Is this the ” wonderful, beautiful, diverse Victorian community” that Michael Badger is referring to? (see below) Paul Goldfinger photo. Dec. 19, 2021.
Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net
It’s about time that the Asbury Park Press has taken an interest in the ground rent/leases brouhaha. It is rare that this news organization shows any interest in Ocean Grove. And this is just one of many topics they could report on regarding one of America’s most fascinating towns.
On Dec 15 they ran two articles regarding the ground rent issues. It is likely that they were pressured to focus on this story while ignoring other aspects of the Grove.
The APP report had a video of two Main Avenue businessmen who were offering a string of complaints but no solutions to their ground rent concerns. And some additional incendiary aspects were mentioned in the articles that would guarantee that the heat would increase.
The fire power was aimed at the CMA, with Michael Badger offering his usual muddled explanations.
The emphasis in the reporting was about the problems that local businesses were having with the CMA such as sharp increases in ground rents from hundreds to thousands of dollars each year. There were other complaints that the CMA was withholding lease paperwork that could allow owners to sell and finance their properties downtown.
But what about the fears of homeowners who rent residential spaces short and long term; they too feel threatened. But they were barely mentioned.
Perhaps the most inflammatory issue that emerged in the article was about “Christian values.”
The APP said, “The Camp Meeting Association has begun to issue new leases for commercial properties here that come with higher rent and reminders that its owners need to refrain from selling anything that would be considered incompatible with Christian values.”
This is new, at least as revealed in the open, but whom are they quoting regarding “Christian values?” Michael Badger CMA President didn’t say it in those words.
Maybe it was Barbara Burns of the HOA who is reported to say, “The Camp Meeting could terminate a lease if it finds the business engages in activities it considers repugnant to Christian values such as alcohol, tobacco and adult entertainment.” But what is her source?
She also accused the CMA of conducting its policies in “secret.”
Wow–was that religious mud slinging necessary? Sure, it is fascinating, and we at BF have been talking about the ambitions and “missions” of the CMA in town, but to drag out this unproven, unsubstantiated and anonymous mishmash is disgraceful, and the APP should return the Pulitzer which exists only in their imaginations.
And the APP went on to report this:
“Camp Meeting officials say they are trying to protect the Victorian town’s unique charm against creeping development. But some businesses and residents say they are concerned the group is going too far. “
Did Badger actually say “creeping development?” If so, who said it, and what does that mean?
And what kind of journalism allows anonymous sources to say that the CMA “is going too far?” Did someone really say that? And what does that mean?
But Badger cannot help himself. Here is his quote: “There is a community that is built here. A wonderful, beautiful, diverse community that should not be replaced (by new developers), unmindful of what is already here.”
OMG, the CMA wants to blame this mess on ignorant “new developers?”
And the CMA suddenly wishes we could retain “our diverse community.” This is, with a capital D, Disingenuous. We know what community he is referencing, and it is not the same as the community of residents which is number one in this town and has its own priorities which are mostly secular. Nor is he interested in the community that focuses on Ocean Grove’s history.
The APP reporters just regurgitated what the businessmen and the CMA had to say. They even tried to spice up their piece by bringing up some gay issues—totally unnecessary and inflammatory..
But they missed the complexity of these Grovarian matters and they are not interested in digging deep into all of this. You can’t just talk about ground rents for businesses and retorts by the CMA without unraveling some of the other important issues in town.
A fairer investigative plan would be to report on the question of, “What is this town about and whom is it for?”
That sort of approach would allow perspective for anyone interested in Ocean Grove problems.
The big picture needs to be defined, but who would tackle that? Even the citizens don’t bother.
From “My Best Friend’s Wedding”
In a recent Blogfinger post we repeated a CMA suggestion (by M. Badger) that all leaseholders read their leases because the wording is important, and all leases are not identical.
In 1901, the owner of the grandiose Sanders Cottage, which still stands in part on Lake Ave., decided to withhold the annual assessment or rent. The OGCMA took the matter to court in a “suit of ejectment” which they won in 1905. So according to that decision, those who do not pay can be evicted. Of course, this was more than a century ago, and there may have been other cases involving this.
I have repeatedly found it strange that people seem to have no idea what the terms of their land leases are. I, as a non-resident, have never seen an OG lease, but what are the provisions for increases in rent and the renewal of the lease? These are important things to know.