The Arnone Report: Show us the 9-1-1 money!

By Monmouth County Freeholder Director Tom Arnone

Summer is in full swing and the weather is extraordinary! I’ve been all over the place the past few weeks with my fellow Freeholders, visiting towns, festivals and businesses throughout our beautiful Monmouth County, and nothing makes me happier than to see businesses thriving and residents and tourists enjoying all that we have to offer here. Speaking of festivals, many of these summer events would not be possible without the support of our law enforcement officers, first responders and volunteers.  I’d like to take a moment to thank all of our first responders, especially our law enforcement officers during this sad and tragic time in our country. Thank you all for serving and protecting us every day and making our communities a safe place to live. The officers here in Monmouth County are among the best in the country and I pray you stay safe each and every day.

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Christie Selected, Pallone Snubbed by National Bobblehead Hall of Fame

Breaking news out of Cleveland is that Governor Chris Christie has been admitted to the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum.  The Hall and Museum are actually in Milwaukee, WI, but their representatives are in Cleveland this week selling their wares to RNC delegates and protesters. Presumably they will be in Philadephia next week for the Democratic Convention.

By glaring omission, New Jersey’s 6th District (Monmouth and Middlesex counties) Congressman Frank Pallone has not yet been admitted to the Bobblehead Hall of Fame.

Clearly, Pallone merits the honor more than any politician, athlete or movie star.

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Do you know this man? The Ocean Township Police wants to hear from you

Wanted by the Ocean Township PD

The Ocean Township Police Department is seeking the public’s help in identifying the man in the attached photo.  Detective Michael Melody said that more details may be released upon the man’s identification and arrest, but it is safe to say that he was not in Target to answer the help wanted sign posted on May 11.

Melody also said that the man and another guy were operating this old blue two door Chevy Blazer.

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Court Orders Belmar To Hold A Referendum On “Matt’s Law”

Belmar Mayor “Lawless Matt” Doherty had a bad couple of days in Court last week.

After hearings on Thursday and Friday, Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Katie A. Gummer  Ordered that a referendum on Matt’s Law,   the Pay to Play ordinance that Doherty and the  Belmar Council passed earlier this year that would allow the mayor to hide the identity of donors to his campaign for Monmouth County Freeholder, be held in the Borough on September 27, 2016.

Judge Gummer reiterated her earlier ruling that Belmar’s current Pay to Play ordinance which requires the disclosure of all donations and requires Belmar officials who accept donations from borough venders, developers and liquor licensees to recuse themselves from decisions involving those donors’ applications and business with the town is “the law of the land.”

Matt’s Law “is suspended and has never been in effect,” Judge Gummer said from the bench on Thursday.

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Body found in search for teen reported missing in Shark River Inlet

AVON-BY-THE-SEA — Divers found a dead body Sunday in the search for a missing 17-year-old, Avon-by-the-Sea Police Chief Terence P. Mahon said. Police are taking the body to the medical examiner’s office, Mahon said. Police and the Coast Guard have searched for the missing boy since Saturday. The 17-year-old was reportedly free diving and spear fishing… Read the rest of this entry »

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Search continues for teen reported missing in N.J. inlet

AVON-BY-THE-SEA — The search continues Sunday for a 17-year-old boy reported missing in the Shark River Inlet, officials said. The Coast Guard searched the inlet throughout the evening and deployed a small boat and helicopter Sunday morning, Petty Officer Seth Johnson, a spokesman for the Coast Guard, said. Coast Guard divers will continue the search Sunday… Read the rest of this entry »

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Christie Conditionally Vetos Smoking Ban At Public Parks And Beaches

Belmar Mayor “Lawless Matt” Doherty and Governor Chris Christie walk the Belmar boardwalk in August 2011. Photo Credit: Tim Larson, Governor’s Office

Governor Chris Christie conditionally vetoed (CV) legislation that would have banned smoking at all public parks and beaches.  Instead, he recommended that the legislature amend the bill to prohibit smoking at State parks and beaches, but not those governed by local governments.

The bill, which was Co-Sponsored by rookie Democrat Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling of Monmouth County’s 11th legislative district, passed in the Senate 25-6 with 9 Senators not voting and in the Assembly by 52-6 with 19 Assembly Members not voting.

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Garden State Equality to move its headquarters to Asbury Park

Garden State Equality, the powerful LGBTG advocacy group, announced today that it is moving its headquarters to Asbury Park in a fundraising email by Executive Director Christian Fuscarino.

Fuscarino said the move was prompted by his desire to have a headquarters that is ADA compliant and by Asbury Park’s history as a LGBT gathering place.

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Gramiccioni’s nomination clears Senate committee

Christopher J. Gramiccioni will soon drop the “Acting” from his title as Monmouth County Prosecutor.

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Gramiccioni’s nomination yesterday despite opposition for the state PBA who made an issue of his hiring practices.  The Senate is expected to confirm the prosecutor on August 1st.

A veteran of Chris Christie’s U.S. Attorney’s Office, Gramiccioni was the governor’s first choice to replace former prosecutor Luis Valentin. But he did not meet the constitutional residency requirements for the job and was hired as First Assistant Prosecutor in 2011.  Once the residency requirements were met, Peter Warshaw, Valentin’s replacement on an acting basis, was nominated for a Superior Court judgeship and Gramiccioni took over the top law enforcement job in Monmouth County July 1, 2012.

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Mosquito Spraying Scheduled for Lake Como and West Belmar Friday Morning

Deputy Freeholder Director Serena DiMaso

Monmouth County’s Mosquito Control will be conducting ground spraying in Lake Como and the West Belmar section of Wall Township on Friday morning between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. according to a statement by Deputy Freeholder Director Serena DiMaso. Evidence of West Nile Virus in the area prompted the scheduled spraying.

Weather permitting, the Mosquito Control staff will conduct a ground spray operation on residential streets south of 17th Avenue between Highway 35 and Route 71 in Lake Como and Wall Township, on residential streets north of Wall Road between Highway 35 and Route 71 in Spring Lake Heights and in Marucci Park in Spring Lake.

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