This gateway will see a lot less traffic after today. PG photo
BULLETIN:
So much for the cooperation and mutual benefits between our two towns. The link is below. The Asbury Park Council has committed an atrocious mistake in voting against the Grove FEMA appeal. Blogfinger will immediately cancel our “Asbury Connection” program which is to promote a relationship between these two complimentary communities. The next step should be a boycott of all Asbury businesses and activities until the Asbury Park Council comes to its senses and realizes what a moronic mistake they have made.
In addition, the reporter who wrote the piece got the last sentence totally wrong. She needs to do her homework. The FEMA denial had nothing to do with the fact that the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association is a private, nonprofit. It was about the FEMA definition of the boardwalk as a recreational venue.
Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.
We will post that recipe today or tomorrow. Bon appetito! —-Eileen (food editor @Blogfinger)
Paul, I was commenting not to make a dig at (skinny) Al but to make light of the situation. I got a puppy to get me off the couch & the exercise I need. (It worked by the way) While I understand Fat Al’s plight of the long walk, I sure do appreciate the locked gates. I walk my dog in the late evening and as you well know, the Grove is pretty darn quiet at night after a certain hour and I feel better knowing the gates are locked. Even if the element can still get in by walking by Duncan Donuts, It does serve as a deterrent, and peace of mind as well. Thanks for providing all the helpful info about OG.
P.S. I would love to try Eileen’ Heart healthy pizza!
Kathleen. I know Fat Al,and he,amazingly,is a skinny guy. But regardless of his weight, a walk on the boardwalk will be a good thing for him and everybody else. Just read our book on preventing heart disease, and you, and Fat Al, and Ken can learn how to make Eileen’s heart healthy pizza at home. —Paul
To Fat Al, no disrespect but if your ID dictates reality maybe you should always walk from the boardwalk to the Boulevard for your health. It will do you good to get some exercise. Locking the gates keeps my property safe and secure. I vote to lock the Gates.
It does not help Asbury Park’s businesses at all to deny supporting OG for FEMA funds. First, there are probably more gay people living in OG than Asbury Park, so they don’t have an argument there, and second, the amount of people that attend the restaurants and other facilities in AP is huge.
What an economic impact that would be to not have the board connect.
As far as the gates being locked, if you ever had a bike stolen or anything stolen off your porch you can be quite certain the perpetrator (s) came from Asbury Park. I live off New Jersey Ave, which is where one of the bridges connect to AP and I have had 4, that’s FOUR BIKES stolen and I have had a few things stolen off my porch. These items in turn, get sold at the local flea markets. So unless you have any experiance in this matter, you shouldn’t have anything to say about it. LOCK THE GATES!!! If there weren’t any thefts or break-ins we wouldn’t need the OGCP. (Thank You OG Citizens Patrol). Asbury Park is shooting themselves in the foot.
A boycott would be playing games.
Asbury Park is already losing Ocean Grove and Bradley Beach foot traffic and business.
Until our boardwalk is repaired and the Casino reopened, it is Asbury who will suffer.
I’ve enjoyed visiting Ocean Grove and have family living there, but I was sure FEMA wouldn’t help you and am very sorry to hear that you are on your own. Asbury Park not helping your appeal is inexcuseable. With friends and neighbors like that….
Here you have a gay community, Asbury Park, penalizing another gay community, Ocean Grove, because they are not judged as more gay supportive. This is the epitome of discrimination and will give me a good reason not to visit a single Asbury Park business going forward. I could give a rats as$ about the gay issue, this is about two neighbors living together. Shame on AP for this vote.
The suggestion of a boycott was so disturbing it made my head spin! Thank you to all you reasonable voices who suggested teaming up with and finding support within the AP community to build real agreement through common goals.
AP and OG are two of the greatest towns on the Jersey Shore — each benefiting from the others traditions — and there are plenty of people who want to work together while maintaining the individuality of each. I am so grateful for a new generation that sees and appreciates AP for what it is now — and aren’t stuck with what it was 30 years ago.
A lot of OG residents make their living in AP — support your neighbors, find strength in solidarity over common goals, and honor differences — they are the refiner’s fire!
