Regionalization Goes to Executive Session

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October 31, 2023

Regionalization & Executive Session … Why the Secrets?

There hasn’t been any official study done, but if there were, it’s almost a sure thing that the Atlantic Highlands Mayor and Council holds more executive sessions without taking any action afterwards than pretty much any other governing body in Monmouth County.

It makes taxpayers wonder what exactly their reasons are for are keeping their thoughts, their ideas, and their reasoning on so many things in secret and not sharing them with the public.

Take regionalization, for instance. It is the subject that has drawn the most interest from residents of this town, Highlands and Sea Bright in ages. Sea Bright and Highlands elected officials share all their thoughts and reasons with the taxpayers.

Not so in Atlantic Highlands. They even tell the people they’re going into executive session to discuss, they’re going to come out and NOT take any action, and furthermore, according to the borough administrator, they can’t even talk about what they discussed, because, of course, it was done in executive session which means it must be kept secret from the public until they decide it’s okay for the public to know.

The borough’s attorney is sharp, pleasant, quick thinking and definitely an asset for this particular council. But she clearly says she is not up on all the information on regionalization. She knows, just as every taxpayer who is footing the $165 an hour bill for yet another attorney knows, the borough hired Matt Giacobbe, SPECIFICALLLY to handle all matters concerning regionalization.

Yet at last Thursday’s council meeting, a meeting at which the borough administrator had previously said he would see if Mr. Giacobbe could give the public an update on regionalization, the administrator said Mr. Giacobbe was not present because council decided they did not need him.

That might well be so.

But why would the borough attorney, who admits she isn’t up on everything on the subject, be the attorney council called into the executive session to give an opinion on regionalization and specifically NOT be the one the borough is paying as a SPECIAL attorney for all things regionalization?

The questions being considered for opinions during the executive session Thursday, the public was told, would include the non-specialist attorney’s recommendations on whether an update of the feasibility study Sea Bright and Highlands have agreed to pay for, is even necessary. And if it is, the discussion continues, does Atlantic Highlands, who kicked in for its share of the original study in the first place, want to help pay for the update? The borough attorney said they need to get information from the Department of Community Affairs as to whether the added information is really necessary. Does that take an executive session to discuss? Can’t the attorney, now that two of them are being paid to work on this, simply call the DCA and ask the question?

Might the reason for discussing it privately be so the taxpayers won’t know which council members, if not all, want to simply put all the load on the other two towns without any contributions of their own? Or might it be because some, or all, council members don’t really want Sea Bright in the mix at all but don’t want to let the taxpayers know about it?

The administrator said, and no council member or attorney disagreed, not taking any action at this meeting, and putting it off until next month, won’t cause any delay in any regionalization plans. Yet he also admitted, and again, without any denial from any council member, that they had no idea, because nobody told them, when a vote on Sea Bright’s inclusion could be held.

Well, if you don’t know the earliest date an election could be called by the already in existence new board of education, and if you apparently do not have enough interest to ask any further about an election or date for it, how do you know delaying your own action or lack thereof, doesn’t delay things?

In answering the public at Thursday’s meeting, residents could not even find out who among council asked for a legal discussion at all and if the borough would be involved regardless of whether they are obligated.

The answer to that question this time came from a councilwoman. It cannot be discussed publicly.

Want to Know the Candidates?

By

Muriel J. Smith

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October 31, 2023

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Meet the Candidates

There is only one person, not an employee, elected official or other resident, who researches, questions, organizes, and always remembers just about everything about how Atlantic Highlands is run.

Mark Fisher.

You see him at every meeting, calm, cool and collected. You see his pad often another looseleaf crammed with information. You hear him at the public portion of every meeting when he hasn’t heard the answers to things he thinks are important to the town.

And every year, before election, he draws up a list of questions and presents them to each of the candidates, asking them to respond; he gives them the date to respond just to be sure he doesn’t lose anyone and everyone has the chance to have his say.

To their credit, everyone of the candidates, the two for Mayor and four for council, responded to Mark’s questions. They did not all answer every question but gave reaspons why they did not respond to some. All but one gave their priorities on what’s important.

