If you have a Twitter account perhaps try posting your thoughts about this on there. I have done so before when I was not satisfied with a company and received a response fairly quickly.
Dirty Doherty strikes again! This mayor and council are giving him the pavilion for $1.00! Under the phony auspices of Circle of Friends! (Deleted by Editor) What is his experience with special need individuals? Avon pavilion brought in thousands and thousands of dollars. The citizens of Belmar have been duped and ****** again! And by who else but Doherty. (Deleted by Editor) Doherty does nothing that doesn’t benefit Doherty. People of Belmar wake up! Doherty, go away!
Maria asked the right question. Will the circle of friends members be paid? And the answer is “no, they will be volunteering their time”… that’s terrible! I hope salaries won’t be taken by the 5013c execs. That’s extortion! Volunteer your time working the fryers and cleaning. BS! And this council fell for it!
So let me get this straight. The mayor and council (other than Ms. Kinney) will only speak for its residents if there is a petition against these cell towers. We voted for you to be our voice. Too much talk and no action. thank you Ms. Kinney for stepping up while others sit and ask public to do their job.
Send your complaints to Hans Vestberg CEO of Verizon. The least he can do is come and present his plan to our residents and sit on our beach prior to installing these towers.
Basking Ridge Operational Headquarters
One Verizon Way, Basking Ridge, New Jersey 07920, USA
908-559-2001
NJ12 News has been contacted and they think there is a story here – they will be investigating – Verizon will not want this negative publicity – and Verizon is coming for our neighboring towns next…has anyone inquired Why Belmar and not the other towns?
(Deleted by Editor, cannot verify this information.)
#13 In order for it to have settled, in the “Settlement Agreement”, the two parties have to agree to the settlement. So yes, the Walisfer administration agreed to the settlement, and the settlement included the 20 towers.
#16 Are you trying to tell me that he would be fighting against his own agreed upon settlement? Did you read the settlement? It is an agreement between the Walsifer administration and Verizon, and it lets Verizon build the towers partly in exchange for Verizon agreeing to not appeal the Mamalukes denial.
Whether he lives on Ocean Ave or not, it’s pretty clear. Walsifer agreed in the settlement to let them build the 20 towers. Read the agreement, I re-posted the link for the prior blog post. His name, MARK WALSIFER, is right there listed first. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XSXV0-rXUbVybp6yfgv8e7o7T6Fw6Vq0/view
#19 Resident. The minimum bid of $5000/mo is too high. Nobody can turn a profit at that location at that lease amount. Merrymakers tried, Jimmy’s Pizza tried, La Playa tried.
Set a lower opening minimum and have a live bid process. Advertise it as an open bid. Belmar did this in the past for concessions.
Or is it better to have a Circle of Friends Cafe that isn’t dependent on turning a profit. I do believe that the staff should earn a wage as part of the ‘learning’ process.
I believe the taxpayers are getting the shaft on this one dollar deal it’s not like we are not still paying for it or its upkeep, I forgot how wealthy of a town we are we just keep giving everything away at a discount.
That space rented for 30 grand before. That price is not unfair. Unfortunately when Doherty pushed for the 5 million dollar piece of junk that was built the rental space no longer had inside seating. I remember Be Green in there, it was lovely. You could come inside or go sit out on the beach side deck area which had rockers to enjoy the ocean view. Now the Taylor is locked up tight. If you are inside there is no view of the beautiful sunset because there’s a wall. Constantly in need of repair. No outside seating for visitors. Overall that was a total scam on the Belmar taxpayers.
If this administration backs this Doherty deal it will not work out well.
Au contraire, Avon is run like a Business. Taylor Pavilion echoes “It’s free, it’s free” ad nauseum reverberating through your ears, silly voters. A pig in a poke is what mcdirtys great white elephant will forever be known as, every time you pay your tax bill. You’re falling for his bunk again?
Now Doherty is shrouding his dubious actions under the guise of a wonderful charity. Could he get any lower than this? And now that he’s president of Circle of Friends, which is included in the story on the cafe plan in his PR site, TAPinto Belmar/Lake Como, is he getting paid? Why doesn’t he just go away. Nobody wants him around.