Have members of the AP Council and the CMA ever sat down together to discuss mutual issues and shared responses? This is not about the residents of OG it’s about policies and attitudes of the CMA which are preceived to be alive and well as recently as the summer of 2012 the Cameron issue.
Regardless of the size of gay population in OG, CMA is affiliated with a religion that does not endorse homosexuality as an accepted life style.
As a small business owner, I would just like to point out the damage that can be done with a boycott. I assume the success of the boycott would mean you get the A.P. city council to change their minds. But with that, there is a possiblility that I could lose my business and have to lay off the nine people that work for me. This would also impact the local businesses that I purchase my goods from. Times are tough. A 20% loss of business would really hurt me. I just hope everyone realizes the shrapnel that comes from a boycott. I guess living in O.G. and owning a buisness in A.P. makes me ( and my employees) doomed.
(and yes, I realize how much business I get form the O.G. boardwalk)
Deirdre: All your feel-good rhetoric about the Asbury Park Council does not change the fact that their official action was to deny Ocean Grove the support that it needed. Until they change that vote, all your speculations are meaningless.
As for “badmouthing all of Asbury Park,” who exactly is doing that? This conversation is about the Council’s action–an action which will be potentially harmful to the our chances of getting a FEMA reversal and thus potentially harmful to the people and businesses of the Grove.
Of all the comments I’ve read here, Carol’s makes the most sense – how do we get the Asbury Council to reconsider their decision? After all when you actually read the article about the vote, it becomes clear that this was hardly a case of the entire council turning its back on Ocean Grove. Only one member of the council voted against Ocean Grove, apparently in a short sighted fit of pique over the locked gates. The mayor was not present, and another councilman said he didn’t know enough about the issue – those two facts in and of themselves should be reason enough to call for another vote, given that the remaining two council members favored supporting the Grove’s appeal.
They showed themselves to be good neighbors and true friends of both Ocean Grove and their own boardwalk businesses. Ms. Henderson clearly gets it, pointing out that the unrepaired boardwalk will hurt Asbury Park businesses. And Mr. Loffredo showed considerable strength of character by voting for the appeal in spite of his understandable personal misgivings about some of CMA’s policies.
So we have reason to praise two of Asbury’s council members, and reason to hope that at least one of two others might be convinced that the economic health of their own community is tied to ours. Perhaps we should approach Ms. Henderson and Mr. Loffredo and ask them how we might best convince their colleagues to hold another vote.
I strongly suspect that badmouthing all of Asbury Park is not the best way to go about it.
Obviously the AP council isn’t up to date on things. Since last year, Ocean Grove United has met several times with the newly installed OGCMA Adminstration, Bill Bailey and Ralph Del Campo, who are making an effort (even before the hurricane) to improve relations with OG’s gay community.
Editor’s note: We have been trying to moderate the comments by posting those that are sticking to the subject, i.e. the failure of the Asbury Park Council to support the FEMA application. Only a tiny percent of the nearly 3,000 visits to the blog yesterday offered a comment, and the majority have been posted.
Some have been attacking the idea of a boycott, but it is just that—an idea. It is an idea that can be implemented by a group or by individuals. We did not offer to organize one. I do speak for myself when I say that my own attitude towards Asbury Park has changed dramatically because of what has occurred, and I suspect that many Grovers might feel the same way.
Anyone who has been paying attention to the blood, sweat and tears that have gone into the post-Sandy effort by the CMA, volunteers from all over, and the citizens of Ocean Grove for the last five months can understand the anger at the AP action.
There will not be a formal call for a boycott–at least not from me, but how individual Grovers will behave in this regard is another story. Damage has been done to a friendship, and that may be hard to repair.
As for the Asbury Connection, that refers to a series of articles which we have done, from time to time, reporting on wonderful events in AP that Grovers might enjoy. Right now I am in no mood to continue that gesture.
We encourage an ongoing discussion here that meets our standards—Paul
Really, really dumb. Morally and economically dumb. The gates were locked to stop criminal elements from Asbury entering Ocean Grove, very effectively too! Crime in OG dropped dramatically right away.