Seeing all the individual responses to the exact same questions together gives a reader more insight into what’s important to each of those vying to run the borough for the next three or four years.

Attached are Mark’s questions and each candidate’s responses.

Do yourself, the borough and the future of the borough a favor and read them all before making your decision on who will be best to sit at the table in Borough Hall come January 1, 2024..

2023 CANDIDATES FINAL PDF

Travel by Train: Newport Rhode Island

By

Muriel J. Smith

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October 30, 2023

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Newport Rhode Island

Travel in itself is educational, fun, and relaxing. But one of the very best things about travel is the people you meet, the rejuvenation of a belief that there are great, thoughtful, kind and interesting people everywhere, you just have to have to chat with them for a few minutes to learn.

So, in a series of articles over the next few days, I’ll tell you about the incredibly wonderful Admiral Fitzroy Inn in Newport, Rhode Island, the thrill of being behind the wheel on an 80 foot schooner, the Aquidneck, the stories behind St. Mary’s Catholic Church which is on the National Register and where the Kennedy’s were married, the great shops along the many wharves at Newport, and even the Newport Yacht Club. But first I’d like you to meet some of the great people I spent some time with over three days on being in Newport.

It actually started on Amtrak, leaving Metropark for the four hour trip to Newport through New York, some beautiful and colorful leaf peeping hours in Connecticut and detraining at Kingston, the nearest rail station to Newport, about 40 minutes away by car. Well, to back up, it really started at my door in Atlantic Highlands where Maura, a great Monmouth County driver who will take you anywhere at anytime, picked me up at precisely the right time, then filled the half hour drive to Metropark with great stories, great personality and lots of laughs. Nice to have such a dependable and inexpensive driver, and even better knowing she’d be right there at Amtrak to bring me back home three nights later.

My seatmate on Amtrak’s #172 was Heidi, a paralegal heading to Boston who had spent ten weeks in London with her boss representing a firm in an international lawsuit involving windmills. We have great conversations on the benefits of windmills…there are plenty… their benefits in the ocean… can’t think of a single one… why arbitration and mediation are necessary and helpful to all, why school districts should regionalize as soon as they can for so many reasons, and a few lighter topics.

Once in the Kingston station, just a few minutes later than scheduled, I stopped to see if I could help another passenger who looked like she was seeking someone or something. “A man named Steve,” she said, as we both walked away from the train. I spotted a tall man who also looked like he was looking for someone, got and affirmative when I asked if he was Steve and waited while the lady, Elaine, made the connection.

It seems Elaine is a corporate attorney in New York and every month or so, takes a mini vacation on her own. Brilliant, attentive to detail, and fun loving, Elaine researched her entire week away, then through her hotel in Newport, found a driver who would spend the week meeting her schedule of picking her up and transporting her to her various sites and activities she had planned for her week. When Elaine learned I was heading to Newport and did not have a driver, she invited me to go along and said Steve would drop me off at my hotel after taking her to her first event scheduled for only minutes later. Enroute for the drive, we both learned Steve was an exceptional driver, a great source of information about Newport and the surrounding area, and with an interesting life history on his own. Declining to let me split the cost of the drive with her, Elaine suggested I give Steve $12 for the extra way he was taking me to my hotel after leaving her off at The Elms, one of Newport’s mansions, for her first conference. Before I got out at the Admiral Fitzroy B&B, I made arrangements with Steve to pick me up three days later for my trip back to Kingston and my return train.

Not as organized or well planned as Elaine, I was fortunate to have encountered both Elaine and Steve.

It kept getting better when I went into the Admiral Fitzroy and met the receptionist on duty, Sharon. More friendliness, an invitation to try some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies under glass on the desk, and conversation. When I learned she was a retired Chief in the Navy, she was no longer Sharon the friendly and efficient receptionist, but Chief, the friendly and perfectly efficient Navy Chief who had been stationed at Navel Weapons Station Earle and knew its Leonardo pier. We shared stories about the Colts Neck side of the base as well as the fact the nation’s newest submarine, the New Jersey, will be commissioned at Leonardo next April.

