Neptune Township Mayor Tassie York.
By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor, Blogfinger.net
The APP headline regarding Mayor Tassie York of Neptune, dated 1/15/24, says “One of 18 children becomes first Black woman mayor of Neptune; here’s what she will do:”
It is remarkable that any Neptune mayor would give a comprehensive interview to the press; certainly in our experience, Mayor Mary Beth Jahn was the only Committeeman to ever talk to Blogfinger. Indeed Mayor Nicholas Williams swore to never talk to us, and Mayor Cafferty insisted that our photographer sit down at a public meeting.
If local politicians ever deign to speak to the press it would usually be in sound bites, and the local press never asks probing questions.
We read the Mayor York APP interview and found the new Mayor to be charming and idealistic, but unfortunately her comments about the Grove are well intentioned but naive.
The APP reporter says, “As mayor, she plans to take on several challenges, including the redevelopment of Ocean Grove’s North End..”
She is quoted: “Right now the biggest issue that they are talking about is the North End redevelopment.”
The reporter says, “The Ocean Grove North End Development (OGNED) plan dates back to 2018 when CMA President Michael Badger said the organization reached a development deal with a group of investors…”
This background is confused as most Grovers know who have been following this issue since 2007.
Then the APP report goes totally off the rails: “Since putting off a decision at a November meeting, the Township Committee has been reviewing all of the additional plans prepared by the redevelopment attorneys and other professionals in response to the many resident questions about the proposed development according to township officials.”
Then York is quoted: “I think the community should have input on what is happening in their town and where they live. Developers are just that, developers, they come in and do whatever and they are gone. People are stuck with the decisions they made.”
Mayor York had last year been given the ridiculous assignment of chairing the group looking into resident parking permits, something she knows nothing about, so that effort was defeated by her cynical buddies on the Neptune Committee. In spite of that humiliating defeat, this article says that the new Mayor plans to “take on several challenges including dealing with the Grove’s perpetual parking problems.” But that ship has already sailed for her.
Then there is the Coaster which also proclaimed on its front page that the new mayor is a “Black woman.” Isn’t there anything substantial that they could have said about her in that headline ?
The subtext of that seems to be that Mayor York has essentially no experience to be the mayor of this complex city. So let’s feature her gender and her race, giving the impression that her choice as Mayor is a DEI selection. That is unfair, and they do not pay her any respect by such a headline.
One does not become Neptune mayor by being elected. The position is passed around by the other 4 committeemen for one year terms.
She has been on the Committee for two years, but the first was an appointment while her elected year was 2023. The article mistakingly said that she has been on since 2021.
The APP article says that she was “re-elected for a full term last year.” But the truth is that she was selected to fill in for the departed Carol Rizzo in 2022, and she only was elected for the first time in November 2022 and took that office for her own in January 2023.
As for the accusation of an ethical lapse by her in 2022, the promised state investigation never happened or it has been buried.
Since the two local papers stressed her race and her gender, it should be noted that we have had two white female mayors and a black male mayor in the recent past.
We wish Ms. York well in her new life adventure as Mayor of a vital and important New Jersey city.
And any time she wishes to make a statement on a venue where we will quote her with precision and ask her fair questions, Blogfinger is available for interviews. (but not press releases.).
Blogfinger.net had 543 hits yesterday including those from 12 foreign countries, and many of the Bloogers were interested in Mayor York. But there were no comments, so we assume that Grovers are holding their fire until they see how she does.
You know, Regina Carter is one of America’s finest jazz musicians, and no one introduces her as African American or as a woman. The same courtesy should be afforded to our new Mayor Tassie York. This song is “Oh Lady Be Good.”
Here is a 2023 link to a BF post about single party rule in the Grove: