Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long. photo credit:RedBankGreen.com
Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long announced on facebook and twitter this morning that she will not seek a third term leading the borough.
Long has served on the governing body for 16 years, the last 7 as mayor. She led the rescue and recovery from Superstorm Sandy,which is ongoing.
First elected as a Democrat, Long left the party and became an Independent after Vin Gopal, then Chairman of the Monmouth Democrats, retaliated against her for endorsing Governor Chris Christie’s reelection in 2013.
She was reelected without partisan opposition in 2015.
Sea Bright Democrats Expect A Primary Fight Over Council Nominations
Councilman Marc Leckstein: Gopal with overrule local chairman and award him the party line in the primary
Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long. photo credit:RedBankGreen.com
Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long is poised to lead the tiny coastal borough’s recovery from Superstorm Sandy for another four years.
Long, an Independent, will file her nominating petitions this week, over two months before they are due for Independent candidates. Both the Democratic and Republican municipal chairs have said that they won’t field candidates against Long.
“I am hopeful the voters of Sea Bright will give me the opportunity to see through our rebuilding from Sandy, the recovery of our municipal finances and the economic revitalization of our downtown,” Long said in a prepared statement, “I want to make sure we incorporate lessons learned from Sandy to improve our future resilience, and that we continue to engage and empower Sea Bright residents to be an active part that process.
“Over the last three and half years, we have seen that when we roll up our sleeves and work together, we succeed. If we keep bringing that spirit to the tasks at hand, I know Sea Bright’s potential can finally be realized. I am honored that the Democrat and Republican party organizations are not opposing my re-election bid, and am very very grateful. I look forward to working with them all to keep Sea Bright moving forward.”
Beck: “Hubris and Ego have no place in this recovery process. We have all made some mistakes. Now we need to fix them.”
Thomas P. Largey, 82, and Senate President Steve Sweeney talk in Largey’s gutted Sea Bright home prior to Sweeney’s press conference. May 30, 2014. Photo by Art Gallagher
Senate President Steve Sweeney held a politically charged press conference in a partially gutted Sea Bright home this morning, ostensibly to create political pressure on Republicans in the State Legislature to join Democrats in overriding Governor Chris Christie’s conditional veto of the Sandy Bill of Rights.
Sweeney’s comments sounded like a campaign rally against Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, Senator Jennifer Beck and Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, JR.
The “Sandy Bill of Rights” passed both houses of the State Legislature unanimously in March. Christie conditionally vetoed the bill earlier this month, making over 150 changes to it. Some of the changes were to bring the law into compliance with federal Housing and Urban Development regulations, others removed what Christie called “partisan language.” One of Christie changes removed the requirement on the State that applicants for RREM grants be able to access the status of their applications online.
Sweeney penned an OpEd published in The Asbury Park Presslast week wherein he appealed to Republican legislators who had unanimously voted for his bill “to do something they have yet to do under this (Christie) administration, and that’s to put aside their partisanship and override the governor’s veto.”
O’Scanlon responded with an OpEd of his own, wherein he said, “after further analysis we found a number of critical flaws that the Governor wisely and reasonably addresses in his conditional veto.”
Jersey Shore bicyclers who need to adjust their equipment have a place to stop in Sea Bright thanks to the generosity of theBusinesses of Sea Bright (BSB).
click for larger view
MMM happened upon Mayor Dina Long, Councilman Read Murphy, and residents Marianne McKenzie Morse, Karley York and Jack Gotti shortly after the dedication ceremony for the newly installed Dero Fixit.
Morse said, “We need to get the word out.” MMM is happy to help.
Long said, “The Fixit is a generous gift of the Business of Sea Bright, BSB, for the use of all cyclists for the betterment of Sea Bright and the promotion of cycling in Sea Bright.”
The repair station is adjacent to the bus stop at the beach parking lot on Ocean Ave.
