My Endorsement of Chris Leitner & Brian Welch

Point Pleasant needs Chris Leitner and Brian Welch. We

need Chris and Brian to help put an end to decades of

control by a small circle whose only interest is influence

and status. Self-servers and rubberstampers have left our

boro’s finances in tatters and services in jeopardy.

Despite all claims to the contrary, past administrations

left us in deficit, with unstable tax, water, and sewer rates,

with less police on the street, with a reliance on furloughs

and reduced services, and worst of all, left us feeling

unsure and uncertain instead of feeling the closeness and

security we all love about our community.

Mayor Schroeder, Chris Leitner and Jack McHugh have

brought fresh eyes to our finances for the first time in

over a decade, putting an end to a long history of wasteful

practices. They have put our professionals to the task of

creating a long-term debt management plan. They are

preparing for the first complete water/sewer audit in

recent memory. They are coordinating a multi-agency

Complete Streets Program that will provide safe bicycle

and pedestrian routes to schools, transportation and businesses

throughout the entire town.

And they have done all this with thoughtful and

methodical consideration. Plans like theirs to reduce

garbage fees for all boro residents have been discussed in

public for months, not presented last minute and rubberstamped

like so many half-baked plans of the past. Bill,

Jack, and Chris have welcomed our residents back to borough

hall, no longer a members-only club for the most

connected.

This progress hasn’t been easy. Bob, Mitch, and Toni

have tried to stall most of these actions only to try and

later claim them as their own. Why would they try to

block the opportunity of a shared service with Brick that

ex-council president Rogers falsely claims is the fruit of

her labor? It’s just as bizarre as Bob claiming responsibility

for the unaccounted reserves discovered by our new

auditor, or claiming to have confirmation from our new

chief financial officer that the boro had a surplus. A claim

repeated by their council candidate that prompted Ms.

Swisher to immediately respond to mayor and council,

saying, “My guess by now is that most of you have read

the Sept. 30 edition of the Ocean Star. Well, that was certainly

a surprise for me especially since I was quoted so

often on a topic I don’t remember speaking about,” and

that she “never mentioned the word surplus.” This time of

transition needs councilmembers working for our neighbors

instead of working to sabotage each other.

Thankfully many recognize that Point Pleasant’s time to

celebrate itself has come. Most of us know that the bare

minimum will no longer do, and that the status quo is no

longer enough. Point Pleasant deserves to reach its full

potential. Brian Welch and I look forward to working with

the mayor, Chris Leitner and any other willing participants

to see this happen. Together we are changing the

attitude of “How much do I have to do?” into “How much

can I do?” Join me in voting Nov. 8th for Chris Leitner and

Brian Welch and a better Point Pleasant.

CHRISTOPHER GOSS

Councilman, Point Pleasant

Kilkare Parkway, Point Pleasant

Obstruction Junction, What's Your Function?

