Spring Is Here And It's Time To Open The Skate Park

An open letter to the residents of Point Pleasant, in particular my fellow council members:

This Tuesday, I will be introducing a management ordinance for the Municipal Skate Park to replace the “Board of Skate Park Commissioners” ordinance passed last fall. It is my belief that the special commission approach to managing the park, while well-intentioned, is impractical. There are already bodies in place to address concerns with the park’s facilities and deal with users that do not respect the rules and regulations. It is unfortunate that problems with a handful of teenagers have escalated to this point, but it is entirely unreasonable to expect a group of “deputized” neighbors to enforce the rules upon children who have a well-documented history of disrespect, if not outright contempt, for members of our Police, Public Works and Recreation Departments. This is an invitation to even more trouble when people who are not trained in conflict management, as our officers are, are expected to intervene in what may be a tense situation between several parties.

I have spent some time researching this issue and looking to other towns that have overcome similar difficulties. I have also had great input from our Recreation, Public Works, and Police Departments, as they are the ones who will bear, and have borne, the responsibility of park management. I can say that this plan for a provisional opening with limited hours, and a policy of strict enforcement of the rules and penalties, has the full support of these departments. It is my contention that the best way to deal with those that choose to abuse their access to the park is to make doing so, from this point on, an inconvenient and expensive attitude. I’m proposing hours on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sundays until it’s demonstrated that the atmosphere has changed. I will also be in search of grants or other funding to purchase the camera system that will transmit to Police headquarters as well as the Recreation Department’s website’s skate park page where parents or any resident will be able to monitor the park at any time. It will not be long until the park can be returned to full operating hours and this yearlong ordeal is a grey memory.

I hope this matter will not be like some that have come down to a split vote. Because of my involvement and commitment to this cause, and my complete faith in this as the simplest and most practical solution, I implore my fellow council members to please, at the very least, move this ordinance past the introduction and take the next three weeks to consider the matter and confer with all the involved parties. When the final vote comes, I will beg you that we not be remembered as the council that let a milestone of our community disappear, because we couldn’t figure out how to curb a half-dozen 15 and 16 year-olds instead of preserving it for the scores of children that use the park without incident.

A Vision For Point Pleasant: Part 1

It would be difficult if not impossible to find someone in our community that would not put our parks and natural resources at the top of their list of Point Pleasant’s greatest attributes. Those that have lived their lives here have seen the preservation of Slade Dale and Dorsett Dock, and witnessed, if not advocated for, the development of Beaver Damn, Community, and Riverfront Parks.  For those like me that chose to settle in Point Pleasant, these great spaces drew us here because they couldn’t be matched in any other town. Plenty of towns have playgrounds or basketball courts hidden away behind developments, but how many have carefully planned and developed spaces like ours? And more so, how many have parks with the great potential of ours?

I vividly remember the first time we went to Community Park and the visions of big bands, orchestras, community theatre, movie nights, festivals, and holiday celebrations that flew through my mind. Our band shell is iconic and I think the poster art for the new and improved Summerfest is proof positive. That is an image that can help brand our town to a degree that no other town in Ocean or Monmouth could hope for. Think of how many great destinations are instantly recognized by the silhouette of a building? The Statue of Liberty, The Liberty Science Center, Disney, The Sydney Opera House, Big Ben, The Eiffel Tower, or my favorite, the stands at Hayward Field! I don’t mean that we should exploit or town. I know how deeply we want to preserve the intimacy and connectedness that we all enjoy. What I do mean is that as we look to the future development and growth of our borough we have an opportunity to develop its identity, and in creating that identity we have every marketer’s dream-an easily identifiable image, a symbol, of Point Pleasant.

More important than the symbol of something special, we already have the ingredients of a great town. We are small, self-contained, and more like one large neighborhood than anything else. We enjoy schools and services we can all be proud of and that are the envy of surrounding towns. We don’t need to create a vibrant commercial area, we just need to nurture the one we already have. And as we move forward with new ways to celebrate our community and share it with neighbors near and far, we don’t need to create the settings, they’re already here and they are magnificent. I can’t wait to see Summerfest in Community Park. I can’t wait to see the Relay For Life on full display in the heart of our community, sending the signal to other towns that we don’t tuck our relay away, we put it right up front so everyone can see our strength and passion. Riverfront Park provides an intimacy perfect for other events like this year’s Earth Day Festival. How could you not celebrate the spirit of Earth Day in our finest example of forward thinking and environmental planning? Now just imagine Jazz in the Park, Car Shows, parties, flower shows, cook outs, you name it! We have the raw material and as I wrote in my letter to the Ocean Star, now we need the willingness.

Fortunately Point Pleasant’s greatest resource is our friends and neighbors. There are so many of us with visions and beautiful dreams. I’ve been fortunate to meet many of them this past year in the schools, sports clubs, the skatepark, and making the rounds campaigning. Our community has a rare opportunity for self-examination and careful planning. This is our chance to turn the earth and prepare for next year’s crops. I for one can’t wait to see what springs up.

Mayor Schroeder Assesses Our Financial Wreckage

Editor, The Ocean Star:

We, your new mayor and council, are discovering problem after problem left from the previous administration — problems that are costing the taxpayers.