There are so many more stories about the great people I met; the wonderful woman from Oregon who was out walking her dog later in the evening and stopped to give me directions when I looked like I was lost. She then walked me back to the Inn and even invited me to join her at a music event she was attending as soon as she brought the dog home. There was Noah, the Salve Regina College student who was on his third shift working as a waiter at Red Parrot and deftly handling seven busy tables at this great restaurant. Noah made me laugh when the steak I ordered for dinner arrived in scant minutes in spite of the crowded eatery. “Well, you ordered it very rare,” he smiled, “so it didn’t take long.” There was every employee at the Admiral Fitzroy, from the cook at the breakfast room to Jen the manager, the captain and crew of the schooner Aquidneck, the storekeepers in gift and souvenir shops that sell everything from little flower pots inscribed with “A little pot from Newport,” …cannabis is allowed in Rhode Island….. to rare paintings and magnificent glassware and so many more.

There were the great folks at Beau Tyler, a shop at 400 Thames st. that advertises “style for good-hearted people and good-hearted pets” and sells all manner of people clothing for dog lovers. Their motto is Laugh. Love. Lick. While they don’t have any dog food or dog accessories in this fashion, shop, they do have stickers and magnets for people that say “As a matter of fact, I do have to pet every dog I see”. And they have dog biscuits to give out as treats for every pet that accompanies anyone coming into the store! They even give them away so customers can pet and treat a passing dog on the sidewalk when they leave!

But the most touching, the most thoughtful, the most generous of all I met was Dawn, like Chief, another friendly receptionist at the Admiral Fitzroy, who made me realize while you know your folks at home are thoughtful, fun, and considerate, there are people like Dawn at the Admiral Fitzroy Inn in Newport who can make you love, appreciate, and remember a town and its people forever.

Kalian Requests a Delay

By

Muriel J. Smith

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October 30, 2023

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Requests a Delay

Public hearings on the proposed high rise apartment at East Garfield Ave. has now been delayed until a special meeting on November 21, Councilman Brian Dougherty said at Thursday’s council meeting,

Dougherty, who is the council representative to the Planning Board, said the applicant, Kalian Associates, has requested the delay from the scheduled regular meeting on November 2 for the accommodation of one or more of its experts.

The proposed high rise apartment complex, immediately adjacent to the Kalian mixed use construction nearing completion on First Avenue, also calls for dozens of variances before it can be approved. Various professionals are presenting their plans and drawings to the planning board over a series of meetings and have been making some adjustments to their original plans in response to questions and recommendations from the board’s engineer, Douglas Rohmeyer, and planning board members.

Thursday’s meeting of the Planning Board, which begins at 7 p.m. will include action to approve resolutions for properties at 64 Prospect Circle and 3 Beverout Place as well as a hearing on a new application for extensions to a house at 170 Ocean Boulevard.

Other Stories on 160 First Avenue HERE

Acorn Squash

By

Muriel J. Smith

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October 26, 2023

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ACORN SQUASH

Acorn Squash is that botanically classed fruit that’s more often called a vegetable, the one that started out life in Central America thousands of years ago and in this part of the world is a traditional fall vegetable loaded with vitamins, minerals, oxidants, and everything else that’s great for both eye health and heart health.

Cut, with the seeds scooped out and cut or sliced into smaller pieces, it isn’t even necessary to peel, since the cooked skin is soft, and contains even more vitamins so is best to leave on.

Acorn squash, like its cousins in the squash family and sweet potatoes, can be prepared in numerous ways, and has plenty of Vitamin A which hydrates the eyes and nourishes the cornea, in particular. It’s also one of the best vegetables of all for heart health because of all the Vitamin A it contains. And now scientists are finding that the beta carotene in acorn squash, along with some of the minerals associated with it, actually protects the skin from sun damage and cancers.

Try baking this squash, then sprinkling it with sage and feta cheese for a healthy, delicious, easy to make dinner dish.

SPICY ACORN SQUASH WITH FETA

3 Acorn Squash, halved, seeded, and sliced

3 Tsp. olive oil

1 teas. Paprika (smoked paprika is best!)

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Sage leaves,, chopped fine

4 oz feta cheese

Heat over to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, stir oil, paprika, and pepper. Drizzle over squash in bowl, and stir to be sure all is coated.

