Farmacie by the French Market, opened its doors Wednesday at 165 Bay Avenue, a new market operated by Nicole Oppelt and Carli Windsor.
Nicole, who grew up and lived in the borough 22 years, now lives in Atlantic Highlands and started in the event planning industry and also owns Dovetail Vintage Rentals in Atlantic Highlands, a business which provides vintage and boutique rentals for weddings and other special events.
Windsor is a native of South Africa who has lived in the United States for 21 years. A resident of Middletown, she also owns The French Market in Rumson and Colts Neck.
The French Market is a gourmet cafe that carries specialty gifts, plants and flowers and caters special events. The proprietors met 6 years ago, working together and collaborating on special events and now own the Highlands business as well as Fleur La Fete Flowers and Events, which will now be located inside Farmacie by the French Market.
Paige Montecalvo will be working with the owners as part of their creative team.
Farmacie by the French Market will enable customers to enjoy a gourmet coffee experience featuring Illy coffee from Europe, along with an abundance of French pastries and gourmet delicacies. Fleur La Fete will specialize in European-sourced, high quality silk flowers for custom faux arrangements, along with an array of home goods, candles and interior design accent pieces.
“We are beyond excited to be a part of the Highlands community. When looking for a home for Farmacie, we wanted somewhere that would transport you and would be an escape” said Oppelt. Windsor added, “Farmacie is a gourmet espresso bar, café and design collaborative with Interior Design accents for sale. We are looking forward to sharing our passion with our new patrons”.
Farmacie by the French Market will be open Monday through Saturday, 7am to 5pm and Sunday, 8am to 2pm. For more information about Farmacie by the French Market visit farmacienj.com or call 848-300-2007.
The Highlands Board of Education once again completed the NJ Department of Education’s monitoring and accountability program and the k-6 elementary school was deemed in compliance as mandated by the state Superintendent of Schools Dr. Tara Beams told the Board of Education Monday night at its meeting.
The superintendent explained the monitoring program is a mandate in all school district every three years with a purpose of ensuring each school is in compliance with all state and federal programs and regulations.
Dr. Beams noted that the Highlands School satisfactorily scored higher than 80 in all five areas monitored and has been rated as high performing. Scores ranked from one 83 percent to three at 100 per cent, achieved in the five areas monitored during the program.
Henry Hudson Regional, which also went through the three year mandated program this year, also passed with a high rating, the superintendent said.
“This is not an award,,” Dr. Beams said, but rather “ a compliance rating and how the Department of Education monitors the effectiveness of school districts.”
– Packed with credentials as a child psychologist, clinical assistant professor at Rutgers University for Family Medicine and Behavioral Health, and post doctorate work both in family medicine and behavioral health care after graduating magna cum laud from the University of Toledo, Margaret Chan, Ph.D., spoke as a mother of two youngsters in the public school on everything she feels is wrong with the new health curriculum the Board of Education approved at its meeting Monday night.
The same approval is anticipated in Atlantic Highlands when that Board of Education meets this week.
Dr. Chan implored the Board not to vote on the curriculum , explaining it was not comprehensive or transparent and was only presented in part to parents and other interested persons late Friday. She asked for a complete syllabus of alternative health assignments and charged the letter to parents of students in the school “appeared curiously deceptive.”
Dr. Chan also objected to only receiving the curriculum posted online after 3 p.m. Friday, saying there was insufficient time to review it as well as it being absent examples of how sensitive health concepts including gender identity, expression, sexual orientation, masturbation, and oral and anal sex would be taught.
Dr. Chan was one of several parents who spoke out against the new curriculum which goes into effect for the school year, with parents questioning why students have to opt out of classes at their parents’ wishes rather than opt in, wondering whether opting out would cause children in the K-6 grades impacted by the new curriculum to feel separated, embarrassed, or insecure because of their parents saying they should not take specific classes.
“It is my professional and expert opinion that elementary school children are developmentally not ready to meet the health performance expectations outlined in a letter sent to 2d,5th, and 8th graders last week. She pointed out in written statements distributed to each of the board members and School Superintendent Dr. Tara Beams that “ They are still in concrete operational stage in brain development…” Concrete thinking is black and white thinking, she told the board.
Many other parents present at the meeting agreed, adding their own comments and questions about who will be teaching the classes…a female teacher in Highlands and a male teacher in Atlantic Highlands since that is how the faculties are comprised at this time, the impact socially with his peers for students who parents opt out of their learning in school about sexual differences, parts of the body, masturbation and similar topics, and why opting in to the classes could be a better option for children in K-6 grades.