Many are already aware of our latest discovery — the borough’s bookkeeping for at least the last four months of 2010, and possibly longer, was essentially non-existent. The general ledger of our previous chief financial officer [CFO] is a rat’s nest of cross-outs, white-outs, entries in pencil — unacceptable for a Little League fundraiser, much less for a multi-million-dollar municipality.

Handling taxpayers’ money is a public trust, which requires both careful spending and responsible record-keeping. It is hard to determine our current position, because the record keeping is so sloppy it’s hard to believe it’s not deliberate. We have been handed a situation in which it is impossible to know our exact financial position — fixing the damage has already cost the taxpayers $45,000, and we are not yet done.

As part of the newly elected majority, we are fixing the problem. We are implementing a system of checks and balances to insure that all financial transactions are documented, approved and accounted for.

An accounting firm is carefully reconstructing the financial records from previous years, and our new auditor will carefully examine their work. We will bring in independent reviewers, including state agencies, if, when and where appropriate. Finally, we will hire a new, qualified CFO to replace the CFO from the previous administration.

It’s hard to believe the previous administration would let this happen. But, we are getting this under control. You have my word that as long as I am mayor, and as long as I have leaders like Jack McHugh, Chris Leitner and Chris Goss working with me, it will not happen again.

WILLIAM SCHROEDER, MAYOR OF POINT PLEASANT

Letter To The Editor: Cultural Events, Arts, And Recreation Advisory Board

Proper planning and foresight will enrich our community and bring critical, long-term tax relief. The Cultural Arts, Events, and Recreation Advisory Board being proposed for Point Pleasant is a significant step in the right direction.

Our borough’s parks and facilities are a testament to the value we place on our open spaces, and provide the ideal setting for every variety of event and occasion, offering limitless opportunity.

We find ourselves as a community at a daunting but fortuitous crossroads. Tough economic times are not only a chance to make our town simpler and more efficient; they demand innovation and creative, long-term investment. You cannot just take shears to a rose bush; you have to carefully prune and deadhead in anticipation of next year’s growth to produce the brightest blooms.

This is exactly the task we have before us. We have the means and the opportunity to encourage commercial growth and cultivate our town’s identity as a destination spot. What we need is the willingness to look beyond what’s satisfactory and strive for what is extraordinary.

Events like a bigger and bolder Summerfest, a Relay For Life that is a point of pride and held in the heart of town, car shows, summer theater, and concert events can help transform Point Pleasant from the town you drive through on the way to the beach, to the town where you spend an afternoon with your family.

Parks, eateries, boutique storefronts and a vibrant calendar of events will make us the envy of towns like Brick, Howell, Jackson, and even Toms River or Lakewood — towns that either lack the cohesion or small-town feel that we all enjoy here.

The expanded scope of the Advisory Board will give its members the ability to advocate for and cultivate a climate that will attract visitors and new businesses to our town, bringing with them the economic growth and relief we need.

Now is the time to strive for our potential and share what makes Point Pleasant so special.

To Promote, Or Not To Promote: That Was Never The Question

The question was brought recently to the PD if there was a way to cut down “Officer In Charge” pay. This is essentially additional pay incurred by gaps in the command structure that have been left by downsizing or other circumstances. The recommendation came back that since the PD is down three sergeants, according to their current organizational structure, one promotion to sergeant would satisfy most of the demand and that two would be better still.

Adding frustration to this situation was the Sergeant’s List which was set to expire with no clear indication of when the next test and list will be. Unfortunately the public conversation about this matter became about the promotion(s) and who may or may not be considered. The command structure of the PD and the efficiency of their operations in a difficult climate were not the issue. The issue was whether or not there was a way to save money. After much examination and debate over cost, and not personnel, a consensus could not be reached, and the decision was made that no action should be taken, at least until there is a clearer picture of this year’s budget.

Perhaps by the time the next list is available our financial situation will have improved and we will have found an innovative way to address our difficulties and demands. It is unfortunate that this matter was perceived as a personnel issue. That is exactly what Civil Service is designed to avoid, to establish a ranking based on performance and not personality. It’s not perfect, but it is certainly better than making it purely a matter of discretion or politics.

I would like to apologize to the officers and family in attendance. Even if a decision had been made to promote, there would still have been approvals with Civil Service and the PBA needed before the promotion and oath be taken.

One Door Closes, And Another Door Opens

It’s been two months since the election and the new administration has been officially sworn in. It has not been easy changing gears from campaign mode to council mode. I didn’t realize how tense things had become until it was over. When it began I figured I would be frank about my thoughts and feelings, talk to as many folks as possible, avoid controversy, and stay the course hoping for the best. I wanted to feel as good about myself on November 3^rd as I did before the primary, but it was naive to think it wouldn’t be an emotional tightrope. Every time I caught wind of the whisper campaigns or had to read another ridiculous letter to the editor I was ready to fly off the handle. Fortunately I was surrounded by good people quick to remind me that it would be better to lose. The only thing I would change is the Facebook incident. I wish I had seen the comments before my opponents. If they don’t believe I would have removed them for reasons of compassion they should at least believe I never would have handed them such a plum cherry. I didn’t take personal jabs from people I’ve never even met too seriously, but I don’t appreciate the way my wife was treated and I wouldn’t have played a part in the same of anyone else. Now it’s time to get down to the real work, but how do you work with people who have either been directly adversarial or at least complicit by their silence in what you consider to be dishonest and personal attacks? I don’t know how to do that, but it’s a requirement of the job. We are in the service of our community and not our personal interests. It is time now to put aside the things that might divide us and find the common ground on which to build. We do not have the luxury of anything less.

