Jim Granelli, Republican candidate for Township Committee. Photo provided by Mr. Granelli.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.net. Read it and weep!
Jim Granelli has been a resident of Neptune Township for thirty years. He is on the ballot, two against one, and he admits that he has stopped taking donations. He asks for your vote as a protest against the poor job being done by the current cast of characters on the Neptune Township Committee.
He is the only candidate to publicly state that there are specific problems in the Grove which are being ignored by the Democrat one-party rule.
In fact he is the only local politician* since Mary Beth Jahn who is willing to speak to Blogfinger about the Grove even though we routinely discuss concerns about OG issues to an extent beyond any other media source.
Granelli was going to appear at an HOA forum in the Grove on Saturday, but he is now out with a back problem.
We have communicated with him and will share with you some of his views about Ocean Grove:
a. “The forgotten people include Ocean Grove residents.”
b. There is still a parking problem even after $5000 of our tax dollars were spent on a failed parking study.
c. Then there is the “polluted” Wesley Lake.
d. “The Democrats have also failed to find a mutually acceptable solution to the North End.”
d. He calls the 3 items above “just the tip of the iceberg regarding problems in Ocean Grove.”
e. Other problems include “high taxes, especially in OG.”
f. He also mentions “delays and problems in code enforcement and zoning.”
g. Granelli complains about the unexplained firing of the Senior Center Director.
h. The Mayor is not saying much about crime, but Granelli says that Neptune is the 15th least safe town in New Jersey, placing it in the bottom 3% of NJ towns. “We are now worse than Asbury Park. High crime equals lower property values.”
i. Granelli says that “new blood and fresh ideas are needed in the Township.”
There are, of course, other issues which Granelli doesn’t mention which we talk about all the time on Blogfinger including favoritism in the zoning office, secret North End negotiations, inappropriate use of the redevelopment strategy for the North End, Committeemen providing corporate welfare (ie favors) to developers in town, the condoization of the Grove, violations of State redevelopment rules and parking standards, stifling of Grovarian life-styles, failure to deal with the Asbury parking situation at the North and South ends, failure to interact critically with the Camp Meeting, lack of transparency about OG issues, inconsistency at the HPC, and gridlock due to an excess number of mega events–more than any other town near here, and in the smallest town of all.
But the current feudal lords sitting up on their thrones at the Mother Ship never pay attention to any of this as elected representatives of Grover citizens. Their overall flaw is the failure to show any interest in the residents of Ocean Grove.
They current Committeemen get away with it because they have a monopoly, and the Grover voting bloc is small. Having Jim Granelli on the Committee would provide a watchdog benefit—this is not about party, but rather about principles. Ocean Grove needs oversight of this local royalty.
Jim Granelli says that “the Township needs to treat all parts of town equally and with all their best interests in mind.” He says, “Send a message that you are not happy with the results from the Township Committee by voting for me because I care about finding solutions to the above problems. A large protest vote will send that message.”
* Sorry Eric and Carol: Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling and Committeewoman Carol Rizzo were always gracious and helpful when we contacted them, but the reverse did not occur. Only Mary Beth eagerly interacted in our comments sections.
When it comes to our current elected officials, Grovers are in the mood for love:
JAMIROQUAY