Don’t get me wrong because I think the Circle of Friends is such a great organization and is so beneficial to our community, however, I was driving down Main Street this morning thinking maybe there would have been a better option. But I wish them success.
My second question is if this program and cafe is successful, what’s going to happen in the years to come is Belmar now basically tied in to a one dollar lease thanks to Matt?
Matt bought Tap into as a PR strategy. He now controls the narrative. I know people will say “sour grapes” on my part, but I really don’t care. Every article leading up to the past election was slanted against Mark Walsifer and team. All negative articles and not one mention of the 8th Ave project that was NOT approved by Mark’s administration because it was deemed too big. And I could be wrong about the number but I believe Mark and Jim McCracken helped raise 8,000 for the Circle of Friends at the BFC last fall. No mention of that either in the Doherty propaganda machine.
And in the most recent article about 5G towers in Tapinto, it never mentioned the fact that Matt’s administration opened the door to Verizon in 2018 with a presentation, and that Matt loved the idea because Belmar would get “Free” wifi!!!
You’re right Katrina. I just watched the video of the meeting. Dirty Doherty is such a *********. He’s so condescending and phony. I wouldn’t trust him at all.
#31 Katrina, what I believe was a big factor in your campaign, at least for me, was how you threw your lot in with Mark. If you would have ran as more an independent voice, separate from Mark and his cronies, I think you would have won. Instead you wrote an op-ed in the coast star singing his praises when even the right of center audience here was sick and tired of his ways.
#31 Katrina I think you worked really hard the whole campaign season and it was clear to me when I had a chance to speak to you at a couple of the events you were your own thinker the same person who got up for years and addressed the Mayor and Council.
How come no one is addressing how Mayor B and his crew swore up and down that they wouldn’t give things away, they weren’t in bed with matt, blah blah blah, etc. and they just gave him the spot on the beach because he asked for it?
Oh please, Mark & Friends may have not approved the 8th Avenue project but instead gave us approvals for the monster at 9th & Main, the new replacement for The Belmar Inn and its slew of variances, and let’s not forget The Mediterranean is still lingering in the shadows, possibly for years to come.
I wrote an op-ed supporting Mark Walsifer because I believed then, and still believe, that he worked tirelessly for the welfare of Belmar. And Jim McCracken is a man of integrity Period. I got to know both of these men while running with them and before that I went to every meeting and watched how they handled the overwhelming financial burden our town was under, the mess that the borough hall building was in, dealing with existing development situations, all while struggling to protect Belmar during the Covid 19 pandemic. I believe they did a great job. Oh and I like Ed Kirshenbaum too.
For the record: I understood the 9th Ave project was an already approved project under Matt D, that Mark sincerely believed he was improving the project by getting it set back 35 feet from resident next door and lowering the easternmost portion to 35ft. And I think that building is very nice and an improvement for the town.
The Belmar Inn was approved by the zoning board not Mark Walsifer. If you have a problem with that then take it up with those individuals who spend tireless hours on a thankless job or ask to be placed in that board. And though a few were Mark appointees most were serving out their existing terms.
And for the record: be careful what you ask for because the current Master Plan allows for a much uglier building on the 35 property. No set backs, tremendous density.
I also agree with the buying of the 12th Ave building and creating an Emergency Operations center.
So please understand that didn’t “go along to get along.” I agreed with my running mates. I still do.
That is my truth and it is what it is.
I agree with and respect Katrina. I also respect Mark but acknowledge he got caught up in some bad scenarios.
I also know that the new administration is aligning themselves with troublesome actors from the towns past that are like *******.
#31 You are right about Matt. He was/is a terrible actor. His admin created a financial shell game that we will feel for years to come. However, you are giving too much power to his little free online newspaper. That was purchased, most likely, so he had something to do. If you believe that a single voter in this town was influenced by that free publication, you don’t have a lot of faith in the voters of this town.
