RED BANK CHIEF STEVE MCCARTHY, DEAD AT 50

Chief Steve McCarthy at borough hall in November, 2011. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge) By JOHN T. WARD Red Bank Police Chief Steve McCarthy died Monday morning following an extended battle with cancer. He was 50 years old.McCarthy died at…

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Former Red Bank Mayor Arrested, Charged With DWI

Ed McKenna, Red Bank Green photo

Edward McKenna, 63, of Red Bank was involved in a one car accident while traveling north in a 2012 black Mercedes-Benz sedan on the Garden State Parkway at 9:50 pm Monday night.  The accident occurred at mile marker 108 in Tinton Falls. He was arrested by the New Jersey State Police and charged with Driving While Intoxicated, according the Sgt. Adam Grossman of the NJSP Public Information Office.

Grossman said that McKenna submitted to a breathalyzer test, but would not disclose the results.  Another law enforcement official familiar with the case said McKenna “blew very high.”

McKenna was the mayor of Red Bank from 1991 through 2006.  He is currently chairman of the New Jersey State Planning Commission.

In March of 2009 McKenna’s car struck a pedestrian in a crosswalk outside of Riverview Medical Center, according to RedBankGreen.  He was cited by the Red Bank Police with failure to yield to a pedestrian.  In October of 2000 he was involved in an accident at mile marker 110 on the Parkway, leaving the scene before police arrived, according to RBG.   McKenna said at the time that he identified himself to the other driver and left after waiting awhile for the police.  Later, the State Police visited his home where his wife told the troopers he had taken a pain killer for his shoulder and was sleeping.

McKenna was not available when we called his law office for comment.  This story will be updated if he calls back.

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Middletown’s Website Named Best In New Jersey By Monmouth University Study

Middletown Township’s has the best municipal website in the State of New Jersey by a Monmouth University study performed by the school’s Polling Institute and its Graduate Program in Public Policy.

The project assessed 540 municipal websites in New Jersey for content, ease of use and citizen interaction.

Red Bank’s site earned an Honorable Mention, coming in 22nd on the list of 540. Five other Monmouth County sites were in the top 100, barely. Spring Lake’s site is ranked #82, Manasquan #89, Tinton Falls #91, Belmar #93 and Marlboro #95.

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While you’re shopping….

Consider adding these two books to your stocking stuffer list.

Kathleen Koch’s Rising from Katrina: How My Mississippi Hometown Lost It All and Found What Mattered is the story of a small town in the shadow a big city that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.  It is an encouraging and inspirational tale that will be a great gift for those of us impacted by Sandy.

Spring Lake resident James Lincoln Turner’s Seven Superstorms of the Northeast: And Other Blizzards, Hurricanes & Tempests is a book that Al Gore and his comrades probably don’t want you to read.  Tuner writes of devastating storms in the Northeast dating back to the early 1600’s when the Pilgrims were warming the globe with campfires and horse dung was the biggest transportation related pollution.  Turner’s book is filled with historical photos of storms that ravaged the Monmouth County towns of Asbury Park, Ocean Grove, Red Bank and Sea Bright.

Shop Amazon – Black Friday Deals Week

MoreMonmouthMusings is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate  advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and  linking to amazon.com

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Guadagno to visit Red Bank company

Acting Governor Kim Guadagno will be in Red Bank this morning for a visit to DIVERSANT, the largest African-American owned IT staffing and solutions company in the United States.

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Senator Beck, Mayor Menna, RiverCenter’s Adams Call on NJNG to Cooperate with Local Officials on Red Bank Regulator Replacement

Red Bank— Saying that New Jersey Natural Gas officials are being uncooperative with local officials, Senator Jennifer Beck (R- Monmouth) held a press conference with Mayor Pasquale Menna and Rivercenter Executive Director Nancy Adams to demand NJNG work cooperatively with local officials toward a solution in vetting alternatives to the utility’s planned regulator replacement program.