This short-sighted, narrow-minded decision will set back the relationship between OG and AP many years. Just as both towns have begun to, as in the very early days, be viewed as a single destination for visitors to enjoy, a small spiteful group has decided to grind their axe.
As President of the Chamber of Commerce, I have attended the meetings with the CMA to discuss preparations for the summer and dealing with the reality of an incomplete boardwalk. At the top of their list of what MUST be accomplished by Memorial Day is to restore the connection at the north end to the Casino.
You are punishing People, all types of People including your own business People.
Asbury Park should have backed up O.G.
Since the gates have been locked, crime had dropped 90% according to police.
Once again Asbury Park makes a really big dumb mistake. The current AP council will soon be history as elections are coming up in AP. OG does not need AP’s approval or blessing. We will pull together and repair our beach/boardwalk. In doing so we will show them just what a great community we are. Ironic that AP is against OG’s receiving goverment help, yet they constantly are being bailed out by state & federal government.
What about our neighbor to the south? Did the Bradley Beach council address the issue at all? Did they pass a resolution of support for the CMA’s FEMA appeal?
I have really supported the Asbury Park renewal over the last few years. I think it has been an awesome thing that MANY Ocean Grovers have supported. This lack of support from them is very disappointing. I do not support a boycott of their businesses because I do not think that the business owners are at fault here. The town council is in need of boycotting.
John Lofredo is an agent at Jack Green Realty and he should have supported this effort !00%. He voted yes “BUT” had to bring up the gay community issue. Both towns have thriving gay populations and that was just silly on his part to bring up.
I see the CMA making huge strides here in bringing all of our diverse community together to rebuild. Asbury needs to endorse this effort to insure their own continued success. OG will always thrive. Asbury’s future really does rely more on outsiders that choose to visit and spend their money and go home. I hope they revisit this issue and come to a more positive decision that will support both towns’ efforts to recover and rebuild.
Rich, it is fair to note that the CMA is the applicant on the FEMA application, not “OG,” not the Township, not the citizens. The CMA owns the boardwalk and we all apparently have to live with that.
The AP Council is acting like OG is anti gay, but the stats don’t show that. They are really punishing we Grovers for their feelings about the CMA. Really not fair—kinda a cheap shot overall.
And I do think if the access to AP is hindered by not getting things repaired, that will affect the business on their boardwalk.
I think it’s also worth bearing in mind that the vote was two yes, one no, and one abstention before everyone totally freaks out about this. The parameters of voting were, presumably, not adjusted just for this vote.
1) Gates are locked for good reason and they know it 2) OG has a large, vibrant gay community; 3) Lack of a functional boardwalk connection from OG will, without a doubt, negatively impact AP boardwalk establishments and Cookman resturants; 4) AP image is still very impaired — they need the positive aura from being “connected” with OG.
In sum, the AP Council clearly has not thought this through. Hopefully they will come to their senses. Otherwise, its their loss.
Asbury Park is lucky to have Ocean Grove and it’s Ocean Grovers as neighbors!
Don’t they remember the Grovers were the only ones who were brave enough to spend time and money in their beautiful town which they let go into decay for 30 years??? That’s the thanks we get!
As co-chairs of Ocean Grove United, we are dismayed and disappointed by the failure of the Asbury Park City Council to approve a resolution to support the appeal of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association for FEMA funding to repair our boardwalk. OGU, despite our past differences, has been working cooperatively with the CMA to restore the beachfront and boardwalk. The residents and businesses of Ocean Grove and its neighboring towns will be adversely affected by a failure to work together. We hope that the Asbury Park Council reconsiders its decision.
Please no boycott. Let’s think this through rationally and have a real dialogue with our friends in Asbury.
I would not recommend a boycott. It would penalize the very group (merchants and business owners) most likely to encourage the council to re-think its position. I would rather see Ocean Grove business leaders, led by the Chamber of Commerce, recruit their counterparts in Asbury Park to a drive to persuade the council to revise its postion.