Every time I think it couldn’t get more ridiculous, it does. Today’s Ocean Star Letters To The Editor only lead me to the conclusion that the GOP councilmembers and their supporters rely on the fact that most residents are too busy to pay close attention to the regular business of council. The soft pitch letter praising Toni DePaola and her good judgement was obviously written by someone who has never been to a council meeting. I have watched in awe for 10 months as Toni has delivered the same committee report time and time again. Funny thing is her reports don’t pertain to her committee. I believe that our TNR and Community Watch programs are both admirable contributions to our community, but Toni’s responsibility to the residents of Point Pleasant is to keep the Construction and Code Enforcement Departments operating efficiently. Now there was a very slap-shod and rushed for election season effort to merge the Boro and Beach Construction Departments last year, but when things fell apart, instead of getting back on the horse and doing the work of the people, she took her ball and went home. Toni’s only interaction for all of 2011 with her department head was during an Administration Committee meeting. I have to wonder if in his letter Mitch is telling Toni to “get off [her] duff” and fix this failing department. It is after all her responsibility and has been for the last two years although by her record you would never know it. Mitch’s letter is perhaps most disappointing. Here the youngest councilperson our town has elected could have spent the last 2 years proving that our youngest residents deserve a seat at the table. His refusal to accept any line of reasoning other than what he has already accepted as true, whether it is or not, is the definition of “pre-operational egocentrism”. A mature sense of reasoning is open to empathy, persuation, and multiple points of view or perspective. As unmoving and irrational as Bob, Mitch, Toni, and their supporters have tried to make the rest of us out to be on this garbage issue, we all accepted pretty readily that in-house collection was not as promising as a shared service. And again I say a shared service that they try and take credit for yet vote against. Did I yell at Mitch? Yes. Did I use a colorful word? Yes I did. I’m not proud to say I did. I wish I had been able to keep my cool, but I was as angry as every resident in this town should be at the long year of obstruction and game playing Bob, Mitch, and Toni have put us all through. It’s making me lose my faith that the best interests of residents will ultimately prevail. Everyday the office workers, PW crews, and employees of the Boro, so often vilified as leeches by the other side, get up, go to work and make sure that all of our needs are met, that our services continue to be there, that the bills get paid, that the streets are protected, and that our children learn and play, and all the while party politics seep through every seam into every nook and cranny threatening to undermine the security we all deserve. These games are the exact opposite of the work Toni, Mitch, and Bob were charged to do when they took the oath. They are not conservative and they do not serve the residents outside the GOP Club. It is neither conservative nor is it responsible to say no to everything. It is responsible to work and it is conservative to do so with the greatest good at heart. To be conservative means to be a conservationist, to protect and preserve that which is held dear. Someone protecting the common welfare, someone that claims to be conservative, would not jeopardize the interests of the town by putting on an election season performance. However, it can be expected and predicted to come from those with an established history of similar behavior. I should not be surprised by councilmembers that spend more time on their press releases than they do with their committee assignments. If Mitch wants to challenge someone to get to work, maybe he should challenge himself. I can’t tell you how often he meets with his department head, but I do know that the Rec. Center entry door has not been replaced even though the funding was approved 18 months ago. And I know that in a time when capital improvements that can no longer be denied loom over our budget year after year, he would be wise to spend his time working on a plan for the Rec Center that our Boro Engineer and others have confirmed has deteriorated beyond repair. I hear a lot about hard work but I have yet to see it. If Bob Sabosik’s brother-in-law, Marty Murdoch, is waiting for something to happen then he just hasn’t been paying attention. While Bob, Mitch, Toni, and their supporters have been working hard plotting to regain the majority, Bill, Chris, Jack, and I have been working hard to reverse decades of damage. While they’ve done nothing, we’ve done quite a lot: - Fixed the decades long book keeping disaster - Brought on a new CFO and Auditor to construct a responsible debt management plan - Fixed the $350,000 deficit created by Rogers’ campaign promises - Cut spending $400,000 - Came up with a plan to save the Boro $1.6M on garbage collection, which the Bob,      Mitch, & Toni are now sabatoging as they also try and take credit - Created a Complete Streets Committee, and established a Complete Streets Ordinance       (first in the county to do so) to make our town safer and greener - at no cost to the     taxpayers - Set up negotiations to have an actually functioning shared-services agreement on the    Courts - Held a multi-town summit on shared services - Reformed and reinvigorated the Rec Commission into the Rec & Cultural Arts    Commission to bring new attention, new attractions, and new business to Point Pleasant - Begun investigations into several ex-employees and questionable financial activities    that occurred during the prior administration - Obtained grants for energy efficient upgrades (no cost to the residents) that will save the    Boro thousands of dollars a year - Begun a move to Google Apps For Government which will make the Boro more efficient and reduce IT costs If they had been working this hard for you instead of themselves, imagine how much better off Point Pleasant would be!

There's More Lies Than Flies On This Garbage!