NJNG plans on replacing 88 natural gas pressure regulators currently located below highly trafficked sidewalks on Front, Broad, and Monmouth Streets, bringing the devices above ground. The company has refused to release details of its decision making process and any alternative locations for the regulators that were considered, despite requests from the Senator and Red Bank officials.

“NJNG is being unresponsive and heavy handed with the Borough of Red Bank,” Beck said. “They have admitted that there are alternatives to the current plan, but will not discuss what those options are or why they were not chosen. You don’t see these devices placed as prominently, or in as great a number, very often in the downtown district of a busy municipality. Why is this solution the only one that works for Red Bank?”

“Let me be clear, safety should be our first priority,” Beck continued. “However, that does not excuse NJNG’s refusal to explain their decision making process.”

Beck and Mayor Menna have written to state Board of Public Utilities Officials asking for their support in delaying the project until an acceptable remedy can be agreed to by all parties and NJNG releases their internal study on alternatives.

“If it is really necessary to disrupt our downtown business district like this, then we need to understand why,” said Mayor Menna. “And if there were alternatives that could have been pursued but were not, we need to understand the reasoning. We should not have to beg to get NJNG officials to be forthcoming with us.”

Red Bank RiverCenter’s Executive Director, Nancy Adams, also expressed concern over the lack of cooperation by company officials. RiverCenter is a non-profit partnership dedicated to promoting revitalization of Red Bank’s downtown business district.

“We have been successful in promoting Red Bank as a destination for businesses, merchants, restaurants, and night life because elected officials, volunteers, and the business community worked together,” Adams stated. “We need NJNG to work with us too.”

Senator Beck said that she will submit legislation at the Senate’s March 15, 2012 voting session that would direct the BPU to require gas utilities planning regulator replacement projects to study less disruptive locations for the devices. The bill also requires the gas utility make public the findings of the study, and to return any disrupted property and infrastructure to its original condition.

“If NJNG refuses to be a good corporate citizen and come to the table, then we must act through the legislative process to force them to consider the needs of this community and others that may find themselves in similar situations,” Beck said. “If there is a more palatable alternative that will provide the same public safety protections, it ought to be presented as an option to local officials.”

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Ashley Dupre Opening A Lingerie Boutique In Red Bank

NY Post photo

New York Post love and sex columnist Ashley Dupre is opening a lingerie boutique in Red Bank. 

RedBankGreen broke the story.

Femmebyashley is opening on Broad Street in May.

Dupre gained notoriety as a result of her involvement in the scandal that forced former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer from office. 

Ashley was made infamous, not famous, by the Elliot Spitzer scandal.  It is nothing she hoped for and nothing she takes pride in.  She is, however, very proud of the person she has become since that scandal.  Closing the door on that chapter of her life with great integrity, Ashley has moved on to be a positive force for people of all ages by taking her experiences and using them to help others lead better, more productive, fulfilling, positive lives.

~ from Ashley Dupre’s myspace page

Based on a recent column, it would seem Dupre certainly believes in her product:

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Garden State Equality To Hold Membership Appreciation And Fund Raising Event in Red Bank

MEMBER APPRECIATION OPEN HOUSE!

THIS SUNDAY, February 19th from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm, Garden State Equality will hold a free wine-and-cheese open house in centrally located Red Bank for all our members, including you, to show you our love and appreciation.  No RSVP necessary, and please bring whomever you’d like.

Location: Hip and Humble Home, 58 Broad Street, Red Bank. 

On Sunday, this incredibly cool home furnishings store will donate 25 percent of your purchases to Garden State Equality’s campaign to override Governor Christie’s veto of the marriage equality bill.

212 LGBT civil rights laws at the state, county and local levels in New Jersey our founding in 2004 — and now we’re one of only three states in American history to pass a marriage equality bill under a Governor hostile to marriage equality.  Those are your achievements, dear members.  We thank you with all our hearts, and we hope to see you Sunday.

