Politics & Government

Grasso Defends Grilling of Adult Sports Club Owner

Says he was trying to protect borough and taxpayers at April 2 meeting

Manasquan Councilman Don Grasso on Monday stood by his fierce questioning earlier this month of an adult co-ed sports club owner who was pitching council members on a proposed partnership with the borough's Recreation Commission to provide organized leagues in town. 

During the council's April 2 work session, Debra Nexon of Jersey Club Sports, who runs adult co-ed sports leagues in northern New Jersey, was grilled by Grasso for not providing her company's financials and her inability to provide details and projections on how the agreement would financially benefit the borough. (The audio of that portion of the meeting is attached to this story.) 

On Monday, Grasso reiterated his stance and said that Nexon seemed to believe the partnership with the Recreation Commission, which would receive 20 percent of the proceeds, was already a "done deal." 

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Mayor George Dempsey at the April 2 meeting appointed an ad-hoc committee to review Nexon's proposals and on Monday Councilman Mike Mangan, one of the committee members, said they would most likely present the details at the council's next meeting. 

"The questions I asked were honest, accurate and to the point," Grasso said. "They are not to be confused with any interrogation tactics suggested by Mangan." 

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During Nexon's presentation, several council members including Mangan distanced themselves from Grasso's approach. Councilman Joe Bossone said he was "embarrassed" by the way Grasso questioned Nexon. 

Bossone on Monday reiterated his previous statements. 

"I said I was embarrassed by the way you were talking to Ms. Nexon, not by the questions you were asking," Bossone said. 

The spat began during the council members committee reports, when Grasso led off his by clarifying his motives during the April 2 presentation and then proceeded with a 30-minute-long diatribe regarding what he said was an unfair balance of power on the council and its committees. 

"How do we have compromise? How do we have open discussion?" Grasso said.

Grasso also touted his work the last two years to increase permit revenues for the borough. 

Nexon had proposed running 75 events on borough property, but the governing body collectively expressed varying degrees of reluctance to tie up its land to that extent. 

Nexon had negotiated the deal with the Recreation Commission, but Grasso said that until April 2 he had not heard of the plan. 

In addition, Nexon had informed the governing body that she already rented a summer house nearby and had printed postcards advertising the deal. 

"So it sounds like it was a done deal," Grasso said. 

But the ad-hoc committee is currently reviewing the proposals and the governing body has not yet approved anything, officials said. 

Grasso also took issue with the borough's current policy that would not charge Jersey Sports Clubs for use of the beach. Borough Administrator Joe DeIorio said that policy was currently under review by the ad-hoc committee. 

"Not one single event has been approved (for) Jersey Club Sports. Not one single dollar amount has been talked about on how they're going to pay for cleanup or any kind of administrative fees," Bossone said. 

Mangan said that the committee also felt they needed to review the borough's general policy coupled with the individual application from the sports club. 


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