Mark lost, not because of TapInto. Mark lost because he, or at least his people, did what Matt did. They betrayed our trust. EK behaved like a ***** with power. Favors and jobs were given to friends. And yes, large development deals were approved on his watch. Unfortunately, ‘the buck stops here’ is true no matter what party you belong to.
If this current admin begins to pull the same nonsense, they too will be voted out. I admire your openness about your support for Mark, and I agree he is a great guy, but I try not to let my hatred for the Doherty admin cloud my judgment about other administrations. All Belmar voters should assess all administrations objectively.
#38 and that’s why you and Mark lost. In my opinion, the damage Mark did to the town will be felt for decades.
(Sentence deleted by Editor.)
He improved the 9th and main building??? It was a redevelopment plan. The council could have made that plan whatever they wanted. They chose that.
The Belmar Inn was approved by a zoning board whose members were appointed by Mark by Mark, the vote was 6 to 1. All of Mark’s appointees voted for it, not against.
He bought the 12th and Main polluted site from the BAs family ***********, instead of contributing an extra 35k to the First Aid Squad. Oh and bought trucks and all the equipment also. Tell me again how great he was financially.
Then as a final act, he agreed to the Verizon settlement to place 20 towers on the beach.
Like I said the damage he has done in 4 years will be felt for decades. It is sad.
It’s very funny how all of you keyboard warriors have all the answers. Anonymously of course.
I freely admit all of the reasons you say as to why we lost.. If there’s one important thing I learned by openly running for council it’s that things look very different from inside the fish bowl.
Why didn’t you go to Mark and ask to be appointed to Zoning. Put your money where your anonymous mouth is? It’s quite easy to say what should or could have been done when no one knows who you are. Quite different to put yourself out there to be battered by shadows. Go ahead. Volunteer your time openly and to the best of your ability.
As far as 12th Ave in relationship to the former First Aid, you again have some facts missing. I believe it was prudent of Mark to ask for more info about the first aid operations. And when offered the same amount of money (as eminent domain demands) as they were going to accept from Mr Merkler, the first aid rejected the offer. Also I believe, and here we disagree again, that that property being utilized and cleaned up is a good thing for Belmar.
Just another question for all of you anonymous sources, where did all the money go that was received by the first aid? I thought, and of course will accept correction, that those monies were to be donated to charities and specifically some Belmar charities. Anyone know the answer to that question? And if you’re going to answer please say who you are and what your source of information is.
Thanks.
#43. The statements contained in the latter part of your post are not the truth. I know that it would be very burdensome to read the available legal documents, especially the bid specifications, the actual signed bids, and the correspondence between attorneys in this matter, but if you’re going to spout off here, you should educate yourself on the facts, and relay such. You are way off, and what concerns me is that people may think that you know what you’re talking about.
My name is Jeannie Hines. I’m the wife of Fran Hines, who, along with his father, and brothers, voluntarily spent their lives serving the residents of Belmar and it was their honor to do so. They were born and raised here, and loved their town. I am your source. The proceeds from the sale of the building are being held in an attorney trust account. When the company hired to manage, and vet the chosen charities begins disbursing, anyone who is interested will have any information they’d like. The charities will benefit the residents of Belmar and other local charities.
Anyone that lives in Belmar should know that the Belmar First Aid (the oldest FAS in tube country, btw), was in the business of giving, not taking. The integrity of this organization and character of its members is unsurpassed.
I hope the residents of Belmar never forget this administration’s legacy, on so many issues.
Thanks Jeannie. I think it’s great that you will share that information when it becomes available. I never disparaged the BFA. All I said was that the BFA didn’t accept the offer from the borough and that it was the same amount that was offered by Bill Merkler. Is that not so?
#47. nothing you stated is so. You wouldn’t have to ask if you did your own research. And you did disparage the BFAS; you disparaged it by not seeking the truth, by spreading misinformation, by not standing up for an organization that served your town for 92 years, by believing it wasn’t transparent because someone told you so, and by believing lies when everything you needed to determine the truth was available. You disparaged the BFAS.