The Fixit includes all the tools necessary to perform basic repairs and maintenance, from changing a flat to adjusting brakes and derailleurs. The tools and air pump are securely attached to the stand with stainless steel cables and tamper-proof fasteners. Hanging the bike from the hanger arms allows the pedals and wheels to spin freely while making adjustments, according to Dero’s website.
Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long. photo credit:RedBankGreen.com
When Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal promised retribution and accused Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long of abandoning her principals by endorsing Governor Chris Christie for reelection, Long said, “Whether Vin likes it or not, I’m still a Democrat.”
Now she’s not a Democrat. Long quietly changed her registration to Unaffiliated in February. The Asbury Park Press was the first to report Long’s new status.
“I did this quietly and without fanfare,” Long told MMM, “to talk about why I did it would defeat the purpose.” Prodded, Long said, “its a long story, no pun intended.”
Political insiders in Sea Bright have been aware of Long’s new status for a few weeks. One insider said that something happened in the county Democratic Party that Long considered personally hurtful.
The Borough of Sea Bright is one of twenty towns throughout the United States and Canada named as winners of Benjamin Moore’s Main Street Matters contest.
Sea Bright and 19 other town’s business districts will be revitalized over the next year by the paint manufacturer working with their local retailers and painting contractors. The winners were selected by voters on the company’s website.
Woohoo! We won!! THANK YOU everybody!!! Email received minutes ago:
We’re thrilled to let you know that Sea Bright is a 2013 Benjamin Moore Main Street Matters community. It’s a testament to the passion your community members have shown us over the course of the voting period. All of the 20 towns on the final list got here because of the outpouring of support we heard at a local level, so you should be very proud both of your Main Street area and all of your supporters.
We will be delivering a package to your town later today with more information. But we wanted reach out to congratulate you first thing today.
Former Waveland, MS Mayor Tommy Longo tours Sea Bright with Mayor Dina Long in February. Longo, three other Gulf Coast former mayors and former Congressman Gene Taylor will address the Bayshore Conference of Mayors on May 17 in Keansburg, Photo: NJ.com
A group of former mayors and a former congressman who led their Mississippi communities to recovery from Hurricane Katrina are coming to the Jersey Shore next week to share their knowledge and experience with New Jersey’s mayors and senior municipal officials who are continuing to deal with the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.
The group will be speaking at a meeting of the Bayshore Conference ofMayorson Friday evening May 17, 7PM, at Anthony’s Restaurant, 65 Church St in Keansburg. All mayors and senior municipal officials of towns impacted by Sandy are invited, according to Union Beach Mayor Paul Smith, the conference president. Those wishing to attend should contact Smith via text or phone call at 732-713-0506. If someone who should have gotten an invitation didn’t, this is it. Readers are encouraged to pass this post on to their mayors.
The Mississippi delegation, comprised of former Congressman Gene Taylor and former mayors Brent Warr, Eddie Farve, and Tommy Longo, is being flown to New Jersey free on charge by Southwest Airlines. Their lodging is being donated by Dominique Ervin, General Manager, Hampton Inn of Neptune/Walland Sal Cannizarro of Immediate Care Medical Walk In of Hazlet.
This mayors helping mayors project is the brainchild of author and former CNN correspondent Kathleen Koch. A Bay St’ Louis, MS native, Koch has dedicated herself to supporting survivors of natural disasters since Katrina. She is the author of Rising from Katrina: How My Mississippi Hometown Lost It All and Found What Mattered and is donating a signed copy as a door prize for the conference. She was sent to Japan by the U.S. State Department in March of this year to deliver her message of Resiliency and Words of Hope to the survivors of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami of the second anniversary of that catastrophic event.
RedBankGreen is reporting that the Borough of Sea Bright has ended its participation of a federal pilot program set up to get residents displaced by Superstorm Sandy back into their homes quickly, because..surprise surprise, the Sheltering and Temporary Electric and Power (STEP) program was holding residents back.
and is donating a signed copy as a door prize for the conference. She was sent to Japan by the U.S. State Department in March of this year to deliver her message of Resiliency and Words of Hope to the survivors of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami of the second anniversary of that catastrophic event.