly that Hurricane Sandy brought out the best in the residents of Belmar and those that love Belmar. 

I was honored to help run our Volunteer Efforts. I must thank the incredible efforts put forth by the thousands of amazing volunteers who devoted countless hours to aid in our recovery by distributing flyers to residents, cleaning out basements, removing debris and delivering supplies to those in need.  

I am so very grateful for their selfless generosity and tireless spirit. They have made a lasting impression on Belmar and have given each of us renewed faith that very soon our town will come back stronger than ever. 

I look forward to the next 3 years and I will continue to work on projects and initiatives that help make Belmar a great place to live, work, and visit. I am always available to hear any of your ideas, issues or concerns. Again, thank you for re-electing me and may 2013 bring peace and happiness to our amazing towns. 

Warm Regards,

Councilwoman Jennifer Nicolay