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Poof! KaBoom Fireworks Gone

The annual spectacular Red Bank fireworks will not happen this July, according to a report in the Red Bank-Shrewsbury Patch.

“Following a several month-long process of examination and discussion, the KaBoom executive committee has concluded that KaBoom as we know it is not sustainable in the current economy, taking into account escalating costs to maintain public safety coupled with the increasing costs of products and services related to the event,” KaBoom Committee Chairman Tim Hogan said in a release. “KaBoom is a victim of its own successgiant water slide. Each year brought increasing numbers of visitors to Red Bank, especially as towns throughout New Jersey cancelled their own Fourth of July fireworks displays. Our security costs doubled in the last three years, and although we raised more money in 2011 than ever before, we continued to incur a deficit with each succeeding year.”

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An endorsement from Jennifer Beck?

By Dan Jacobson, also published in the September 15th edition of the triCityNews

This is a column I’ve been itching to write.

I’m running as an Independent for the state Assembly in the 11^th District. While the odds of winning are tough, it’s not impossible.

And I’m quite serious about holding the office. I’d be great at it. Mostly because I can’t stomach bullshit. Visit my campaign website at danjacobson.net. You’ll see.

But I never take myself too seriously. And since politics these days is pretty much a cheesy joke, I’m also having fun with the campaign.

Like with this column. Oh man, I’d love to be there when Republican State Senator Jennifer Beck sees the headline – she has no idea what to expect! Don’t anyone tell her!

Here’s the deal.  Everyone knows that Jennifer and I have been close friends since this newspaper started almost 13 years ago. As a result of redistricting, she’s now in the new11^th District where I’m running for the Assembly. So will she endorse me?

“Dan Jacobson is a great friend, and I think he’d make a great Assemblyman – if he were running as a Republican,” Beck said. “I wish he’d join our party already. I would do everything I could to get him elected if he ever ran as a Republican – no matter what office he was seeking.”

“The best thing for our state right now is to elect Republicans to the Senate and Assembly, and I am fully supporting my running mates, Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande and Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini,” she said. “They are both excellent legislators, and I work extremely well with them.”

Of course, Jennifer didn’t say any of that. I just made it up. I’m 100 percent serious! I do that every so often with Jen in the paper, and it’s hilarious. What’s so funny is that it’s always what she would have said! No doubt I nailed it here once again. Guaranteed.

The reason Jen would stress out over the headline? She’d wonder if I was about to cause havoc with her running-mates or with the Republican Party by somehow making it seem like we’re in cahoots in this election, or that she may endorse me. (Beck wouldn’t freak out about the phony quotes. She’s used to those by now. Bet she burst out in laughter when she reads them.)

But here’s the fun part for me. I get to make my point about the absurdity of party politics. Plus, I get to tease my friend Jennifer Beck.

After all, why can’t Beck say that I’d be a great Assemblyman and suggest a vote for me or her two running mates?  I’m an Independent, not a Democrat. Why not just say she supports all three of us, and let the voters pick two? Everyone gets two votes.

Even better, Jennifer and I are almost identical in our views on social and economic issues – even closer than her two running mates! Surely, that should merit some type of endorsement!

(Admittedly, Beck’s running mates – Mary Pat Angelini and Caroline Casagrande – along with Jennifer and I, pretty much agree on economic issues. The difference comes in on social issues: Jen and I are both pro-choice and favor same sex marriage. Mary Pat is with us on same-sex marriage, but is pro-life. Caroline is a true social conservative: both against same-sex marriage and pro-life.)

But my point remains: I’m still closest with Beck on the issues!

“All the more reason to join me in the Republican Party, and run as a Republican,” Beck responded, in another quote that I just made up.

Anyway, isn’t this all so silly? Who gives a shit about parties these days? People are sick of the partisan bullshit. In fact, I’ve never heard so many people say they don’t care about a candidate’s party. They’ve had it.

