Monday, November 19, 2012
Governing bodies meeting Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights
This week the Manasquan Borough Council, School Board and Belmar Borough Council are set to meet Tuesday and Wednesday nights, respectively, officials said. The Manasquan Borough Council and mayor are scheduled to begin their work session at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 19, at Borough Hall, 401 East Main Street. The School Board is scheduled to meet 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 20, in the High School media room. The work session agenda includes a resolution to appoint Robert J. Mahon, the disctrict's acting superintendent, to interim superintendent retroactively effective Nov. 1. The board will also vote on a resolution to donate all proceeds from the Manasquan vs. Rumson high school football game -- more than $6000, officials say -- to local disaster …
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Belmar councilman claims Mayor Doherty, attorney DuPont conspired to 'tarnish' his reputation
Belmar Councilman Jim Bean is not backing down. After Mayor Matt Doherty last month wrote the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) requesting an investigation into Bean's refusal to recuse himself from voting on a proposed ordinance, Bean filed a complaint of his own last week with the state ethics board accusing Doherty and Borough Attorney Michael DuPont of using their official positions to "tarnish" his reputation by claiming he had a conflict of interest. Bean on Sept. 27 wrote the DCA's Local Finance Board, the state body that investigates ethics complaints concerning local officials, alleging Doherty and DuPont, by accusing Bean of having a conflict of interest by voting on the borough's recently adopted amendment to its back house…
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Councilman, however, stands by last week's vote on back house ordinance
Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty this week asked the state Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) to conduct an ethics investigation on Councilman Jim Bean after he ignored the advice of the borough's attorney to recuse himself from discussion on a proposed ordinance last week. Doherty on Tuesday sent a letter (attached to this story) to DCA Commissioner Richard E. Constable III, requesting a formal investigation into Bean's actions at last week's Borough Council meeting, when he voted on a proposed amendment to the borough's back house ordinance despite several warnings from Borough Attorney Michael DuPont that the councilman, who owns a back house in town, potentially had a conflict of interest and should abstain. The governing body adopted the…
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Belmar Business Partnership introduces new flags featuring 'Beautiful Sea' design
Belmar officials last week unveiled the borough's new logo — a blue wave replacing the old scallop shell design — developed over the course of several months by the Belmar Business Partnership (BBP) and other community members. At the governing body's regular meeting last Wednesday, the BBP's executive director, Michael Redpath, and president, Sal Marchese, presented one of several flags featuring the "Beautiful Sea" redesign that will be flown at borough hall and other locations throughout town. The design process took several months after Mayor Matt Doherty asked the BBP, which oversees the borough's Special Improvement District with funding from a levy on borough businesses, to develop a new logo for the town, officials said. The …
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Friendly Sons of Shillelagh, Port Authority Police donate Sept. 11 memorial
The Borough of Belmar last week was presented a piece of steel from the World Trade Center to commemorate the 11th anniversary of the terror attacks that killed more than 2000 people. Retired Port Authority Police Det. Lt. Bob Driscoll, president of Belmar's Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh, presented Mayor Matt Doherty and the borough's other elected officials with a cross cut from a piece of steel from the of the downed World Trade Center towers. The cross was presented on behalf of the Port Authority Police, which donated the steel to Belmar, and the Friendly Sons, Driscoll said. "I hope you always see it and remember all those who were lost on that terrible day," Driscoll said. Doherty said he wasn't yet sure where the cross would …
Monday, September 24, 2012
Councilman ignores borough attorney's advice to recuse himself from process
Ignoring the advice of the borough's attorney, Belmar Councilman Jim Bean refused to recuse himself from the discussion and vote on a proposed amendment to the borough's back house ordinance, adopted unanimously Wednesday. Borough Attorney Michael DuPont at Wednesday's Belmar Council meeting said that, since Bean owned a back house in town, his involvement in the governing body's process to adopt changes to the ordinance posed a potential conflict of interest and advised the councilman to recuse himself. The governing body already had adopted the ordinance last summer but after officials discovered the potential conflict the ordinance was re-introduced last month with the intention Bean would recuse himself from the process. DuPont said …
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Missed the meeting? Read the live coverage here!
The Belmar Borough Council and mayor met at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19, at Borough Hall, 601 Main Street. (The meeting agenda is attached in the PDF section of this story.) Members of the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh presented the governing body with a World Trade Center cross. For the second time this year, the governing body adopted an amendment to an ordinance governing secondary dwellings in the borough. In June, the same ordinance was adopted unanimously intended to lift the age restriction on tenants of secondary dwellings, as well give residents incentives to spruce up both their primary homes and back houses. However, during a following meeting, it came to light that Republican Councilman Jim Bean owned a back house and the …
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Belmar's governing body approves lease agreement
The Belmar Borough Council and mayor on Wednesday voted unanimously to approve a lease agreement between the borough and a private firm that wants to build an outdoor ice skating rink at Dempsey Park. The 6-0 vote approved the agreement with nonprofit New Jersey Titans Hockey Club, which would pay $24,000 in annual rent to operate the rink on borough property. The nonprofit would also assume all costs of construction, maintenance, staffing and insurance, according to the agreement (attached to the PDF section of this story). The terms of the lease are for one year, with an additional four-year option at the end of the term, which repeats every four years. During each interval either the borough or the nonprofit can terminate the deal, …
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Lease agreement between borough, ice rink consultants on council's agenda
Belmar's governing body on Wednesday will look to give its blessing to a proposed agreement that would bring an outdoor ice skating rink to Dempsey Park. Last month the Borough Council and Mayor Matt Doherty heard a presentation from George Haviland Jr. of Ice World Consulting, LLC, who said he'd like to construct an outdoor rink at the current site of the Belmar Skate Park for recreation, hockey and figure skating. The governing body is scheduled to vote on a resolution to approve the lease agreement between the borough and Ice World, according to Wednesday's meeting agenda. The Wall-based firm would carry all the costs of construction and maintenance, pay rent to the borough, and manage and staff both the rink and skate park, which …
Monday, July 2, 2012
Mexi-Cali restaurant didn't post notice two weeks prior to vote; postponed to July 18
Belmar officials announced Monday afternoon that the governing body's scheduled vote for later that day to approve a deal transfering a liquor license to 10th Ave. Burrito is postponed to July 18. The mayor and council had scheduled a special meeting for July 2 intended to authorize a deal between the former Tropical Pub and 10th Ave. Burrito, but after officials learned the Mexi-Cali-style restaurant hadn't posted notice of agreement at least two weeks prior to the vote, the governing body pushed the agenda item to its July 18 meeting, Mayor Matt Doherty said Monday. 10th Ave. Burrito, which just changed locations from its spot in the Belmar Plaza to another, much larger, home in the same shopping center, has been waiting to open its …
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7:25 pm on Thursday, October 4, 2012
Don't you have it backwards? Since all the other members of the Council were voting the same way Bean wanted to, wouldn't the smart play have been to abstain, declare victory and move on to other business? It's hard to avoid the conclusion that Bean was affirmatively looking to stir up trouble. more ›