Jeannie, I did read all of the documents. The borough published all correspondence on its website when this was going on.
I admit to wondering why the BFA didn’t let the borough take over operations and pay off debt etc. I also admit to interest into where the monies were (or I guess will in the future) be donated. I don’t think my curiosity is unwarranted. I do not believe I’m alone in that interest.
Thank you all for your service and I look forward to your sharing (hopefully in this blog) when those proceeds are distributed and to who.
#48 it never was published anywhere but you would know what charity or charities got donations from belmar first aid? If there is a place where this information is posted I would love to see it
#49 Eminent domain was what Mark tried to use. That is the state forcing a sale. Market value? Yes, but still a forced sale.
And when the citizens of this town started a petition to simply have the eminent domain option put on the ballot? Mark folded like a beach chair. Because he knew, like the rest of us know, it was a bad idea. Now we are buying a contaminated property for millions of dollars from the former BA’s family. I can say say with absolute certainty, that if Matt did the exact same thing, you would be furious. Perhaps this new admin isn’t the answer to our problems, but the last one wasn’t either.
First off let me say the BFA was a good thing for the community. But let’s be honest, there are a lot of questions about them that remain to be unanswered.
Great to see you back with “your truth” and very little facts.
Great to know also that you have “like” for Ed Kirschenbaum. You’re one of the few. By the way, you spelled his name wrong. You left off the “C” for cronyism.
Go away! Take The Doherty Family with you and let the town heal from years of bull$#!t from ALL of the self-entitled, egotistical, narcissistic, misogynistic false patriots who grew the government for their cop cronies and college buddies and who drank the same partisan Kool-Aid you did, just different colors.
They all thought they could make politics personal with members of the community to run their respective autocracies in a small town where the working class folks all knew the truth but lived in fear of speaking it because of the threats. The days when we lived in fear and you had the narrative from your “fishbowl” bubble are over. They all told you they were happy with Mark and your “team” and you still can’t believe your team got swept because what you heard and what occurred were so opposite?!? That’s because they were all terrorized to tell you the truth for fear of repercussions such as the ones The Hines Family and Belmar First Aid members, the brave veterans who organized against you, and several business owners like me who will remain anonymous for that very reason experienced. Well, that and how all the far left and far right radical members of political parties like yourself and Doherty are suffering because you believe the lies you were fed by your “handlers”.
It’s ironic how you exposed Doherty and gained the hearts and minds of many in our community but now have lost all that credibility through your partisan hypocrisy. I for one pity you as, like many, I once considered you a viable candidate, and the rest are simply enjoying watching you spout off “your truth” as you spiral down.
We need more women in leadership positions but not ones that are simply “cheerleaders” for the alpha males running roughshod over our small town and still fighting for control past their prime and their time because they are spoiled, and self-entitled and surrounded by “yes men” and “cheerleaders”; Just like Trump and Biden.
If you have a Twitter account perhaps try posting your thoughts about this on there. I have done so before when I was not satisfied with a company and received a response fairly quickly.
Dirty Doherty strikes again! This mayor and council are giving him the pavilion for $1.00! Under the phony auspices of Circle of Friends! (Deleted by Editor) What is his experience with special need individuals? Avon pavilion brought in thousands and thousands of dollars. The citizens of Belmar have been duped and ****** again! And by who else but Doherty. (Deleted by Editor) Doherty does nothing that doesn’t benefit Doherty. People of Belmar wake up! Doherty, go away!
The only circle of friends Doherty has is the Circle of Dirty Democrats!
I’ve been saying this for awhile now before voting that Doherty had mayor b in his pocket no one listened
Taxpayers take it on the chin again. That guy is like a bad cough. Never goes away. They are all in it together.
Maria asked the right question. Will the circle of friends members be paid? And the answer is “no, they will be volunteering their time”… that’s terrible! I hope salaries won’t be taken by the 5013c execs. That’s extortion! Volunteer your time working the fryers and cleaning. BS! And this council fell for it!
