Neptune Twp Committee minus Eric Houghtaling: (L to R) : Dr. Brantley, M.B. Jahn, Kevin McMillan, R. Bishop. Undated photo
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
We have been concerned that the current mayor, Mary Beth Jahn, has been absent from many meetings, and our concern specifically relates to her role as the head of our two person sub-committee on the negotiating team trying to hammer out a Redevelopers Agreement for the North End Project. The other committeeman involved is Randy Bishop.
There have been problems producing a Redevelopers Agreement, and our representation is critical because this is about the largest development project in Ocean Grove history. It has the potential to change the town in ways that will affect us all. This is no time to have a mayor who is AWOL, because we are currently in a critical position with respect to the North End Plan.
At the August breakfast meeting of the OGHOA, I asked Deputy Mayor Kevin McMillan how the Township can function properly without a mayor who shows up. He essentially said “no problem because we all fill in when necessary.” I suggested twice to him that a new mayor be named, but he dodged that proposal…”
Last night at the Township Committee Meeting, during the Workshop session, Mayor Mary Beth Jahn read the agenda, but then was “slumped over in her seat,” according to our reporter on the scene. She was incapable of participating in the meeting, so the Deputy Mayor had to preside. After that there was a closed meeting, and when the public session began, she was no longer present. No explanation was given for her departure.
In our system of local government, the mayor is the CEO of the town. The mayor is appointed by her fellow elected officials, but we don’t get to vote for the mayoral position. Mayor Jahn has evidently been incapable of doing her job, and Deputy Mayor McMillan’s reassurances are not persuasive because he evidently knows next to nothing about the intricacies of the North End planning and we don’t even know if he attends those meetings instead of her. The Committee is responsible for seeing to it that we have a mayor who can effectively represent us during the North End negotiations. Randy Bishop does not represent the people, even though he was elected to do that. His loyalties seem to be elsewhere.
From our perspective, the main reason that Mary Beth Jahn must be replaced, is because she does not appear to be fit to sign off on any Redevelopers Agreement that WAVE and Randy Bishop present to the Committee for approval.
We ask the Committee to appoint a replacement for Mary Beth Jahn and to make sure that the replacement is schooled in all the aspects of Redevelopment Zones and Land Use so that we wind up with a North End project plan that is best for our town and not best for the re-developers.
We cannot depend on our HOA to make a contribution here, so we will post a poll to see how our readers feel about her replacement. We are sorry if Ms. Jahn is having some medical issues, but the right thing needs to be done.
Credit: Jack Bredin, researcher.
Governance: If you are an Attorney, I hope it’s not too late to get your money back from the Law school you attended.
Suggesting that a town can have 5 Mayors at the same time by stating that all the Members of the Committee have the same power, is ridiculous and defies common sense.
We are tired of being Hoodwinked with this kind of nonsense.
The Committee selects a Mayor who has exclusive authorities, and is “THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER of any town regardless of the form of Government.
Governance : Jack explained his reference, but all you are doing is giving an NJ statute that nobody here will look up. Why don’t you explain what you are talking about? And, if you are going to debate public policy on this forum, how about using your real name as both Jack and I do?
Ocean Grove should leave the Neptune municipality. There is a way to do it that is Constitutionally sufficient. Ocean grove is a distinct entity, and Neptune has failed it. From the failure to adequately clean and maintain Wesley Lake, to the failed return on taxes, Neptune is not an OG friend. Time to go.
Citing definitions from the state “Land Use Law,” as Jack Bredin is doing, does not relate to the form of government that exists in Neptune Township. That is governed by NJSA:40A:63-1 et. seq.
Governance, according to State Law, you are not correct.
NJ MLUL 40:55D-5 under Definitions:
“Mayor” means the chief executive of the municipality….”
The mayor of Neptune is not the CEO of the town. In the form of government that we have here, the mayor has no more power than any other township committee member. Most towns in New Jersey–and throughout the United States–have this system of government.
Joe: The issue is not party affiliation, but rather choices. No councilman should approve of the North End Development plan. It is just thoughtless over-development, led by developer marketing skills. Not in our interest.
Joe: Hopefully a replacement would stay conscious for the Redevelopment meetings where that replacement might begin to sense that there is something wrong and perhaps that replacement will sense the fear of being part of an illegal process onto which his signature might be attached. Maybe that replacement will alert the other Committeemen that they should worry about signing off on this deal.
It doesnt matter, since this township votes staunchly Democrat. Anyone the County Democratic Party puts up with a “D” at the end of their name will get elected. I could get a golden retriever elected to government if I ran it as a Democrat.
And since the only way the Committee changes is though a voluntary step down, and the mayor is chosen by the Committee, everyone gets a turn to be the Mayor. It’s a position that almost seems to have no significant weight since every current committeeman has been the Mayor.
MBJ stepping down to be replaced by someone else on the Committee is just rearranging the deck chairs.
CSN: just 3 very talented musicians who left other groups and formed a new “supergroup” (song Wooden Ships has lyric “we are leavin’, you don’t need us”). But, of course, Neptune needs its 3 cash cows. People on Seaview Island have wanted to leave Neptune to become part of Avon for years. And I’m sure most people in Shark River Hills would like to break away. If we all secede we may succeed! How about “Ocean Island Hills”?
I would expect that the average OG household costs Neptune Township less than average for school spending and less than average for police and other township services.