However, Superintendent Dr. Tara Beams explained to all parents that the district cannot change state standards and teaching programs, but she assured them that this district is approaching the education conservatively, with no program for Pre-K students, not required by state law, and using the Great Body Shop as one of the educational means for the classes. The superintendent also pointed out that regularly scheduled ‘newspapers,” similar to former Weekly readers are part of the program, using cartoon figures to make learning easier and more educational for young children. Failing to follow the state mandates, she said, could result on the district receiving a poor rating, losing state funding, and other serious changes for a district that does not follow state mandates. “We’re not trying to force you into anything,” Dr. Beams told parents, with parent Brian Phair noting it appears the board is conservative in its approach to the the regulations.
Information received by the parents indicated their opt out decisions had to be made almost immediately, but the board, though appearing willing to extend that deadline in order to give parents more opportunity to revie1w the information and make their decisions took no action and did not ask Dr. Beams to discuss the matter further. The superintendent added, however, it should not present a problem to extend the time for parents to review the information forwarded to them on Friday, but the school would still follow the state mandate. Beams said, “the state guide is the blueprint” for what has to be taught. And “
The superintendent cited the second grade class as an example of teaching the physical characteristics of both genders, and the new regulations continue to teach that, however “we can’t change the state standards.”
Parents also questioned the lack of recess for sixth grade students, with Dr. Beams indicating she was unaware of complaints and she and the principal will look into the program and see if changes should be made.
It was so ludicrous I had to ask the board president to repeat it more than once.
Make no mistake about it, I finally learned, I could not ask any questions during the public portion of the Highlands Board of Education meeting.
How could I make comments if I didn’t know what they were talking about, I asked? A reporter does think of things like that.
But it was clear. Not only could I not ask any questions about anything, but a school board member couldn’t ask any questions about regionalization either!
But that’s another story.
This one is about how I truly was treated differently from everyone else who attended the Highlands school board meeting Monday night.
During the public portion, in response to an announcement it was time on the agenda for the public to speak, before I even gave my name, the board president smiled and said, “You’re limited to three minutes, I’m starting the timer now.” I smiled and said, “I haven’t even given my name yet, is that included in my time.” She smiled, friendly like, but apparently even giving my name was being timed.
I was the only timed speaker the entire night. No one else was told the timer was starting; indeed, though admittedly I don’t see well, it did not even appear from the front row that the egg timer was used for anyone else at all. And several residents, including a Councilwoman, asked questions. But I was denied.
So why couldn’t I ask questions even if I contained them in the three minutes allow?
I read the rules.
I would be allotted a limited time AFTER BEING RECOGNIZED (which to me means giving my name, how else can I be recognized? (oops, that’s a question!)
The rules said the board encourages public participation. But how can you comment on things that were said if you aren’t sure what you heard and need clarification in order to be informed?
The rules said my conduct could cause them not to listen to me. But I only stood, gave my name and address, and asked a question… Not allowed.
The rules said they would not respond to questions about employment, appointment, discipline, prospective or current employees, or “any other matter that may be discussed during a non-public meeting in accordance with NJSA 10:4-12…”
I wasn’t asking about any of those things.
My question, horrors of horrors, had to do with REGIONALIZATION. You know, that’s the same every one of the three boards are supposed to know about, three different Mayors and Council have been discussing and, like the boards, acting on, and councils want to get on the ballot to let the people decide whether we should do it or not.
But nope, I couldn’t ask that question.
Why, you ask? (That’s ok, I welcome questions!) Simple. The board president told me not one, but two attorneys advised the board last August they cannot answer questions about regionalization.
Wait!
You’re supposed to be part of the planning, part of the decision making, representing the people, but I can’t dare ask you a question about it? Is that for real? Is it any wonder there’s been so little communication among all the entities if a private citizen can’t even ask a question about it at a school board meeting?
Is that a violation of the First Amendment?
Do two attorneys have the right to recommend I, or others like me, don’t have the right to ask questions of an elected board?
Does a school board have the right to deny a constitutional First Amendment right because two attorneys they pay well told them I and others like me should not be allowed to ask questions?
All of which begs the questions…
Is it these same two attorneys who also advised a school board member cannot participate in any decision on whether regionalization can be on the ballot simply because her husband is on the Council and has recused himself from any decision making?
