Hornik Calls For Suspension Of Tax Assessment Program

Marlboro Mayor Jon Hornik and Councilwoman Randi Marder at a campaign event last month. photo via facebook

Marlboro Mayor Jonathan Hornik called for the immediate suspension of the controversial tax assessment program, Assessment Demonstration Pilot Program(ADP), in a press release issued Tuesday evening.

Responding to an “investigate report” in the Asbury Park Press that alleges cronyism, nepotism and ethics violations on the part of Monmouth County Tax Administrator Matt Clark, former Tax Commissioner Daniel Kelly and the companies that won the contracts to provide the inspections and appraisals of all Monmouth County properties that are assessed through ADP, Hornik said, “I am heartened by the recent call by the Asbury Park Press for an investigation of the Monmouth County Tax Assessment Demonstration Pilot Program,” said Mayor Hornik. “I have been a vocal critic of this program since its inception, and I expressed, in no uncertain terms, that the program did not fairly and accurately reflect market value, that it inappropriately interfered with local tax assessors and that it had a disproportionate adverse effect on residential and senior citizen property taxpayers.”

Hornik joins Freeholder John Curley in calling for ADP to be suspended and investigated.

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Smith, NJ Delegation Continue to Press for Transparency, Reform at NFIP

WASHINGTON, DC – At a Capitol Hill meeting hosted Oct. 7 by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Dean of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation, with Roy Wright, Deputy Associate Administrator for Insurance and Mitigation at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a bipartisan group of NJ Members of Congress continued to press for equitable relief for… Read the rest of this entry »

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Marlboro Camp Counselor Gets PTI For Sexting Charges

Matthew Kleinstein. Photo via FelicianAthletics.com

Freehold, NJ- Robert Honecker, Esq. smiled broadly as he left Judge Ronald Lee Reisner’s courtroom at 9:10 a.m. on Friday morning, followed closely by his client Matthew Kleinstein and the Kleinstein family.

Judge Reisner was not on the bench. A reporter sat in the last row of the courtroom with a perplexed look on her face. Kleinstein, the former Marlboro Camp Counselor who pleaded guilty in August to 4th degree Cyber Harassment after sending images of his penis to four 11-13 female campers in his care the previous summer, had his sentencing hearing outside of the presence of the media.

It is a rare occurrence that Court proceedings start promptly at 9 a.m. when so scheduled.  If you’re summoned to Court at 9 a.m. and bring an attorney, chances are pretty good that you’ll be paying for an hour or two of his/her time to work on other cases from his/her phone and/or laptop computer.

Judge Reisner started his calendar promptly on Friday morning.  Maybe even early.  He dealt with the Kleinstein matter and then apparently left the bench as approximately 30 other defendants patiently waited in the courtroom for their sentencing hearings.

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Hornik Campaign Accuses Marlboro Republicans Of “Dirty Politics” For Proposing Recreation Department Reforms

There appears to be a race worth watching in Marlboro

The Democratic campaign of Marlboro Mayor Jonathan Hornik and Council Members Randi Marder and Michael Scalea has characterized their opponents’ plan to reform the Township’s Summer Camp as “cheap gutter politics.”

In statement promoted by Hornik on facebook and released on the JerseyShoreInsider blog (a site funded by Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal and Ocean County Democratic Chairman Wyatt Earp that has nothing to do with Snooki or The Situation), Hornik campaign manager Jon Evans accused Republican candidate for Mayor Ira Goldberg and Council candidates Sui Allex and John Dwyer of exploting the “unfortunate and serious incident” that occurred as a result of Matthew Kleinstein, while working as a Marlboro Camp Counselor, sending pictures of his penis to four 11-13 year old female campers in his care.

Councilman Scalea was a member of the Township’s Recreation Committee at the time the incident occurred.

Evans’s statement goes on to claim that the reforms the Republicans proposed are already in practice in the Township of Marlboro.  Evan’s states that the Republicans have no platform for improving Marlboro’s government.  Read the full statement (that Evans inexplicably did not send directly to MMM) here:

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Greg’s List: Things to do in Monmouth County this weekend, October 9-11, 2015

By Greg Kelly

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Friday, Oct 9

• The Rainmaker by Center Players (Freehold) – MORE INFO
• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow at Allaire Village – MORE INFO
• Always … Patsy Cline at Algonquin Arts Theatre (Manasquan) – MORE INFO
• Bruce Springsteen: A Photographic Journey at Monmouth U (WLB) – MORE INFO
• Jersey Shore Ghost Tours (Red Bank) – MORE INFO
• Seussical the Musical at Jersey Shore Arts Center Theater (Neptune) – MORE INFO
• Camp Evans Base of Terror (Wall Twp.) – MORE INFO
• A. Casola Farms’ Famous Fall Fest (Holmdel) – MORE INFO

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Marlboro Camp Counselor Pleads Guilty To Sexting With 4 Teen Campers

Civil suit alleges that Marlboro Recreation Department failed to supervise, protect children and attempted to cover up sexting incidents

Matthew Kleinstein

Matthew Kleinstein, 20, of Marlboro Township, pleaded guilty to fourth degree Cyber Harassment on August 17, 2015 in Monmouth County Court.   Kleinstein had also been charged with 3rd degree Endangering the Welfare of a Minor after he sent pictures of his genitals to four female campers, ages 11-13, via text message and SnapChat, during his employment as a Camp Counselor with the Marlboro Department of Recreation at Marlboro High School during the summer of 2014.