I guess it's poetic justice that the search for less expensive garbage collection would yield so much trash. Our former council president and her followers are now coming out to take credit for a plan they simply had nothing to do with, that they chose not to participate in. To suggest that this idea was essentially photocopied with the names whited out is textbook revisionism and manipulation. If this was true, then why have Bob, Mitch, and Toni been doing their damnedest to prevent consideration of any method of collection other than private? Let's review and clear away some of the fertilizer.

After the 2010 election Mayor Schroeder began meeting with the department heads to take stock of the Boro offices and get a sense of priority for the coming year. It had been too long since the people that actually do the work, day in and day out, had been asked instead of told what needed to be fixed. Would you follow the advice of a mechanic or someone that's never even looked under a hood?

In a town our size with a budget as small as ours, there aren't many areas where you can create large savings, but it was suggested to Bill that garbage and recycling collection was a big slice of the pie and needed to be examined. Estimates were made that suggested in-house collection could save a quarter of a million dollars or more, but it would take a long-term effort to get reliable numbers, and we felt every means of collection should be considered. AT NO TIME WAS IN-HOUSE THE ONLY METHOD CONSIDERED!! Look back over news articles and blog posts, at no time did anyone suggest we do anything less then look at every option. The repeated insistence to the contrary is Political Manipulation 101, hoping the casual reader or observer will accept misinformation without investigation. As the saying goes, repeat a lie long enough and some will believe it.

Drawing up bid specs for so many variations of service and the timelines required for advertising and receiving them has been 10 months in the making, and has been the effort of many people in multiple departments. The first whiff of compost came during the budget. In order to cast out all these lines, we are required to have a "deposit" for bonding. This money needed to be set aside for each variation of service. Once the issue was decided the remaining monies would be carried forward into the next year's budget as surplus, which would help reduce the 2012 budget, essentially repaying the taxpayers.  Bob, Mitch, and Toni stood against this deposit for any item associated with in-house collection including the purchase of "robo-cans". Now if they really had already done the homework, really had had extensive talks with Brick, and really were in favor of shared services not just now but at budget time and all the way back to last year, then why in the world would they block the cans needed to carry out that agreement? Why? Because either they don't understand the process, or the assertion is a lie. The only reason given, without any evidence and without a single, solitary mention of a prior shared service plan with Brick, was that they were convinced in-house was a waste of effort and would cost more in the long run. The way their argument was presented was to intentionally mislead the public into thinking this allocation was a commitment to in-house collection. This was nothing less than grandstanding and capitalizing on anti-union sentiments by people that had no ideas of their own to offer. If I had a golden ticket in my pocket I would have been jumping up and down telling the world! Why would the folks that pledge to "put the taxpayers first" withhold a means of considerable savings?

The strategy after the budget was more of the same. Every time one of us would say we were looking at every option, they'd get three people to say the opposite. Look over the blogs from the summer. Even my children aren't that good at hearing one thing and understanding another!

Countless estimates and examples of other municipalities were passed around and shared, but by the end of the summer I still wasn't convinced which method would be cheapest. I was however certain it would involve "Robo-cans". Rear compactors are obviously going the way of the dodo. There are negatives. I particularly don't like that prohibited materials could be thrown out without getting caught, but hopefully in this day and age most folks are responsible with their waste. Philosophically I worry that every time we replace a person with a machine, we further undermine a diminishing middle class. This crisis is certainly the snake that eats itself.

Without taking too much of a detour let's consider the effects of shrinking budgets and lost manpower; less police on patrol, reduced hours and access to services, reduced parks clean up & maintenance, etc. The number of people and hours it takes to orchestrate what we've done with just this one issue is monumental, but now do it in the least conducive climate. Despite the hard work and diligence there is a clock that's running out. There are procedures, protocol, and timelines for every action involved, and it's very important we avoid a lapse in service.