So let me get this straight. The mayor and council (other than Ms. Kinney) will only speak for its residents if there is a petition against these cell towers. We voted for you to be our voice. Too much talk and no action. thank you Ms. Kinney for stepping up while others sit and ask public to do their job.
Send your complaints to Hans Vestberg CEO of Verizon. The least he can do is come and present his plan to our residents and sit on our beach prior to installing these towers.
Basking Ridge Operational Headquarters
One Verizon Way, Basking Ridge, New Jersey 07920, USA
908-559-2001
Doherty will never go away. He’s a narcissist that has to feel relevant. What’s next, Nicolay trying to come back??
The towers are being built because Walsifer and his administration agreed to the settlement. Period.
At this point there’s not much the current mayor can do if the previous administration agreed to have them built.
Matt and his “Circle of Friends.” – HAR-HAR-HARDEE-HAR
Check out new Facebook page to oppose Verizons plans to construct 5G towers on Belmar beachfront
Walsifer administration didn’t agree to the settlement. It was the judge’s decision.
NJ12 News has been contacted and they think there is a story here – they will be investigating – Verizon will not want this negative publicity – and Verizon is coming for our neighboring towns next…has anyone inquired Why Belmar and not the other towns?
(Deleted by Editor, cannot verify this information.)
#13 In order for it to have settled, in the “Settlement Agreement”, the two parties have to agree to the settlement. So yes, the Walisfer administration agreed to the settlement, and the settlement included the 20 towers.
Walsifer fought against Verizon. If he was still Mayor he would still be fighting. He lives on Ocean Ave.
#16 Are you trying to tell me that he would be fighting against his own agreed upon settlement? Did you read the settlement? It is an agreement between the Walsifer administration and Verizon, and it lets Verizon build the towers partly in exchange for Verizon agreeing to not appeal the Mamalukes denial.
Whether he lives on Ocean Ave or not, it’s pretty clear. Walsifer agreed in the settlement to let them build the 20 towers. Read the agreement, I re-posted the link for the prior blog post. His name, MARK WALSIFER, is right there listed first.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XSXV0-rXUbVybp6yfgv8e7o7T6Fw6Vq0/view
I find it hard to believe there was “No Interest” in biding for the Taylor Pavilion concession.
Did Belmar taxpayers bankroll a stranded asset?
Amen Eugene! How they could not market this pavilion concession for a fair amount is beyond me!
#19 Resident. The minimum bid of $5000/mo is too high. Nobody can turn a profit at that location at that lease amount. Merrymakers tried, Jimmy’s Pizza tried, La Playa tried.
Set a lower opening minimum and have a live bid process. Advertise it as an open bid. Belmar did this in the past for concessions.
Or is it better to have a Circle of Friends Cafe that isn’t dependent on turning a profit. I do believe that the staff should earn a wage as part of the ‘learning’ process.
Here is the BID NOTICE
It is for 6 months. May 1 – October 31.
https://belmar.com/pressitem.php?id=252
I believe the taxpayers are getting the shaft on this one dollar deal it’s not like we are not still paying for it or its upkeep, I forgot how wealthy of a town we are we just keep giving everything away at a discount.
That space rented for 30 grand before. That price is not unfair. Unfortunately when Doherty pushed for the 5 million dollar piece of junk that was built the rental space no longer had inside seating. I remember Be Green in there, it was lovely. You could come inside or go sit out on the beach side deck area which had rockers to enjoy the ocean view. Now the Taylor is locked up tight. If you are inside there is no view of the beautiful sunset because there’s a wall. Constantly in need of repair. No outside seating for visitors. Overall that was a total scam on the Belmar taxpayers.
If this administration backs this Doherty deal it will not work out well.
Eugene I agree with you on both points.
This is an absolute joke. Doherty cares for no one but himself.
How come Avon can get so much for their pavilion?
Au contraire, Avon is run like a Business. Taylor Pavilion echoes “It’s free, it’s free” ad nauseum reverberating through your ears, silly voters. A pig in a poke is what mcdirtys great white elephant will forever be known as, every time you pay your tax bill. You’re falling for his bunk again?