Did those two attorneys, or whoever issued that opinion, think it’s okay for a councilman in Atlantic Highlands to vote on regionalization even though his wife, the former school board member, quit her post so he could vote?
There’s another school board member in Atlantic Highlands whose husband is also on Council. Can’t either of them vote either, in the opinions of these two attorneys?
I did hear at the meeting there’s yet another conflict at the Henry Hudson level, though I don’t know a member of that board married to a councilman.
So have we come to the point where paid attorneys are deciding what the First Amendment of the Constitution permits for Americans or anyone who comes into our beloved country?
There’s no doubt many other people asked many other questions after I was denied the right. None was on regionalization I suppose.
Though the Highlands Mayor, who attending the meeting along with two council members because I guess they think all of this discussion is important for the residents to know and learn made some very good points. She wanted to know when the board would be able to figure out its budget and present it to Council? Because Council has a deadline they have to meet in figuring how much of their budget has to be allocated for the school district. If the borough doesn’t get the school board figures in time, council simply won’t have the money to give them to pay their bills since they can’t take it from other accounts.
Not sure she got an answer. I was still struggling over why I was singled out with an egg timer, a warning it was being turned over, and a denial of my right to speak if that speech included a question mark at the end of a sentence.
In spite of councilman Donald Melnyk recusing himself from voting on school regionalization since his wife is a member of the local board, the board of education has also ruled that his wife Gina Melnyk is also not eligible to discuss, let alone vote on any regionalization issue. The issue leaves Highlands absent a vote on both the municipal governing body and the school board of education because the elected officials are husband and wife.
The question also brings up the attorney’ s opinion on who in Atlantic Highlands can talk about regionalization.
Councilman James Murphy has recused himself from regionalization questions, since his wife, Mollie, is a member of the Atlantic Highlands Board of Education.
Councilman Brian Dougherty’s wife, Erin, who was an elected member of the board but quit several months ago, saying she did so because her husband was on the council and would be voting there. Persons at Monday’s meeting also indicated there was yet another conflict at the Henry Hudson Board, but that was not described or identified.
Board President Diane Knox said the board had been advised last August that in spite of the espoused board member’s recusal from voting Melnick was also being recused from her vote on the board, since, in the opinion of not only the local school attorney but also the special attorney retained by the board for the regionalization question said the union still represents a conflict.
Because Knox refused Melnyk the right to ask questions, as well as told the public there are no questions permitted during the public portion of the meeting, (meaning residents are not permitted to question board members or decisions during a meeting), Melnyk refused to share her list of questions and did not ask to ask them during the meeting. The member, however, did not pursue her denial to ask questions, nor did she remind the board as an elected official she had the right to ask questions and represent the inquiries of the public.
Knox indicated that the attorneys had e-mailed the board sometime after their August opinion that regardless of recusal, school board members could not vote on issues when their spouses are members of the governing body. No one explained at the meeting whether mother daughter, father, son, or any other combination other than a husband and wife is considered a conflict by the school board attorneys.
Melnyk was apparently prepared to be denied her right to ask questions saying to Knox, when she was asked a question on regionalization by a member of the public “I knew you were not going to let me talk.” The board member appeared to have a series of questions she was going to ask, but declined to share the questions either during or after the meeting.
Mayor Carolyn Broullon, present at the meeting with two councilman, expressed surprise at the discussion denial, saying she had “never heard of a such a thing before.”
Knox said she had received the message from the attorneys on denying an elected official the right to vote through an e-mail from the attorney after the attorneys and others whom she did not identify … had discussions on the right of elected officials who are related to elected officials on other boards, or whether the board can make a decision refusing an elected member the right to vote even if related to another elected official who is recused from voting on the same issue.
It’s a known fact to everyone in Highlands that The Girls Café is a pretty terrific spot to go for breakfast or lunch. (except Mondays and Tuesdays and those are days you can try some of the other outstanding eateries in a town that has a lot of wonderful places to eat)
But Joseph Majka took it one step further. Joe is a Highlands resident, but he’s also superintendent of the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School district. A smart guy, a pleasant guy, and obviously a guy that recognizes and appreciates a great place like The Girls Café.
So Joe went as far as to send out one of the routine weekend messages to his staff to tell everyone about The Girls Café.
Here is Joe’s take on The Girls Café and why it brought so many out-of-towners to town to try it out themselves.