You wouldn't know that if you only heard what Bob, Mitch, and Toni are saying. They've called the non-committal preparation of documents now, to save time later, "premature". I wonder how many of us while driving our trash to the county dump in January would do so thanking them for not rushing into something they say was their idea to begin with? A plan so "premature" that Ms. Rogers was compelled to come out of retirement and congratulate Mayor Schroeder for adopting her plan!

I received a mild threat on the Patch from councilman Sabosik's brother-in-law for suggesting that the Republicans on council have tried to block any plan they can't take credit for. I just don't know how else to explain trying so hard to block something they now say was their idea? I hope the voters of Point Pleasant will remember November 8th that if the Republicans are telling the truth, then they purposefully withheld this tax dollar saving plan the same way they withheld every other plan they pledged would bring you relief! I felt there was a strong message last November to end these kinds of games, but it seems some are going to need you to shout a little louder this time.

We Can't Afford To Go Back To The Way It Was!

Editor, The Ocean Star:

Politics is not a world I was drawn to, but public

service is an obligation I was raised to hold in highest

regard, an obligation I have no right to refuse

when asked. But to be honest I would have refused

if Chris and Jack’s passion for our town wasn’t so

infectious, and when Bill came aboard, not only

was I swept up in the tide, I wanted to row faster.

Serving the community has been time consuming,

demanding, and frustrating, but I respect

the responsibility and I’ve been fortunate to learn from the example

of men whose earnestness and integrity is palpable to anyone who has

met them. Chris, Jack, and Bill don’t have a public façade, they aren’t

guarded or disingenuous, and they don’t leave you wondering about

ulterior motives or agendas. They told me early on to treat the town

the way you treat your family, to protect the town the way you protect

your family.

The street I grew up on wasn’t part of a neighborhood, so I spent

as much time as I could in my friend George’s neighborhood. It

seemed like every house had kids and there was always something

happening. I never called anyone to play; I went to the fields and if

no one was there it wouldn’t be long till someone was. Brian Welch

grew up in that neighborhood and he’ll be first to tell you how special

it was.

When my second son was on the way and my wife and I were

looking for a place to settle and raise our family, Brian’s neighborhood

was the ideal I compared every town to. Ask him and I bet he’ll say

the same.

I can’t believe we both came to Point Pleasant, but why not? The

Boro is really just one giant neighborhood and I can’t think of anything

it doesn’t have to offer. Brian and I aren’t the only ones to figure

this out, 5 out of 7 homes here have school age children, and the

challenges of our town are just the same as any young family. How do

we stretch every dollar as far as possible and still get the quality we

value?

Local politics are not about party. They’re about families and

neighbors. They’re about electing people who want the same things

you want, and most importantly who will dedicate themselves to

working for you and your family. Chris Leitner has proven how hard

he will work for our town and he’s done it without theatrics or grandstanding.

He shows up and does the work without running to the

paper to sing his own praises. He’s here to work every day, not just on

meeting nights to repeat the same reports month after month for

committees that never meet. And when there’s a problem he’s working

on solutions instead of waiting for others to do the work so he

can throw stones and cry foul.

Despite years of acrimony and contentious Councils, Chris is driven

by our common bonds when others have tried to divide and pit us

against each other.

I’m proud of what’s been accomplished this past year. I’m grateful

to Jack McHugh for his graceful dedication. And I’m eager to work

with Chris Leitner and Brian Welch representing the families and

residents of Point Pleasant.

Farewell, But Not Goodbye To An Honorable Man

It’s taken me quite a while to even attempt to express my feelings of Jack McHugh stepping aside from public office. I would not have considered making my own commitment if Jack’s love of our community and dedication to it was not so inspiring. Public office on a national scale and here in our own town is not an environment, most would agree, that rewards sincerity and humility. Names are not made by those that put their shoulder, day in and day out, to the work of those they represent. Maybe politics can be disappointing to so many because we recognize it’s a stage where braggarts, showman, snake oil salesmen, manipulators, and flat out liars play out a sick and desiesed ballet, in the name of our common good, and walk away with all the gate receipts.