I was hoping for a change with the new mayor Buccafusco. But I’m already starting to see more of the same cronyism. (Deleted by Editor.)
Now Doherty is shrouding his dubious actions under the guise of a wonderful charity. Could he get any lower than this? And now that he’s president of Circle of Friends, which is included in the story on the cafe plan in his PR site, TAPinto Belmar/Lake Como, is he getting paid? Why doesn’t he just go away. Nobody wants him around.
#27 It’s got to be the water
Don’t get me wrong because I think the Circle of Friends is such a great organization and is so beneficial to our community, however, I was driving down Main Street this morning thinking maybe there would have been a better option. But I wish them success.
My second question is if this program and cafe is successful, what’s going to happen in the years to come is Belmar now basically tied in to a one dollar lease thanks to Matt?
Matt bought Tap into as a PR strategy. He now controls the narrative. I know people will say “sour grapes” on my part, but I really don’t care. Every article leading up to the past election was slanted against Mark Walsifer and team. All negative articles and not one mention of the 8th Ave project that was NOT approved by Mark’s administration because it was deemed too big. And I could be wrong about the number but I believe Mark and Jim McCracken helped raise 8,000 for the Circle of Friends at the BFC last fall. No mention of that either in the Doherty propaganda machine.
And in the most recent article about 5G towers in Tapinto, it never mentioned the fact that Matt’s administration opened the door to Verizon in 2018 with a presentation, and that Matt loved the idea because Belmar would get “Free” wifi!!!
Could he get any lower than this?
————————————–
“You mustn’t be discouraged, there’s always one step further down you can go.”
#32 “Could he get any lower than this?”
Yep, potential slum lord in A.C., in my humble opinion, of course.
You’re right Katrina. I just watched the video of the meeting. Dirty Doherty is such a *********. He’s so condescending and phony. I wouldn’t trust him at all.
(Asterisks are mine, Editor.)
#31 Katrina, what I believe was a big factor in your campaign, at least for me, was how you threw your lot in with Mark. If you would have ran as more an independent voice, separate from Mark and his cronies, I think you would have won. Instead you wrote an op-ed in the coast star singing his praises when even the right of center audience here was sick and tired of his ways.
#31 Katrina I think you worked really hard the whole campaign season and it was clear to me when I had a chance to speak to you at a couple of the events you were your own thinker the same person who got up for years and addressed the Mayor and Council.
How come no one is addressing how Mayor B and his crew swore up and down that they wouldn’t give things away, they weren’t in bed with matt, blah blah blah, etc. and they just gave him the spot on the beach because he asked for it?
Oh please, Mark & Friends may have not approved the 8th Avenue project but instead gave us approvals for the monster at 9th & Main, the new replacement for The Belmar Inn and its slew of variances, and let’s not forget The Mediterranean is still lingering in the shadows, possibly for years to come.
I wrote an op-ed supporting Mark Walsifer because I believed then, and still believe, that he worked tirelessly for the welfare of Belmar. And Jim McCracken is a man of integrity Period. I got to know both of these men while running with them and before that I went to every meeting and watched how they handled the overwhelming financial burden our town was under, the mess that the borough hall building was in, dealing with existing development situations, all while struggling to protect Belmar during the Covid 19 pandemic. I believe they did a great job. Oh and I like Ed Kirshenbaum too.
For the record: I understood the 9th Ave project was an already approved project under Matt D, that Mark sincerely believed he was improving the project by getting it set back 35 feet from resident next door and lowering the easternmost portion to 35ft. And I think that building is very nice and an improvement for the town.
The Belmar Inn was approved by the zoning board not Mark Walsifer. If you have a problem with that then take it up with those individuals who spend tireless hours on a thankless job or ask to be placed in that board. And though a few were Mark appointees most were serving out their existing terms.
And for the record: be careful what you ask for because the current Master Plan allows for a much uglier building on the 35 property. No set backs, tremendous density.
I also agree with the buying of the 12th Ave building and creating an Emergency Operations center.
So please understand that didn’t “go along to get along.” I agreed with my running mates. I still do.