“Vera and Cathy own Girls Café in Highlands. It is located next to the Driftwood Liquor Store and Bar on Bay. Ave. Driftwood is a story for another day, but suffice to say that in the warmer months the Driftwood Bar gets kicking at 6:30 a.m.! I have been having breakfast with Vera and Cathy since I moved in almost 3 years ago. They grew up in Highlands and are an institution. I usually go a few times a week. I love going because anything goes and it is just a great way to start the day after exercising. They are extremely salty, which I love! There is always something going on and everyone has a great sense of humor. I guess you could call Vera and Kathy my therapists. I leave every time laughing and ready for what will come of each day. They also have a great outside set-up in the summer! If you are jump for a new breakfast experience, visit Vera and Cathy…the salt of the earth, my friends!
Then he added a Steve Martin quote: “A day without sunshine is like, you know, night!”
And when I brought up to Cathy that Joe called them salty, she didn’t miss a beat before responding to me, “Well, of course we are, we’re clammers!.
By the way, though still open five days a week from 6 a.m., the girls are taking an extra hour to rest, so are closing at 1 p.m. instead of 2 p.m. these days, so get your lunch orders in early.
They came barefoot or in sneakers. They wore everything from shorts and slacks to dresses and bathing suits. They brought potato and macaroni salads, deviled eggs and baked beans, meats and more. And all kinds of sweets for dessert.
They were all related, dozens of them, plus the Mayor, who is a neighbor, and a few friends.
The sun was shining, the breeze was cool, and the tide was coming in. It was the perfect day, time and place to say a final goodbye with a smile and rose petals for the beloved Florence Hartsgrove Gauthier, Gram to everyone.
It was Saturday afternoon and the family and a chaplain had just said their final prayers and goodbyes to Gram at Bayview Cemetery where there was a brief ceremony as the family presented her cremains for burial.
Then four generations of the family gathered at the Miller St. Beach, locally known as Gram’s Beach, for a final farewell , youngsters had sand pails filled with rose petals, and guests each took petals and tossed them in the water, along with a prayer for Florence and the family.
Some of the petals were picked up on waves and headed straight out to open water; others washed back up on the beach, only go out again on the next wave. Still other petals attached themselves to bare toes in the water, before finally letting go and heading out.
Then grandson David topped off the waterside memories by diving in and swimming out for a final goodbye to his grandmother and a look back at the Highlands she loved.
“This was what Gram would have wanted,” explained one of her five daughters, Lee Limberger. “She always said she loved parties on the beach. This beach. And when she was in the hospital before she died, we told her when she got home, there would be a party on the beach. She smiled as broadly as she could in her final illness and said, ‘oh, that will be great. I’ll be there.’ “
Both at the cemetery and at Gram’s Beach, all of the family had different stories to tell, different memories to share, all about the love and care of the matriarch of the large generational family and her love for the beach next to her home. Mayor Carol Broullon, who knew Gram as her next door neighbor, was there with the family to share their pain in losing her but their joy in all their memories. At 100 years of age, Mrs. Gauthier was the oldest living native of Highlands at the time of her death, and was honored with a resolution by the Mayor and Council which the mayor read and presented at last month’s council meeting.
Last year, she wrote the forward to a book about Highlands residents who made a difference, “The ABCs of Highlands.” In her foreword Florence described Highlands as “a special place to grow up and raise the next generations.” She noted that while Highlands “has changed with the times, it will always provide happy memories for those lucky enough to grow up here.”
Gram died in April of natural causes, surrounded by her family then as she was Saturday, Her obituary described her door as always open, the coffee pot always on, her love for Bingo games, adventures to Atlantic City and scratch offs. It explained how she “loved spending time at the beach whether it be putting her feet in the water, scanning the beach with a metal detector or taking rides through Sandy Hook.”
That is why the final memorial ceremony was held at the Miller St. beach everyone knows as Gram’s Beach.
In addition to her five daughters, Gram is survived by 13 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren, and four great great-grandchildren, along with scores of cousins, nieces and nephews.
“Give us five Tuesday evenings,” said musical director, Craig J. Page, “and we’ll give you the skills you need to experience all the fun of solo or group singing.”
Craig was addressing his comments to anyone who wants to be part of a thrilling new musical experience, wants to sing a cappella and loves harmony. Page is director of the Chorus of the Atlantic.