Integrity is so rare in our personal lives, it’s absolutely astounding to find it amid the tempest of politics, but there he is, and I have no doubt will continue to be involved any way he can. An honorable man like Jack cannot resist the call of his community, it’s just in his DNA.

Jack also attracts like-minded people and inspires them to do their best. There is a movement just beginning to take shape, that Jack deserves so much credit for. Jack has re-ignited a call to service that brought an end to the status quo, the common acceptance that the elite social circles that have run our town for the last 30 years would always be calling the shots. Thanks to Jack and the people he has inspired we are cutting a new path for Point Pleasant.

“Yesterday, I withdrew my name from the ballot for re-election to Point Pleasant Council.

This was an extremely difficult decision for me, and one I did not make lightly, or hastily.While my time on council has been both challenging and rewarding, in the end, I needed to weigh other considerations before committing to potentially three more years on council.

As some of you know, my career is that of a real estate broker. It will come as a surprise to no one that the real estate business has been extremely challenging these past three years. My clients and staff have been more than gracious and understanding of the constraints on my time and attention. I just feel the time has come to reward their patience with my complete attention to their success.

While I am confident this is the right decision at this time, it is not without some regret. Foremost among these is that I will not be at Chris Leitner’s side throughout this campaign. Since the start of our campaign in 2008, and to this very day, my affection and admiration for this man continues to grow. I only hope that the citizens of Point Pleasant truly understand the gift they have in Chris.Politics aside, he is simply the most dedicated and conscientious public servant I have ever met. And I will work vigorously to assure his reelection.

Secondly, while I feel we’ve accomplished much in my term on council, much work remains. At our opening meeting in January, I said that I would consider this year a success “if we righted the ship, set a new course, our sails were full and we were on our way to better days”. I feel that this council, under the strong leadership of Mayor Schroeder, can proudly say that we have lived up to that goal. But simply pointing in the right direction is not enough. It will still take much effort to keep from drifting off course.

That is why I am so grateful that Brian Welch has agreed to step into my place on the ballot. His energy and ideas along with Chris Leitner’s intellect and experience are a necessity to avoid a return to the turbulent waters we so recently found ourselves in.

When Chris and I began our campaign in 2008, we used the phrase “Believe in a Better Point Pleasant.” I can tell you that I always have and always will believe. I believe that the goodness of our people should be reflected in their government, I believe that there is reason why so many want to call Point Pleasant their home, I believe that we are more than the sum of our parts, and that is why it has been such an honor to serve this community I love so much.

And so it is to the citizens of this town that I reserve my most sincere thanks. I am painfully aware that I will never be able to repay all that this community has given me and my family. It has been the honor and privilege of my life to have had the opportunity, in some small way, to make a down payment on that debt.”

JACK McHUGH

COUNCIL PRESIDENT

BOROUGH OF POINT PLEASANT

A Vision For Pt. Pleasant: Pt 2

"If you build it, they will come."

This simple expression of faith has become cliché, a punch line used to denigrate a dreamer and belittle their ambitions as naive or misguided, especially those who envision something so completely different, or so far in the future that most other folks can't see it. An example that comes to mind is the Dakota Building in New York City, best known as the home of John Lennon. When Edward Clark began building in 1880, the upper west side was so remote his friends said he might as well have built it in the Dakota Territory. Clark knew that it was just a matter of time and today NYC’s streets and buildings roll far beyond 72^nd St. A better illustration might be Disney World. When Walt Disney bought 44 square miles of swamp in the middle of nowhere, in a state with little to no major transportation or infrastructure, his associates thought he was ruined, but Walt's vision was so far reaching there are elements he designed for the park that are still decades away from being built. Every story we tell to inspire our children share these elements, vision and undeterred faith: Marco Polo, Brunelleschi, Colombus, Jefferson, Adams, Ford, Sears, Gates, Jobs... Of course not everyone sees their dream realized. The list of failures is certainly longer over history than the successes, but the list of those that dared not to dream or were too afraid to try, is longest of all. So I propose a modified call to arms for Point Pleasant in our time of trial and transition:

"If you build it I can't promise they'll come, but if you don't, I guarantee they won't."

