By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.net. December 17, 2015. Trenton, NJ, USA
The stage was set in a conference room at the Broad Street headquarters of the NJ Department of Community Affairs in Trenton. This was to be an important session of the Parking and Streets Committee which was to consider Neptune Township’s application for a Special Area designation in Ocean Grove.
Joseph E. Doyle, Jr. , Chairman of the Site Improvement Advisory Board (SIAB) was seated around a rectangular table with his colleagues. They began the meeting with some brief business. Kevin Chambers, Jack Bredin and I were in our seats after having taken a walking tour of historic downtown Trenton as we made our way to the big white building.

Jack Bredin (left) and Kevin Chambers in Trenton, waiting for the SIAB meeting to begin. Dec. 17, 2015. Paul Goldfinger photo. Breaking news.
Sitting with us was Dr. Carol Livingston, the only other Grover to show up.
We noticed that no one from Neptune Township was present, especially the Planner who, we expected, would present the Township’s application for a special RSIS parking area standard. As the Chairman announced that he was ready to begin the Ocean Grove application, two men entered the room.
One was Vito Gadaleta, the Neptune Twp business manager. The other man was not identified. Gadaleta did not look happy; it seemed clear that he really didn’t want to be there. “Mr. Chairman,” he said, ” We cannot go forward today because our town attorney had to be at another case.”
The Committee looked startled at this revelation. After all, there were other incidences in the past where the Township began this process but, each time, failed to finish. This time they had jumped through enough DCA hoops to get to this point. This meeting of the Parking and Streets Sub-committee wouldn’t have resolved the matter, but it would have created the groundwork to have Neptune’s request decided upon by the big dog—-ie the SIAB.
Chairman Doyle is a calm, experienced and cheerful Board chairman, and he is very professional—-so he did not react emotionally. After all, the Township was wasting everybody’s time including not only his people’s, but the OG contingent as well. He merely looked at Gadaleta and said, “Your application will not be considered now. You are being denied without prejudice. If you want to continue applying for the special standard, you have to start the process all over again.”
Chairman Doyle struck me as being in the same mold as George Washington who spent time in Trenton. You can’t help but have some 18th century thoughts as you walk around Trenton.
Mr. Gadaleta stood there and heard that the Township must resubmit the application, make changes if they wish, again obtain a Township resolution, explain again why they want the exception, and finally they must have public hearings and publicize the hearings so that we can bring a crowd there if we wish. Then he turned and vanished into the gloom (It was a gloomy day outside, matching Gadaleta’s mood.)
Team OG did not despair, because Chairman Doyle and his committee were gracious enough to let us speak to them as they do care what the Ocean Grove citizens have to say. He did not permit any detailed technical discussions about the matter, but we were thrilled to go on the record, in general, about the topics of the day.
Each of us spoke briefly and we also had the chance after the meeting to talk with some members of the Board. We found them to sympathetic and interested. We even got to have coffee and some outrageous baked goods including, gulp, chocolate eclairs.
This is a summary of what the 4 members of Team OG got to say to the Board:
Neptune was secretive when they submitted their application last summer. None of us were given the chance to tell the Neptunites about our concerns, and we want that to change if there is a next time. We want to bring a big crowd to that meeting in Neptune if it occurs.
No one seems to know why Neptune wanted to push their application and then why they failed to show up today. None of us on Team Grove believed Gadaleta’s excuse.
I told the Board that Neptune is “playing them” and “disrespecting” them and our fellow citizens back in the Grove.
We asked that they get a clear answer next time as to the real reason for the application since historical preservation is a ridiculous excuse.
We told them about our Blogfinger poll where 300 people took part, and 86% did not trust the Neptune Committee to do what is “fair and right for Ocean Grove.” I got to explain that Ocean Grove is a special place with our own culture, demographics and concerns. Both Mr. John Lago of the DCA and Chairman Boyle told me that have been following Blogfinger regarding this matter.
Jack Bredin got to review some of our unique history which makes OG a very special case with regards to zoning and RISS standards. He also presented his unique recommendation to exempt the standards for single family homes but not for multi -family buildings such as condominiums. More on this idea later.
Carol Livingston gave a short but powerful description of what she, a grandmother in the Grove, has to go through to deal with parking problems in season. After the meeting we got to tell Mr. Doyle that our “season” now lasts about 6 months. He said that he visits OG often, and he did experience parking trouble when attending a summer event at the Great Auditorium.
Kevin Chambers got to tell the Board about some of his ideas regarding illegal activities involving the Township in relation to zoning and RSIS regulations. He told them about his Main Avenue law suit.
We asked the Chairman to explain how Neptune could ignore State laws about required parking and that such disdain has resulted in the rise of a number of condominiums built without parking. He said that his Board deals with RSIS standards, but they are not an enforcement body. If we in Ocean Grove want something done, we need to go through the courts or to go to other State agencies to complain.
My comments were read and then handed to the secretary to make part of the minutes. Jack and Kevin put away their written comments for another day.
Team OG left feeling that we had a successful day despite the no-show crowd from Neptune.
We thanked the SIAB members who were so kind, hospitable and caring. As Jack said, “Democracy in action, even though there wasn’t much action.”
I felt proud to be there, as we actually got to experience representative transparent government, unlike what we get in Neptune.
Cast of Hamilton: “History has its eyes on you.”





