That is my truth and it is what it is.
That is why you’re on the blog and not the dais.
I agree with and respect Katrina. I also respect Mark but acknowledge he got caught up in some bad scenarios.
I also know that the new administration is aligning themselves with troublesome actors from the towns past that are like *******.
(Asterisks are mine, Editor.)
#31 You are right about Matt. He was/is a terrible actor. His admin created a financial shell game that we will feel for years to come. However, you are giving too much power to his little free online newspaper. That was purchased, most likely, so he had something to do. If you believe that a single voter in this town was influenced by that free publication, you don’t have a lot of faith in the voters of this town.
Mark lost, not because of TapInto. Mark lost because he, or at least his people, did what Matt did. They betrayed our trust. EK behaved like a ***** with power. Favors and jobs were given to friends. And yes, large development deals were approved on his watch. Unfortunately, ‘the buck stops here’ is true no matter what party you belong to.
If this current admin begins to pull the same nonsense, they too will be voted out. I admire your openness about your support for Mark, and I agree he is a great guy, but I try not to let my hatred for the Doherty admin cloud my judgment about other administrations. All Belmar voters should assess all administrations objectively.
(Asterisks are mine, Editor.)
#38 and that’s why you and Mark lost. In my opinion, the damage Mark did to the town will be felt for decades.
(Sentence deleted by Editor.)
He improved the 9th and main building??? It was a redevelopment plan. The council could have made that plan whatever they wanted. They chose that.
The Belmar Inn was approved by a zoning board whose members were appointed by Mark by Mark, the vote was 6 to 1. All of Mark’s appointees voted for it, not against.
He bought the 12th and Main polluted site from the BAs family ***********, instead of contributing an extra 35k to the First Aid Squad. Oh and bought trucks and all the equipment also. Tell me again how great he was financially.
Then as a final act, he agreed to the Verizon settlement to place 20 towers on the beach.
Like I said the damage he has done in 4 years will be felt for decades. It is sad.
(Asterisks are mine, editor.)
It’s very funny how all of you keyboard warriors have all the answers. Anonymously of course.
I freely admit all of the reasons you say as to why we lost.. If there’s one important thing I learned by openly running for council it’s that things look very different from inside the fish bowl.
Why didn’t you go to Mark and ask to be appointed to Zoning. Put your money where your anonymous mouth is? It’s quite easy to say what should or could have been done when no one knows who you are. Quite different to put yourself out there to be battered by shadows. Go ahead. Volunteer your time openly and to the best of your ability.
As far as 12th Ave in relationship to the former First Aid, you again have some facts missing. I believe it was prudent of Mark to ask for more info about the first aid operations. And when offered the same amount of money (as eminent domain demands) as they were going to accept from Mr Merkler, the first aid rejected the offer. Also I believe, and here we disagree again, that that property being utilized and cleaned up is a good thing for Belmar.
Just another question for all of you anonymous sources, where did all the money go that was received by the first aid? I thought, and of course will accept correction, that those monies were to be donated to charities and specifically some Belmar charities. Anyone know the answer to that question? And if you’re going to answer please say who you are and what your source of information is.
Thanks.
Blah blah blah Sour grapes!
#43. The statements contained in the latter part of your post are not the truth. I know that it would be very burdensome to read the available legal documents, especially the bid specifications, the actual signed bids, and the correspondence between attorneys in this matter, but if you’re going to spout off here, you should educate yourself on the facts, and relay such. You are way off, and what concerns me is that people may think that you know what you’re talking about.
My name is Jeannie Hines. I’m the wife of Fran Hines, who, along with his father, and brothers, voluntarily spent their lives serving the residents of Belmar and it was their honor to do so. They were born and raised here, and loved their town. I am your source. The proceeds from the sale of the building are being held in an attorney trust account. When the company hired to manage, and vet the chosen charities begins disbursing, anyone who is interested will have any information they’d like. The charities will benefit the residents of Belmar and other local charities.