When my wife and I moved here it didn't take long to identify the businesses that were well established cornerstones, but other than that handful, what I saw was a lot of turnover and a lot of vacancy, and this was before the "financial collapse". I remember thinking what a shame it was that businesses didn't seem to do so well here, but I chalked it up to two things; Pt. Pleasant Beach had a "downtown" and the Boardwalk that drew traffic and commerce away from the Boro, and because of Rt. 88, the Boro was more similar to a "highway town" with scattered strip malls and storefronts like Middletown, where I grew up. From the background I’ve been given this condition was neither intentional nor accidental. Businesses in the Boro were left to sink or swim, no special conditions, little nurturing, and no sign of brighter days down the road, with the general feeling that more business, like active recreation, was an unwelcome disturbance to a “quiet vacation and retirement community”.

The more Pt Pleasant became my home, the more disappointed I was in the under utilized potential. We have so many great places and spaces to offer a visitor. The problem I began to see was that the successful, established businesses are all individual destinations. Someone patronizing one of our stores comes, takes care of their business, then turns around and leaves. If the real potential is going to be fulfilled then they need a reason to stay.

The example I always fall back to when talking about my views on business and the inter-workings of a business community is Red Bank. That’s just where I worked, grew up, observed, and learned. Whenever I bring up Red Bank it's usually pointed out that they already had a downtown area, but let me tell you as a firsthand witness to the challenges they faced, our towns are far more similar than not, and the conditions are surprisingly the same.

As a small child I certainly wasn't aware that Red Bank was at a historical low point but I vividly remember when the McDonalds closed. It was devastating to a 6 or 7 year old and looking back now I realize that it was certainly the death knell. If McDonalds can't survive in your commercial climate than no one can. For more a decade little or nothing was done to try and resurrect "Dead Bank" as it had become known. Occupancy was 40% at best and much like our own Boro if you went to Red Bank it was to go to Dorn’s, Clayton & McGee, Hobby Masters, or Jack's Music Shoppe and leave. There was nowhere to walk to and no reason to stay.

The turn around was pure synchronicity. There was no plan or design, at least at first, just a divine confluence of events. It began with Kevin Lynn moving the Dubliner Pub from Bridge Ave to Monmouth St and opening the Dublin House. There were no restaurants at this time, just a few breakfast diners and dive bars. Now there was a reason, albeit a small one, to come to Red Bank and stay after 5pm, and half a block’s worth of Monmouth St was where it all began. The House of Coffee opened in its first location across from the Dublin House. No one knew what a Starbucks was and this was a real first. Soon came the Laughing Bean Coffee House and Comedy Club, Backward Glances vintage shop, and the Upstairs Coffee House. The spark caught elsewhere in town too: the Murphy Style Grille, the Broadway Grille, No Ordinary Joes Coffee Shop, the Internet Café, Broad Street Cinemas, the Downtown Bar, the Galleria was created out of an old factory and soon became home to The House of Coffee, the Pool Hall, TCBY, and the first Two River Theatre- home of Pt Pleasant’s own Mike O’Keefe’s Comedy Improv Jam, even the old Red Bank Diner closed for 20 years was re-opened. All of this and more happened from about 1990-1996. Once the spark was lit, the transformation was fast and furious.