The comment was an exercise in freedom of speech. There is more to life than the gay straight issue. Ocean Grove’s community will together rebuild the boardwalk, our diversity is our strength. The CMA has reached out, & maybe this is the begining of a better understanding. Name calling & boycotts just cause animosity, it’s time to build not destroy. get over it jan moore
Tell us what Ocean Grove can do to quickly change the minds of those Asbury pols. A boycott threat may get their attention, since those Asbury business owners and workers vote and depend on the good will of Grovers. Anybody have any other specific ideas to deal with the Asbury Park rejection? Is not getting angry and not reacting in a tangible way really good advice? Oh, here’s a productive idea: let’s rehash the pavilion controversy and attack the CMA. Brilliant!
There still are a couple of days left to write an AP resolution before the appeal is submitted.
These Asbury politicians have missed an opportunity to do the right thing for the benefit of our part of the Jersey Shore. Instead they have allowed a firestorm to begin over gay rights and law enforcement issues, none of which belong in this discussion. Their actions have the potential to harm Ocean Grove and its economy while simultaneously hurting their own.
FEMA should know that our next door neighbor is supportive of our appeal–instead they will see this negativity. That will be a potent and unfortunate message.
Fat Al, I live really close to where the gates are and personally, I am relieved that we lock the gates at Midnight. This limits ingress and egress to the Grove to the Boardwalk, and coming around the lake making it far easier for police to patrol.
Is there a way to get the vote reviewed? Having two members not vote indicates that perhaps they did not have enough information. Perhaps the members of the Asbury Park town council are not aware of Ocean Groves gay friendly community. The Asbury Park Town council needs to be educated on who lives in Ocean Grove and what the town stands for.
Ocean Grove is the largest community of gay and lesbian couples in NJ! “The coastal town of Ocean Grove had the highest density of same-sex couples in the state, at 45.1 per 1,000.” http://www.keennewsservice.com/2011/08/21/provincetown-d-c-highest-density-of-same-sex-couples/
Ocean Grove United (OGU) and almost every gay and lesbian in this town feel that our beautiful town should not be held out as a pariah by Absury Park or anyone else because of a decision made by an earlier Camp Meeting administration. I believe the current CMA is becoming more sensitive to the gay and lesbian community and there seems to be an ongoing constructive dialogue between OGU and the CMA. Driving a wedge between the gay communities of Asbury Park and Ocean Grove is not constructive for anyone. I doubt there are as many tolerant towns in NJ as what I have found here.
I will be writing to the TriCity News (Asbury Park Press) to express my anger with their decision not to support a sister community and encourage every gay and lesbian person in the Grove to do the same. Perhaps educating the members of Asbury Parks gay community is perhaps the only way to educate that town council.
Respectfully,
Boycotting businesses is only going to hurt the businesses-who are trying to survive and had nothing to do with this decision!
First of all, I assume that the Asbury vote was symbolic, right? What power does Asbury have with respect to whether the CMA gets FEMA funds?
Second, while there are obvious economic synergies between Asbury and OG, the CMA has sent a message that gay people are unwelcome in at least some of its facilities, and Neptune Township does maintain the policy of locking the gates at midnight which does impede foot travel between the towns. With the boardwalk closed I recently had to walk all the way from the Asbury boardwalk to “The Boulevard” to get back into OG late one night.
So I don’t really have a problem with Asbury complaining that OG isn’t always the best neighbor. I certainly don’t consider this a justification to boycott anything.
Just my two cents.
Cheers.
Al
Is Asbury Park out of their minds?? AP boardwalk businesses will surely fall without access through OG. Do they realize how much commerce comes to AP by way of the boardwalk through Ocean Grove?
Whose narrow minded now ???
Ocean Grove could counter with ‘no more free parking’ that it now provides for AP visitors and yes, residents who avoid those parking fees and fines!
Maybe the next step should be love, and respect, acceptance and equal treatment of all members of our community.
News blackouts and boycotting behavior…is that like ‘an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind’?
Shocking. I will also alert my pages followers…
The openly gay member, Loffredo, voted YES. His main priority is having the boards rebuilt.