Arrange on cookie sheets in a single layer.

Bake at 425 degrees, rotating once or twice during baking. Bake until it’s tender and a golden color, about half an hour.

Sprinkle with feta and sage before serving.

Other Eye healthy Recipes HERE

Carrot Cumin Soup

By

Muriel J. Smith

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October 25, 2023

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Even if you thought you don’t like carrots, there are so many different ways you can prepare them that it is likely you’ll find something you really enjoy. Given the facts carrots are available year-round, are one of the least expensive of all vegetables, and are filled with all the beta-carotene, vitamin A, minerals and antioxidants that are so great for eyesight, heart health and general good health, it might even be worth acquiring a taste for them.

With winter and cold weather coming, soups are a great source of vitamins and comfort. Try this recipe for Carrot Cumin Soup.

CARROT CUMIN SOUP

2 Tbls. Olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. carrots, cut into pieces (about 3 Cups)

3 Cups vegetable broth

½ teas. Cumin

¼ teas. Coriander

¼ teas. Sea salt

Ground pepper

1 teaspoon lemon juice

½ Cup Greek yogurt

2 Tbls cumin seeds, for garnish, if desired.

Heat oil in heavy saucepan sauté onion for 2 minutes, add garlic and sauté another minute. Add carrots, broth, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until carrots are tender, 20 minutes.

Puree the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return to saucepan and whisk in lemon juice and yogurt. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with cumin seeds. Serve with Italian bread and a salad for an easy and delicious dinner

ADDED TOUCHES:

Since I grow basil and dill indoors in pots, I chop and freeze leaves in ice cube trays and added 3 cubes to this recipe.

Care One Residents Rights

By

Muriel J. Smith

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October 24, 2023

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Residents Rights

Jimmie King, administrator at Care One at Middletown, and Muriel J. Smith, patient advocate for residents for the state of New Jersey, both met with residents of the Route 36 facility to review residents rights, privileges and activities at a luncheon meeting at Care One at Middletown yesterday.

The luncheon is one in a series of events the Center’s Activities Director Karen Cohen holds throughout the year to ensure residents are kept aware of their rights, of why and how the care center treats its residents and to encourage residents to voice any complaints or recommendations in any areas.

Rather than voice complaints or ask questions, residents praised King for his frequent visits to their rooms, his knowledge of each of them by name, and his interest in their personal accomplishments or problems. Residents also praised the high quality of the food and expressed pleasure at the variety of dishes offered. Residents spoke of the friendliness of the staff and their appreciation for included in a broad variety of events.

While King and Smith covered areas including residents’ rights to having visitors, caring for their own funds, traveling outside the care center, privacy, mail receipt and writing supplies, as well as their rights to their own medical records and care, Cohen also reminded residents of the variety of activities in the next two weeks, ranging from painting and puzzles to a visit in rooms by a therapy horse, music, and arts and crafts activities.

Ghosts of the White House

By

Muriel J. Smith

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October 24, 2023

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Ghosts

This is the time of year when all the stories crop up about ghosts, spirits, and sightings of former inhabitants of the White House are retold everywhere.

Some say Dolly Madison, the wife of the fourth President of the United States, is still around, tending to her beloved Rose Garden.

But most of the stories of ghosts involve Abraham Lincoln or one of Lincoln’s relatives, and whether true or not, they’re fascinating.

Grace Coolidge, the First Lady when her husband Calvin was President, was the first to report seeing ghosts … the ghost of Abraham Lincoln. She said she saw his ghost in the yellow Oval room staring out at the Potomac.

The Queen of the Netherlands, Wilhelmina, was on a visit to the White House in 1942 and reported she heard footsteps outside her bedroom and a knock on the door. It is reported she opened the door and saw the ghost of Lincoln standing there in a frock coat and top hat. She fainted.

Both Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt claimed to have seen ghosts … again Lincoln; one of FDR’s valet ran screaming from the White House saying he had seen him.

Eleanor Roosevelt never said she saw Lincoln, but on several occasions said she felt his presence throughout the White House. She also thought Roosevelt’s dog, Fala, barked for no reason and she felt it was because of Lincoln’s presence. Several press secretaries, also said they frequently felt Lincoln’s presence.