There was a feeling of community and support that had not existed during the down years. Prior to this informal business association Red Bank's town officials were just making a pit stop on the way to higher county and state jobs and the chamber of commerce was an ineffective old boys club. Notice was out that things were changing for the better and new people came in with new ideas and new desire. Red Bank established a Special Improvement District and formed the Red Bank River Center to direct the growth of the town. They certainly had their work cut out for them. Red Bank’s infrastructure was a shambles. The first couple of years all they could manage to organize were sidewalk sales and car show nights to start raising the town’s profile and improve visitorship, but they had a careful, long-term plan. Money was invested to fix up Marine Park and begin the Riverfest. Momentum continued to build, new businesses came, and residential ownership increased. Better home values and increased tax revenue were invested in the future. An ambitious streetscaping project was designed to connect all the little established commercial pockets and make the town walk-able. Walking from Monmouth St, down Broad, and up West Front is a much longer distance than the length of Bridge Ave from Forte to Sundae’s. The "antique district" that struggled for years became a marketing entity. New buildings were going up. Old ones were being restored. Riverfront Park was built and became the home of “Jazz in the Park” as Riverfest had grown and splintered into multiple events.

Of course the rush to prosperity created a bubble destined to burst. The goldfish overgrew its bowl and you can argue how that happened, but I agree with the skeptics that say we don't need to become another Red Bank or Princeton. We know our community couldn’t support that kind of growth and it would undermine the closeness and smallness we all value. But that doesn't mean we can't learn from their example and adopt the aspects of their growth that would serve our community and help us become a fertile and desirable location for new business.

As I wrote in the first part of this essay, we have a huge leg up on Red Bank and the challenges they overcame because of our parks and facilities. They had to build all the wonderful places they enjoy; we already have them. The next piece of the puzzle is our “Complete Streets” program. Not only is this an important goal for our neighborhoods’ and residents’ quality of life, this is a critical move toward a walk-able, shop-able commercial district.

Simply for the practical benefits and safety concerns this is a long-term goal we must commit to. There are sections of every major road in town that are perilous to a bicyclist or pedestrian. There are so many streets that I don’t feel safe on with a stroller that I do most of my walking with the baby backpack, but not just the neighborhood and through street, there are whole sections of Bridge Ave and 88 that are flat out dangerous. There are too many streets I would be terrified to let my children cross on their bikes. A Complete Streets program creates bicycle, pedestrian, and stroller safe routes for all major traffic routes. This is an undeniable value to our families. Point Pleasant is bustling with bike and foot traffic all year long, children and adults alike, going to school, work, or play. Making this aspect of our community a priority protects something we already value, adds to our town’s attractiveness, will positively impact home values, and supports our commercial future immeasurably.

The Bridge Ave corridor is a mile of road that if connected by an unbroken series of sidewalks and parking areas would be as attractive as any downtown area to visitors and prospective businesses alike, and what existing business would not benefit from increased visibility and traffic? Of course pockets of like businesses and mini sub-districts would form- just as they do in any robust town, but this should be encouraged, it's the basis of the character and uniqueness that will come to further define Point Pleasant. Imagine a family restaurant somewhere between Dairy Queen and Community Park and maybe a coffee house creating a nice little area to go out on a Friday with your kids or on a date? Maybe a restaurant and bar closer to Stop and Shop and a single screen theatre that shows old drive in movies and show cases bands or local theatre? What about a block or two running west of River with a series of boutique shops like Bay Ave in the Beach and a nice outdoor café or two for an afternoon with friends?

As I wrote in Part 1, opening our parks to events like Summerfest, Earth Day, hopefully Jazz In The Park and more will draw new people and new commerce to Point Pleasant. Our town has grown and changed. The mean average age in Pt Pleasant is 37, and 5 out of 7 homes have school age children. No longer a “retirement and vacation community” we are a young and vibrant community with the demand and the means to grow. “Complete Streets” will be a momentous second step in developing an attractive and prosperous environment.

Step three, the final part of this essay, will get deeper into the “reasons to stay” and how to cultivate the commercial identity of a new Point Pleasant. Once we've cleared the fields and tilled and fertilized the soil, we have to decide what to plant and how to manage the crops for the optimal yield and sustainability?

