New Jersey State Senator (11th District) Jennifer Beck (R). Photo by Paul Goldfinger (Blogfinger staff)
People are usually in a convivial mood at the annual breakfast meeting of the Ocean Grove Home Owners Association, and it was no less so on Saturday.
It’s a pleasant scene, filled with chit-chat, and most of those who attend have a strong interest in the issues of our town. We had fewer politicians present this year, for some reason. Mayor Randy Bishop, who usually attends, was in West Virginia for a family funeral. Eric Houghtaling, the deputy mayor, was the only member of the Township Committee who turned up.
State Senator Jennifer Beck, who represents us in Trenton, gave her take on how things are going at the Statehouse. She spoke at length about the state’s economy and job market and then took questions on such varied issues as the loss of high-tech jobs, gay marriage, medical marijuana and (of course) New Jersey’s high taxes.
When asked about her divergence from most of her fellow Republicans on gay marriage (she voted in favor of it in the legislature this year), Beck said, “I believe that equality and having the same liberties in our country … is important. And I think it’s the foundation of our country. That’s my opinion. Not everyone agrees with me.”
Houghtaling gave a shorter introductory speech and then spent the bulk of his time responding to questions and statements from the crowd.
Topic number one was the drainage project on Broadway — no surprise, given that project’s problems and delays — and although Houghtaling might have felt like Daniel in the lion’s den, he maintained an affable tone, and so did his questioners, even at their most assertive.
The video below, by Mary Walton and Charles Layton, provides a taste of that dialogue.
— CL