Meanwhile, with the recent redistricting, Beck just picked up a ton of new territory that she never represented before – which happens to be exactly where the triCityNews circulates!

Yup, once again this newspaper has made her. For almost thirteen years, Beck has been heavily covered in the triCity region of eastern Monmouth County – a big reason she’s going to kick ass in November. Now she represents this region! And this all started because she was a great story way back in 1999, when as an unknown thirty-two year old Republican she beat the Ed McKenna Democratic machine up in Red Bank to win a Council seat.

TriCity went all out for Beck in that election. We thought Red Bank needed to be shaken up. Our push culminated with a huge front page headline the week before the election stating: “We back Beck!”

The triCityNews – still less than a year old – caught a lot of shit for that. Like we cared. We then predicted Beck’s rise – accurately stating she’d make it to the state Assembly and Senate. We also predicted she’d go higher, such as to Congress or Lieutenant Governor. I still say that will happen. 

Although Beck’s coverage in the triCityNews has been overwhelmingly positive, we did have two problems in the past 13 years. Hey, at the triCityNews we always call it like we see it!

The first was about ten years ago when I completely blasted Jennifer for not having the balls – as it were – to challenge Ed McKenna for Mayor of Red Bank. Man, we hammered her. Jen didn’t talk to me for a year. And about three years ago, I again completely blasted her for voting against same-sex marriage. Jen took that one better: she didn’t talk to me for only six months.

(Beck reversed her position on same sex marriage a few months ago – a story first reported in this newspaper. And, yes, the quotes we printed in that article were really from her.)

So, yeah, Jen and I are still great friends. In fact, whenever I speak to her these days, the first thing I ask is what colors she’d prefer for the legislative office I tell her we’ll share when I win.

But all joking aside, let me make something clear: When I declared my candidacy, I told Jennifer that we would have no discussions about campaign activities. She immediately agreed. And that’s what we’ve done. I have no idea what the Republicans are doing, and Beck has no idea of what I’m doing. I insisted on that so Jennifer would have no problems with the Republican Party or her running mates.

And while I’m having a good time here, let me say some kind words about those in the Assembly race from both parties. After all, I like my opponents – it’s the whole Goddamned system that’s pissing me off. That’s what I’m targeting by running.

I voted for Mary Pat Angelini last time for Assembly. I’d vote for her again this year if I wasn’t running. I love Mary Pat. She’s one of the few normal people I know in politics. (This year I’m “bullet voting” for just myself. It’s the best way to send a message.)

And, if I weren’t running, my second vote would likely go to Caroline Casagrande. More than anyone else on the ballot, I sense Caroline shares my gut libertarian instincts on economic issues. And those issue are most important this year.

But that second vote would be a tough choice: The other remaining candidate is Democrat Vin Gopal, with whom I’m in total agreement on social issues. He’s a young guy in his mid-20s who’s also in the publishing business. Vin puts out a community newspaper and magazines in Northern Monmouth. I got to love that! Plus Vin reminds me of a young Dan Jacobson when I served a term in the state Assembly in my 20s. Vin is just a lot nicer. Great guy.

(As of the deadline for this column, Democrat Marilyn Schlossbach, an Asbury Park restaurant owner, had dropped out of the race, and no replacement had been named. If I hadn’t run this year  – and Marilyn had stayed in – she’d have gotten my second vote. We’ve known each other for over 25 years, and I love what Marilyn has done for Asbury Park. She too has received extensive coverage since 1999 in the triCityNews for her various activities.)

So there you go. Jennifer Beck is now breathing a sigh of relief. I’ve caused her no trouble with the Republicans in this column. And I’ve been able to say only the nicest things about my opponents. It’s like the fantasy campaign.

Wouldn’t it be wild if lightning struck and I actually won this election? Who runs a campaign like this?

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