But OG produces more in average property tax revenues per household than the remainder of Neptune Township.
It’s a “cash cow” that doesn’t eat very much. Why would Neptune Township ever want to set OG free?
Old timer. Brilliant! Let’s call it Shark Grove Island, New Jersey. But the geography of our new town poses some challenges. And what do Crosby, Stills and Nash have to do with this? Please explain.–Paul
Just re-read my comments (to see if edited) and a revelation hit me: Crosby, Stills, and Nash! We work with Seaview Island and Shark River Hills people and we ALL vote to leave Neptune and form a new town (name?). If the “leavers” have more votes than the “left” in this matter, it is only fair in a democracy to allow this.
Old Timer. BF is an information sharing website. Perhaps it didn’t come up earlier because you didn’t tell us.—Paul
I discussed possible separation of OG with Mayor Krimko perhaps a decade ago. He pointed out that although OG residents might vote for the divorce, Neptune residents would not (see breezee remarks about leavers and left). He said if it was that easy, Seaview Island and Shark River Hills would also separate – like cutting arms and legs off Neptune’s body. He said it would also be perceived as racist.
As for MB Jahn: I attended 5 township meetings between Memorial Day and mid-August and she attended one. Why didn’t this issue come up earlier?
OhGee: You can judge Committeeman Bishop by his actions or inactions in office with respect to Ocean Grove issues. My comment is based on that.
Bishop has never been willing to join our Blogfinger dialogues, even though Charles Layton and I met with him personally at the Melrose to ask him to help us educate the people of Ocean Grove. We gave him the opportunity to discuss his views about OG issues on Blogfinger, but instead we have to rely solely on his behavior in office, and that is one way to make up our minds about his performance as an elected official in Neptune Township.
Bishop has made it clear that, even though he lives in the Grove, he does not represent the Grove in Neptune, and that is the system. Some day, if the form of municipal government in Neptune Township is ever changed, and it should be, we might have a system where our elected representative actually represents us and where we get to elect the mayor. The demographics, geography, history, and needs of Ocean Grove demands that we be a separate town or at least have our own councilman. The current system leaves us without representation at the Municipal Building.
We can stand on our heads and spin our wheels on Blogfinger, but the ball has to be pushed further up the hill. Only the people can do that. —Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
p.s. Paul – you state in the above article that Bishop does not serve the interests of the people of Ocean Grove in regards to the North End, but don’t provide reasons as to why. Bishop should be removed from the subcommittee if he is not loyal to us.
An interim mayor should be designated until Jan 1st. Elections are only one month away. The Township Committee will then choose the new Mayor for 2016 on January 1st. Come January, a public meeting should be held with the sub-committee members (Bishop & Jahn’s replacement) giving their constituents an update on the WAVE project, what their goals are, and to listen to townspeople’s concerns. This should be done on a SATURDAY during the day, so ALL homeowners, whether full or part time, can attend. (as we already know Township Committee meetings held on Monday night severely limit attendance). Date and time should be advertised a month ahead of time to give adequate notice.
Representatives from WAVE should be required to be there. Enough of hiding in the shadows. WAVE needs to be honest about who they are. Their lack of honesty about their identity fuels a great amount of mistrust.
what beezee said is true. even if every homeowner in the Grove voted to secede it wouldn’t work. i own and pay taxes in the Grove too, but am not allowed ANY say in local government because i don’t live here full-time. isn’t that taxation without representation?
Ocean Grove was a municipality, but because the Camp Meeting Association was a religious institution, and not secular, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled OG was not a proper town. But secession is a real option, because we bear too much of the burden. CMA may want to just do it again, with legal counsel and changes that protect both the religious heritage and the need for secular governance.
Beezee, if the residents of a proposed Municipal subdivision can demonstrate that the Government they wish to separate from has been politically corrupt, then, there are exceptions to the rule you have described.
The public record clearly shows this to be the case involving Neptune Township and Ocean Grove
Yes, it CAN be done, but it won’t be done. Back until 1957 or 58, an area of an existing NJ town could unilaterally vote to secede. Last one to do it was Loch Arbour, when they left Ocean Township.
Since then, it’s changed. The “leavers” must vote to leave, the “left” have to say ok as well. OG tried exactly this in 1980 or so. It passed overwhelmingly in OG, failed overwhelmingly in Neptune. Why would Neptune ever let OG go? OG SUBSIDIZES the rest of Neptune in a very major way. That’s why it’ll never happen. OG is Neptune’s cash cow. Mooooo……
As someone who has no legal voice as a homeowner and taxpayer in NJ because I live in PA thank you for raising this very critical issue. Something is amiss and this miss would like to see honest open action taken.
This is discouraging to read. I own a house in OG but it is not my primary residence. Our property taxes increased by $8000 this year. If our officials are not watching out for us, yes they should be replaced.
Since 1879, the residents of OG have never voted for their own Mayor and have never been properly represented by Neptune Township, but pay the highest property taxes per sq.foot in the State of New Jersey.
The only pathway toward proper representation that I can see is for OG to become it’s own municipality by separating from Neptune Township.
Please don’t say it can’t be done.
In the past Asbury Park, Bradley Beach, Avon, and Neptune City all separated from Neptune Township.
I, too, vote for MBJ to step aside. We need a highly involved CEO mayor. She used to be much more involved and a clear friend of OG. Now she is just absent.
It is if the town were adrift, like a plastic cup or a ghost ship.