A simple googling of “complete streets” or “pedestrians and economic growth” will lead you to thousands of pages worth of supportive data, but here are some places to start. The first is an awesome article, now almost 20 years old, that many credit as the start of this movement, detailing the need for renewed focus on suburban planning after decades of neglect.

http://www.walkablestreets.com/duany.htm

http://www.completestreets.org/changing-policy/local-advocacy/current-campaigns/

http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/issues/business/smart-growth-boosts-foot-traffic/

http://www.nj.com/morristown/kendraarnold/index.ssf/2009/03/asking_for_complete_streets_an.html

http://www.cic2020.org/FinalPapers2011/Greg-Schunk.pdf

http://www.arch.mcgill.ca/prof/luka/urbandesignhousing/602fall2010/readings/Atash1994.pdf

Not All Budgets Are Created Equal. Or Six In One Hand; A Million And A Quarter In The Other

After months of rumor and speculation as last year’s financial records were untangled and reconstructed, the residents and employees of Point Pleasant Borough finally have answers as to the depth of our current crises. The situation we find ourselves in today is not the result of any particular individuals or any one council. This is the cumulative effect of years if not decades of insufficient planning and short term “fixes”. Some actions of past councils have brought relief and some have made matters worse, but no laying of blame, whether deserved or for political gain, will change the deficit laid before us. As it stands if the Borough were to meet its current obligations using only available funds we would be short $1,125,000 above cap. If we were to close this gap only by raising taxes the increase would be 22.5%. This would be illegal at best and unconscionable at worst.

What we are really presented with is a two fold problem; creating a formula of available tools to balance this year’s budget and stop the bleeding, and putting into place a 3 year plan consisting of new revenue, cuts, and new efficiencies that will bring back to balance what we have all realized by now is a repetitious and worsening condition. Balancing this year’s budget and cauterizing the wound will have to be achieved through a combination of furloughs and layoffs, reduced services, bringing taxes to the 2% cap, and in the worst of scenarios deferring more school taxes. This is an equation. We know what is on the total side and we know what factors are on the other, but the equation is not solved by determining the value of x or y, but by placing value on what x and y represent. If you lower the number of furlough days(x), then taxes(y) or deferred school taxes(z) go up. If keeping property taxes(y) down is felt to be the most important factor, we have to increase furloughs, layoffs, and lost services(x) and/or the amount of deferred school taxes(z).

I would ask the residents of Point Pleasant to contact their elected officials and tell us how you feel about our town and what about it is most important to you, so that when we are deciding how to balance this equation we understand what you value most. This isn’t as simple as saying “keep my taxes down” because every factor we lower causes others to go up. If not an equation, imagine a set of scales. On one side are the revenues and on the other are the expenses. If furloughs that impact the Rec. Dept, Public Works services, or Administrative offices are unacceptable or too severe, an equal increase has to be made elsewhere to keep the scales balanced. If increased taxes or school tax deferrals are unacceptable, then an equal reduction must be made to services. The only way off this merry-go-round is to make long term recurring changes to our revenue and our expenses. These changes can and will be made to bring the Boro back in line, but as meaningful as they will be in the long run, none of them can impact the immediate problem, this year’s problem that must be settled in the next week. What you are witnessing, balancing a budget for introduction, is THE END of the process. This budget began immediately after passage of the last, and little to nothing was done in anticipation of problems compounded by depleting surpluses, over estimating revenue, under estimating costs, and failing to anticipate the impact of furloughs on operations.

This is the worst of all possible scenarios. To introduce a balanced budget we will have to create a cocktail of every inadvisable accounting maneuver. The only way I can even begin to reconcile this with myself is because on the one hand we have no other option, and on the other there is a commitment by this council to make the big changes and the difficult choices that can no longer be avoided. We begin here, at the bottom, and as I said implement a plan that will reduce the need for emergency and unsustainable savings like furloughs, service cuts, and deferred school taxes incrementally over the course of 3 years while new means of revenue and cost saving plans reduce our dependency on these measures and close the gap between the cost of operating the town and our means to do so.

Our community will not be damned by the mistakes of the past, but by our failure to learn from them.