He was referring to a special course, READY SET SING that he teaches at a private Monmouth County school and is inviting both beginning and experienced singers to join at no charge, but with advance registration. Registration should be made immediately; the course is limited to ten men.
The next series of free “Ready, Set, Sing!” classes are Tuesday evenings, from 7:30 p.m.to– 9:00 PM beginning September 27 and going through weekly until October 25, 2022, at the Red Bank Middle School Auditorium, 101 Harding Road.
“You don’t need to read music,” Page explained. “We’ll teach you everything you need to know to sing richly and resonantly and produce ear-pleasing harmony. You’ll soon be enjoying the ringing of beautiful a cappella chords, the company of a great bunch of fellow singers, and the thrill of performing for enthusiastic audiences.”
The Chorus of the Atlantic is the singing voice of the Red Bank Area Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to bring four-part a cappella harmony to the local community through regular performances and educational events. The chorus consists of men representing a wide range of musical backgrounds, from novice to trained professionals, and performs under the direction of Page. The Chorus of the Atlantic rehearses at 7:30 PM on Tuesdays at the Red Bank Middle School.
“It seems to me you’re driving me out of town, so just release me from my lease and I’ll go elsewhere,” a frustrated Harold Smith told the Mayor and Council at last week’s meeting.
Smith, who runs TowBOAT/U.S and has been a tenant at the Municipal Yacht Harbor since 1998, is understandably upset. He has been seeking to have the building contractor fix the five major problems that have existed since the new $1.3 million building at the harbor was completed 20 months ago. Smith moved into the top floor of the building, renting approximately 350 square feet of space with incredible broad sweeping views of the harbor, the piers, and the water beyond.
But inside the building, there are a series of problems that have not yet been addressed by Kappa Construction, the firm who built the building in 2019. Nor have either the Harbor Commission to whom Smith pays rent, nor the Mayor and Council, to whom he turned when nothing was getting accomplished, done much to correct his situation.
Smith told the council there are five primary problems which need to be addressed and corrected. In spite of some of them reportedly being repaired, it isn’t so, Smith said. As an example, one of the complaints was about the front door closure. Sometimes it closes, sometimes it closes halfway, sometimes not at all. There have been a couple of attempts to secure it properly, but once the weather changes, or something else happens, the door is back to working occasionally. Simply replacing it would be the more efficient solution.
Then there is loose siding on the building exterior. Smith said that after Thursday’s meeting, Councilman Brian Boms came to his office, reviewed the problem and immediately took action.
While the loose siding and front door appear to be minor problems, there are more serious results than both of them, a visit to the building will show.
Although less than two years old, the entrance to the building at street level frequently gets water in heavy rain. And always has. That is evidenced in the amount of rust along the stair railings, the metal around the elevator shaft, as well as the metal structure within the shaft area the elevator slides on.
Smith had pointed out that standing water has also caused mold buildup in several different places. This week he took samples from one or two areas where mold is evident and is giving them to the borough administrator as further proof of his concerns for the building and the health and safety of all who use it. The mold tests, although not professional but available for use by any building owner, definitely show a rapid and unhealthy growth of mold.
The water conditions in the building have also left a malodorous entry in the building. That has been reduced somewhat, Smith said, although the air has been dry so he could not be positive. What could be seen, however, in the area beneath the stairs where water stands for a while in heavy rainfalls, someone had ‘repaired’ or eliminated the smell simply by scattering sawdust or cat litter.
As attractive and neat as the TowBOAT/U.S. office is, a far more dangerous and invisible construction error exists and could be fatal at some point. Building codes mandate that all gas fired equipment must have a shutoff valve easily and readily available close by in the event of a gas leak or serious gas problem. The air conditioners in this office as well as the State Police, are all gas-fired. But the shut off valves are nowhere to be seen. For TowBOAT/U.S., the valve is out the door, down a flight of steps and located somewhere at another level.
Nowhere near anyone in an office with a gas leak has access to the shut off valve.
Smith said the plumbing inspector apparently did not notice or think it was unusual, or for some other reason did not address the situation before the building was approved. But when he visited more recently and saw it, he agreed it appeared to be in violation of the building code and hopefully that matter is being addressed sometime this month.
These are the five main problems in the building, Smith said, the lack of accessible shutoff valves in his office and the State Police office, the front entrance leaks, the front door closure and the loose siding that still exists even after the falling piece has been replaced.
It’s not that Smith is an impatient man, far from it. Nor is he unreasonable.