The first meeting wasn’t so bad, and I hardly think it was as “controversial” as some would like it to appear. I do wish there had been more discussion among council prior to the appointments. I don’t feel that any minds would have been changed, but at least we could have had a better start to the inclusive tone I look forward to in this year’s council. It wasn’t a perfect process but it wasn’t inadequate either and I believe this council has the desire and the willingness to establish better revue procedures for the future. That being said, I don’t understand the confusion over the criteria for reviewing RFP’s? First of all they were the same RFPs as last year. Secondly, a number of them did not even include fee schedules. I wasn’t surprised, I’ve seen plenty of vendors bid this way. They want to sell you on their resume and presentation knowing that price will be debated later based on the lowest bidder. My revue process was simple; rate the applicants based on what I perceive as their ability to meet the needs of the town, research their background on-line, inquire about them with friends I have in their field, and ask the front runners to meet the lowest bid. This worked best in the case of the various engineers who I really expect to be critical in establishing a plan for the commercial revitalization of Point Pleasant. We don’t need to be the next Red Bank or Princeton, but we can be more than a spotty patchwork of stores people stop into on the way to the beach. I know our town has the potential to become a robust destination spot where local merchants flourish.

The most important factor in making these decisions was not mentioned from the dais. Particularly in the matter of Borough Attorney, the most important criteria is trust. The attorney is not a judge. No matter how you slice it they are in a partisan position and the more exacerbated and litigious the work of Legislation and Administration becomes, the more important the attorney becomes as he or she is the constant counsel and guide, particularly in small town with “part-time” governance. Because the Mayor and Council are not full time the two most important and most powerful people in the Borough are the Clerk and the Attorney. It is the Attorney’s job to know the intimate details of the goals and directions of mayor and council. It is the Clerk’s job carry out their direction day to day and interpret their work when establishing the policy and procedures that have the greatest impact on our residents. The Clerk and Attorney are so heavily relied upon it would be impossible to reach our potential without complete trust in them, and as was said, it’s very difficult to trust someone who helped try and defeat you.

This is an important part of the design of our government. A ship cannot sail in a straight line. To tell the truth I am a little envious of the Republicans. There is righteousness in being the opposition party if you choose to be so. Some may just sit back and hurl stones trying to cause controversy and obstruct the majority hoping to make them appear ineffective. Others may truly assume the mantle of advocacy as Councilmember DePaolo stated, but to do so you have to work twice as hard, you have to be diligent and persuasive, and most importantly you have to be right. But this is the way it should be. This is the way democracy works. It may not be perfect, but it’s effective and it is no accident. This is a system crafted by experience and trial and error by people who understood the danger of imbalance. I’ve always thought of democracy like the parachute game kids play at camp or at parties where you all spread out along the edge and you put a ball in the middle. Everyone jerks and pulls and the ball jumps and shoots back and forth but if you watch closely the ball stays mostly in the middle. Start taking kids off of either side and eventually you will lose the ball. I feel like our parachute is fairly well balanced right now and none of us are the type to try and jerk the chute out of anyone else’s hands.

We are all very fortunate to live in Point Pleasant. I have a very hard time trying to think of negatives about our town. It is my sincerest hope for the next year, and beyond, that our governing body becomes a more accurate reflection of our community that in my experience has been a lot quicker to come together than to tear each other down.

Thank You

Thank you to everyone that supported us and took the fate of our community into their own hands. Our success wasn’t about what Bill, or Bob, or I did, it is entirely about what you did. We didn’t win because of our signs, our ads, or how many doors we knocked on. We won because you advocated to your friends and families; because you wrote letters, sent e-mails, made phone calls, and weren't content to be spectators. I am proud and humbled by this experience, and I take the responsibility very seriously.

We were intent from the beginning to not make this about parties, but about people, the people that Bill, Bob, and I try to be in our private and public lives, and the people of Point Pleasant who live here because it is the best place to be. There is a lot of hard work ahead. Maintaining the quality of life we all enjoy in a way we can all afford is going to be beyond difficult. I know we won’t be able to please everyone, but my primary goal is that when the time comes for us to return to our private lives, most will feel if they didn't always agree with us, they never doubted our intentions.

I hope all the people who worked and pushed and pulled on both sides will continue to fight just as hard in good times as in bad. Democracy exists in our compromises, not our opinions, and our town thrives when we are all connected and engaged. May patience, good will, and a shared goal of prosperity for our community continue to bring out the best each and all of us have to offer. Thank you,

COUNCILMAN-ELECT CHRISTOPHER GOSS