Anyone that lives in Belmar should know that the Belmar First Aid (the oldest FAS in tube country, btw), was in the business of giving, not taking. The integrity of this organization and character of its members is unsurpassed.
I hope the residents of Belmar never forget this administration’s legacy, on so many issues.
#43 You are a fountain of misinformation.
Thanks Jeannie. I think it’s great that you will share that information when it becomes available. I never disparaged the BFA. All I said was that the BFA didn’t accept the offer from the borough and that it was the same amount that was offered by Bill Merkler. Is that not so?
#47. nothing you stated is so. You wouldn’t have to ask if you did your own research. And you did disparage the BFAS; you disparaged it by not seeking the truth, by spreading misinformation, by not standing up for an organization that served your town for 92 years, by believing it wasn’t transparent because someone told you so, and by believing lies when everything you needed to determine the truth was available. You disparaged the BFAS.
Jeannie, I did read all of the documents. The borough published all correspondence on its website when this was going on.
I admit to wondering why the BFA didn’t let the borough take over operations and pay off debt etc. I also admit to interest into where the monies were (or I guess will in the future) be donated. I don’t think my curiosity is unwarranted. I do not believe I’m alone in that interest.
Thank you all for your service and I look forward to your sharing (hopefully in this blog) when those proceeds are distributed and to who.
#48 it never was published anywhere but you would know what charity or charities got donations from belmar first aid? If there is a place where this information is posted I would love to see it
#49 is clearly being fed misinformation while her fingers are feverishly typing away. Shame on her.
Thank you for putting up with this exchange. We are on our way back home from Belmar to jump back in the wonderful life God gave us. God Bless y’all
#51 and the donations and the profits from BFAS gave you……
#49 Eminent domain was what Mark tried to use. That is the state forcing a sale. Market value? Yes, but still a forced sale.
And when the citizens of this town started a petition to simply have the eminent domain option put on the ballot? Mark folded like a beach chair. Because he knew, like the rest of us know, it was a bad idea. Now we are buying a contaminated property for millions of dollars from the former BA’s family. I can say say with absolute certainty, that if Matt did the exact same thing, you would be furious. Perhaps this new admin isn’t the answer to our problems, but the last one wasn’t either.
First off let me say the BFA was a good thing for the community. But let’s be honest, there are a lot of questions about them that remain to be unanswered.
Katrina.
Great to see you back with “your truth” and very little facts.
Great to know also that you have “like” for Ed Kirschenbaum. You’re one of the few. By the way, you spelled his name wrong. You left off the “C” for cronyism.
Go away! Take The Doherty Family with you and let the town heal from years of bull$#!t from ALL of the self-entitled, egotistical, narcissistic, misogynistic false patriots who grew the government for their cop cronies and college buddies and who drank the same partisan Kool-Aid you did, just different colors.
They all thought they could make politics personal with members of the community to run their respective autocracies in a small town where the working class folks all knew the truth but lived in fear of speaking it because of the threats. The days when we lived in fear and you had the narrative from your “fishbowl” bubble are over. They all told you they were happy with Mark and your “team” and you still can’t believe your team got swept because what you heard and what occurred were so opposite?!? That’s because they were all terrorized to tell you the truth for fear of repercussions such as the ones The Hines Family and Belmar First Aid members, the brave veterans who organized against you, and several business owners like me who will remain anonymous for that very reason experienced. Well, that and how all the far left and far right radical members of political parties like yourself and Doherty are suffering because you believe the lies you were fed by your “handlers”.
It’s ironic how you exposed Doherty and gained the hearts and minds of many in our community but now have lost all that credibility through your partisan hypocrisy. I for one pity you as, like many, I once considered you a viable candidate, and the rest are simply enjoying watching you spout off “your truth” as you spiral down.
We need more women in leadership positions but not ones that are simply “cheerleaders” for the alpha males running roughshod over our small town and still fighting for control past their prime and their time because they are spoiled, and self-entitled and surrounded by “yes men” and “cheerleaders”; Just like Trump and Biden.
Bravo!!55
You Hines’ think you’re much more important and relevant than you actually are.