Both Margaret Truman and her father President Harry Truman, have said they heard a knock at the door or footsteps outside the room when each slept in the Lincoln bedroom.

There are numerous other stories but the best is when Sir Winston Churchill was visiting the White House. Well known for his love of late night long hot baths, complete with a glass of Scotch and a cigar to relax, it has been reported that Churchill got out of the tub, cigar still in his mouth, and before dressing, walked back into the bedroom. There he saw Lincoln standing by the fireplace, leaning on the mantle. The naked Churchill simply took the cigar out of his mouth, tapped the ashes off, turned to Lincoln and said, “Good Evening, Mr. President. You seem to have me at a disadvantage.”

Lincoln smiled and disappeared.

Regionalization: Time for the 2 nd Step

By

Muriel J. Smith

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October 23, 2023

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Time for the Second Step

It’s too early to see the agenda for next Thursday’s meeting of the Atlantic Highlands Mayor and Council, but one wonders whether including Sea Bright in school regionalization will be moved a step further.

Now that both Atlantic Highlands and Highlands residents have approved the Regionalization of their three school districts, it’s the right time to take on Step #2 and let the Council begin its work towards a new referendum to consider the inclusion of Sea Bright in the newly formed district.

This borough’s council members, along with the school superintendent, Sea Bright and Highlands borough Council, have all indicated they would favor such a referendum. Each of the school boards unanimously endorsed such a move, and now with the new Board comprised of these same members who endorsed Sea Bright earlier, it shows the new board is also eager to have a vote to include Sea Bright. The 2nd Step.

All previous feasibility studies have concluded that the inclusion of Sea Bright would offer the best educational benefits for our students and tax savings for our residents.

In State Education Commissioner McMillan’s letter dated last month, just days before the election that approved a regional district, she indicated that a new referendum request can now be submitted requesting Sea Bright’s inclusion. She also said the appeal submitted by Shore Regional and Oceanport opposing this has been rejected. That means there are no hindrances to allowing all the residents to have their own say at the election polls.

The Commissioner went on to say that since so much time has evolved, an update to the prior feasibility study may be required.

Sea Bright has already initiated that process, so eager is that borough to join its two close neighbors for improved education for all and to pour money into this new district. Sea Bright has also requested that Atlantic Highlands and Highlands participate in that update as well.

Highlands did not waste any time in stating they will participate and approve updating the feasibility study as the Commissioner wants. They long ago said they want the people to vote on whether to include Sea Bright; they are not going to do anything that would delay what they feel is important….let the people decide.

So it seems Atlantic Highlands Council will most likely be discussing how they feel about it at their meeting Thursday night, knowing how important it is they, too, approve participating in a study update.

This is Step #2, the next logical step in the careful walk toward a referendum that could finally see the three towns come together and achieve all the benefits identified for both our education system and taxpayers.

You remember when taxpayers and educators got all the facts on the monetary impact of regionalization among the three schools many months ago. Atlantic Highlands and Highlands each stand to save over one million dollars per year through Sea Bright’s inclusion. Those facts still stand and would still happen once Sea Bright is approved by the voters to become part of this new regionalization that officially happened this week.

Now it appears it is all up to the Atlantic Highlands council to continue moving along the right of the people to decide.

It will be remarkably interesting to see if the elected officials will stand true to their word and make the decision to join Highlands and Sea Bright in approving a feasibility update to support the Commissioner’s request. It is worth attending the meeting at 7 pm next Thursday or joining online to see what each of the council members says regarding their support to move forward with Step #2 and giving the people the opportunity to express their opinion.

Save LBI on Offshore Wind Farms

By

Muriel J. Smith

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October 21, 2023

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Save LBI Weighs In

Recent events have confirmed that even with billions in Federal and state subsidies, the current New Jersey wind projects are not economically viable without additional electric bill or tax handouts, nor are they effective in addressing climate change.