When he first moved into the harbor in 1998, he operated from a trailer in the yard until a building was constructed. He moved into that building, and was there when it was destroyed during Hurricane Sandy. After Sandy, he moved into a trailer once again where he spent the next eight years, paying rent to the harbor while the borough and FEMA argued over funding to replace the building.
Kappa Construction Co. a local firm that has done many municipal building jobs in the area, including the Sea Bright municipal buildings and the currently under construction Highlands Borough Hall, was low bidder and built the current building with Smith moving in in January 2020.
Smith told the Mayor and Council he wanted to be released from his lease he just recently renewed, since his many pleas to the Harbor Commission have included many promises the situation would be corrected but little actual repairs.
He said “you’re running me out of town” by failing to bring the building up to standard and explained all about the sewage gas that emanates in several places in the building, the cheater valve that is still in place in the bathrooms, and the lack of respect he feels he received from at least one Harbor employee when he attended a meeting of that commission. He noted that he has been promised as far back as January of this year by the Commission that the issues would be or have been corrected. It still has not happened.
Smith, who told Council he spends upwards of $80,000 a year in the harbor between his lease and fuel purchases, also has a reputation for being helpful and adept at his job. Harbor users have praised how he worked above and beyond after Hurricane Sandy helping to get sunken boats raised and the harbor back into working order and the excellent quality of his work and his attention to customers .
A check of the minutes of the Jan. 11, 2022, confirmed Smith’s Statement and concerns were discussed but have not been properly addressed since problems still exist.
Under the Assistant manager report the minutes say “FEMA has agreed to revisit the overages on the TowBoat building project and the manger gave specific details, saying “the vent issues in the building bathrooms have been corrected and there should be no further odor issues in the building.”
Borough Administrator Robert Ferragina also said this week “The borough has been in constant communication with the contractor to remedy any/all issues and complaints. It is our intention to be proactive as we value all of our tenants in the harbor.”
While Council took no action on his request to be released from his lease if corrections are not made, Smith said he is hopeful things will be corrected in full this week and he will be able to continue to work in his office in safety and comfort.
I‘m not usually in praise of the Highlands Mayor, but I have to admit she takes criticism or suggestions gracefully and recognizes them as business and sincere interest, not personal. Every politician does not.
But she was outspoken, sure of herself, and full of information at last night‘s special Highlands council meeting and wanted to make it known that something, politics, conflicts, whatever, has taken away from settling the regionalization question simply on the basis of what should be settled: the best education for the kids at the best price for everybody involved.
And the attorneys for Highlands and Sea Bright are so different, and so much more knowledgeable and willing to inform the people, than the labor attorney hired by Atlantic Highlands to do the same thing.
It’s not the time to question why Atlantic Highlands would hire and rely on a labor attorney in such a vital issue for the borough; by contrast, it’s impressive to see the background and hear the knowledge and experience of the Highlands/Sea Bright attorney when it comes to discussing such a major issue for both towns and Atlantic Highlands. Heck, they’re the ones involved in the new law, they’re the ones with any experience in the field.
Shouldn’t everyone be listening to them rather than the attorney who had to come late to his meeting, explain more than once he’s a labor attorney, doesn’t know math, and leaves a meeting because he had to dash off to some other meeting for some other town somewhere?
It’s understandable the Highlands/Sea Bright attorneys did not want to go into specifics on some of the questions they were asked…why show their hand if they’re going into mediation? But at least they listened, and it’s my guess they are going to use some of the arguments that were presented to them.
It’s a meeting too many residents of Highlands missed, and I do wonder why…
Is it because people are bored with regionalization?
Is it because they trust their governing body so much they don’t need to listen to what’s going on?
Is it because they simply don’t understand what it’s all about or the ramifications of not regionalizing?
I don’t know, but given the notice they had, the message that went out that it was an important meeting, it was disappointing and surprising to see there was not a standing room only audience.
But then, the same thing happened in Atlantic Highlands. The room was packed for the Cannabis issue, but once that was set aside, the crowd left, many to go to a local bar to talk about the strategy to come, But few stayed to hear what was going on about regionalization.
Could it possibly be because there are so many new people in both towns, people who don’t know the pride, the history, the way they’ve done business for generations in these towns and are now bringing a new way of doing things to both towns?
Old or new, showing a distinct lack of interest is not the way to improve any town. Even if you don’t want to be involved in actually doing something for your hometown, at least make an effort to find out what the towns elected people are doing for you.