Kleinstein has applied for Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI).  He is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Ronald Lee Reisner on October 9th at 9 a.m, according to Charles Webster, spokesman for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.  If accepted into the PTI program, Kleinstein will avoid serving jail time and have his criminal record expunged upon successfully completing the program.

A civil lawsuit filed by one of the victims and her guardian on September 18, 2015 alleges that Kleinstein’s father, Darrin Kleinstein, Vice Chairman of the Marlboro Recreation Advisory Committee, obstructed the investigation into his son’s actions by the Marlboro Recreation Department and the Marlboro Police Department.  The suit alleges that the elder Kleinstein contended that the allegations were false and manufactured with the intent of harassing his son.

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Hanlon Launches Election Education Website

Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon

FREEHOLD, NJ – On Monday, Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon launched a new voter education website to assist voters in Monmouth County with elections information.

The website, www.MonmouthCountyVotes.com, was designed in collaboration with the Monmouth County Board of Elections and the Monmouth County Superintendent of Elections to provide voters and residents of Monmouth County with an easy to use website dedicated to elections and voting assistance.

“We are very excited to provide this website to Monmouth County voters to assist them with all of their election needs and questions,” said Hanlon.  “All of the County’s election information is now available in a single location. This is really about helping voters, potential voters and candidates access the most up-to-date and important information with the click of a mouse.”

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Greg’s List: Things to do in Monmouth County this weekend, October 2-4, 2015

By Greg Kelly

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Friday, October 2

• Always … Patsy Cline at Algonquin Arts Theatre (Manasquan) – MORE INFO
• Steven Wright at Count Basie Theatre (Red Bank) – MORE INFO
• Bruce Springsteen: A Photographic Journey at Monmouth U (WLB) – MORE INFO
• Jersey Shore Ghost Tours (Red Bank) – MORE INFO
• Friends of the Howell Library Used Book Sale – MORE INFO
• Divine Right at Jersey Shore Arts Center Theater (Neptune) – MORE INFO
• August Wilson’s Seven Guitars at TRT (Red Bank) – MORE INFO
• The 39 Steps by Monmouth Players (Navesink) – MORE INFO
• Artist James Deane: A Hidden Treasure at Monmouth U (WLB) – MORE INFO

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The Arnone Report: Bi-partisan team work yields success with Shark River project

By Monmouth County Freeholder Tom Arnone

Freeholder Tom Arnone

After a very long period time and with many notable road blocks and obstacles, I, along with a great team of my colleagues, including Senator Jennifer Beck (R-11), and Neptune Committeeman Randy Bishop, am so happy to announce that the New Jersey Department of Transportation’s (NJDOT’s) Office of Maritime Resources has awarded the bid to complete the Shark River dredging project. The project’s contract was awarded to Mobile Pumping & Dredging Co., of Chester, PA.

This huge step forward is a result of years of work coordinating with the many agencies that have authority over this project. After being involved in this project for more than fifteen years as Mayor of Neptune City and now as a member of the Board of Chosen Freeholders, I am personally very happy to see this project finally begin.  I have worked with other officials throughout the years whom were also very passionate about this project, including Tom Catley, former Mayor of Neptune Township, as well as other past mayors of the surrounding towns and those in office today. The County has long continued to work cooperatively with these local officials, as well as state and government agencies to move this dredging project forward.

This is a large project, with approximately 106,000 cubic yards of material to be dredged.  With cooperation from the Monmouth County Reclamation Center, which is able to accept and reuse the dredged material, and the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders providing funding, we have made this project a reality. Not one part of the Shark River project was easy or simple, but we found a way to accomplish this.

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Shark River Dredging Contract Awarded

The New Jersey Department of Transportation’s Office of Maritime Resources has awarded the bid to complete the long awaited Shark River and Shark River Spur Dredging Project to the low bidder, Mobile Pumping & Dredging Co., of Chester, PA. MPD’s bid of $7,649,817.50 was $1.8 million lower than the next closest bidder.

The State of New Jersey will contribute over $5 million to the project. Monmouth County will contribute $1.1 million and Neptune Township has committed $450,000.  Belmar, Neptune City and Wall Township are expected to share the remaining costs of the project, according to a statement isssued by Senator Jennifer Beck,  Freeholder Tom Arnone and Neptune Township Committeeman Randy Bishop.  Beck said the project will start this year, “if all the stars align,” and will be completed by the end of 2016.

“After over two decades, there has finally been a bid awarded to dredge Shark River. Notably, The National Marine Fisheries only allows dredging work from July 1st to December 31st, so I’m happy to see this monumental step taken forward, which, if all the stars align, will allow dredging to begin this year. None of this could have been possible without the work of Freeholder Tom Arnone and Committeeman Randy Bishop, working together in a bipartisan fashion with every state, county, and local stakeholder to make this project happen. While the State is investing more than $5 million, the project couldn’t have moved forward without the assistance of Monmouth County, which is accepting the material at its landfill and helping to fund the trucking. In addition, a number of surrounding municipalities have preliminary agreed to share in the cost of the project” said Beck.

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