Under the guise of saving the planet from climate change and providing long term economic growth the federal government and the State have been extremely generous to foreign wind energy companies with both money and environment. This includes federal tax credits, increases in electric bills, taxpayer funding of onshore support facilities, additional direct subsidies, a weakening of the environmental impact statement process, and the potential for children to pick up the tab for removing the turbines, substations and cabling in the future.

That is the opinion of representatives of at least three different agencies, including Long Beach Island who are calling for some serious reflection by state legislators.

There are new wind technologies on the horizon and ways to pursue renewable energy that do not ruin the Jersey shore and jeopardize marine mammals, said Bob Sern, Ph.D. president of Save Long Beach Island, Inc., “ Save LBI will keep the public informed on these matters of extreme importance to your pocketbook and our environment, “ he said. For further information, visit their webpage at www.save LBI.org or the Facebook page at SaveLBI Community Group for the latest updates.

Stern, who is president of the LBI, Inc., is joined by Ed O’Donnell, a principal in Whitesgrand Consulting, LLS, and John Deitchman, coordinator for Save LBI Issues and listing numerous reasons why more attention should be paid immediately to funds being spent on wind projects.

All three point out that offshore wind remains the most expensive form of renewable energy generation for the US and high costs have skyrocketed due to supply chain issues, higher interest rates and inflation. Such costs are causing other developers to re-think their cost and schedule commitments, and are doubling down with requests for more handouts.

By threatening to walk away, foreign wind companies convinced six Atlantic coast state governors to plead for more Federal tax credits, a new federal revenue sharing program, and a further acceleration of the review and approval process for offshore wind projects. If demands for new subsidies are approved,” O’Donnell said, “electric power rates statewide could rise at least 30 percent for residential, 40 percent for commercial and 50 percent for industrial customers for the full planned wind program. That means a typical household would pay more than $9,000 extra for wind generated power over the more than 20 years these higher rates are in effect.”

The experts also point out that studies have shown that even much lower across the board increases in electric rates would result in thousands of job losses and hundreds of millions per year in lost wages in the state.

Proponents of offshore wind acknowledge there is a cost involved, but the Atlantic Shores project CEO considers it worth the price because of its “importance to climate change” and “economic and work force development benefits” . However, Stern points out the federal environmental impacts statements (EISs) themselves, e.g. the Vineyard Wind project EIS, say that the offshore wind projects will have “no collective impact on global warming. He added that “ proponents of offshore wind fail to present the true global scope and the time dependent nature of the global warming challenge.

Despite scientist warnings over 50 years ago to world leaders to reduce carbon emissions, they continue to increase. In 2022 alone.” Deitchman pointed out “the touted job and economic benefits are overstated, primarily associated with the construction period. It is unclear how many of the jobs will go to NJ versus foreign workers.”

All three critics further note that the next few months will be a critical period for NJ offshore wind. They say there is seemingly no end to the subsidies being demanded. Prior State decisions on the existing NJ projects should be revisited as to whether they should go forward and at what cost, and Save LBI has asked for a rehearing of the Atlantic Shores 1 project in that regard.”

Decisions on the projects proposed for the next 4000 megawatts should be paused, and no additional electric rate or tax subsidies should be given until a full cost benefit analysis is done on the existing and proposed projects (as recently requested by the NJ Legislature leadership) and an analysis is done of the financial returns being realized by the foreign developers (as requested by the NJ Office of the Rate Counsel), they insist.

Veni Vidi Scripto

Veni Vidi Scripto

Veni Vidi Scripto

Veni Vidi Scripto

Regionalization Goes to Executive Session

Regionalization & Executive Session … Why the Secrets?

Want to Know the Candidates?

Meet the Candidates

Travel by Train: Newport Rhode Island

Newport Rhode Island

Kalian Requests a Delay

Requests a Delay

Acorn Squash

ACORN SQUASH

SPICY ACORN SQUASH WITH FETA

Carrot Cumin Soup

CARROT CUMIN SOUP

ADDED TOUCHES:

Care One Residents Rights

Residents Rights

Ghosts of the White House

Ghosts

Regionalization: Time for the 2 nd Step

Time for the Second Step

Save LBI on Offshore Wind Farms

Save LBI Weighs In

Veni Vidi Scripto

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