Two River Times: Middletown Incumbent Faces Democratic Challenger in Committee Race

 I wanted to post this earlier but time got away from me. In the October 10th edition of the Two River Times appears a Middletown candidate Q&A profile between myself and Tony Perry.

When you read the answers its pretty evident that Perry preferred to supply fluff over substance and resorted to the same old tired scare tactic answers that he and his predecessors have been spewing out for the past 20 years but you can decide for yourself.

The Two River Times reached out to each candidate for their thoughts about the issues facing Middletown residents.

The Two River Times: What motivated you to run for the township committee?

Michael Morris: I am running for a seat on the Middletown Township Committee because I believe Middletown’s government lacks a clear vision for our town’s future. Based on the decisions our elected officials have made on land use and zoning, it is clear the Township Committee is more interested in maintaining the status quo than actually leading. Instead of looking forward to the future and embracing the changing world around us, its members are stuck in the past. They are reactionary as opposed to visionary.

Tony Perry: What motivates me to run is my dedication. Seeing my parents work so hard to put me in a position to succeed, now it’s my turn to put my kids in a position to succeed. As mayor, it’s my job to put every single kid and every single family in a position to succeed, whether you are a Republican, a Democrat, an Independent, whether you care about politics or not. Middletown is my priority. It’s my job and my responsibility to create a great place to live, work and raise a family. That’s what I’m going to do every single day. I am never going to stop fighting for Middletown, whether I’m in this job or not.

TRT: What do you think are the most pressing issues in the township? Where would you like to see a change?

Morris: Middletown has an affordability problem. There are few attainable housing options for young people that have grown up here and wish to stay in our community. Young professionals, working-class families and seniors are being priced out of our community.

Since backing out of its COAH (Council on Affordable Housing) responsibilities, the township has been in the pockets of the developers, continuing to approve massive townhouse and condominium complexes that maximize builder profits over community needs under the threat of builders’ remedy lawsuits. These townhouses and condos often cost upward of $800,000 per unit. This leaves many young families nowhere in our community to establish roots of their own.

Perry: It is impossible for every municipality to be able to afford these (builders’ remedy) lawsuits. But Middletown has been very loud on this issue. I have taken a very tough stance that I am not opposed to creating affordable housing. We have our 100% veteran housing project built as we speak. We’ve partnered with Habitat for Humanity, where we have taken properties that Middletown has been able to foreclose on and donate them to Habitat for Humanity… to help residents because government doesn’t have to be the answer to every problem, but it can be the spark. It can be the catalyst to make a better community and a greater, stronger community.Trenton’s constant threat of overdevelopment has got to change eventually....

You can read the rest of the article over at the Two River Times

December 16, 2019 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

This past Monday night's meeting of the Middletown Township Committee was short filled with a bit of fluff. After closing out Township business for the year, members of the Committee that were present highlighted the activities they attended in the past month.



As always you can download a copy of the Meeting Agenda that contains the discussion items and the proposed resolutions and ordinances that were voted on or presented during the meeting. A box around an item is a link, bringing you further into the document to that resolution or ordinance. At the end of the resolution there will be a link bringing you back to the agenda. Attached to this agenda is also the monthly bill list, so that everyone can see how the Township is spending our tax dollars.

NEW YEAR, SAME OLD B***S***

The following blog post is from Danielle Walsh's new blog, " Keeping Middletown Informed". It's the first of many that has been promised by Danielle. I can't wait to read more.  The post below is published here with her permission. Enjoy - MM

January 04, 2019

NEW YEAR, SAME OLD BULLSHIT

'The Middletown Board of Education and Township Committee are now in a race to decide when you will vote for School Board Members with zero input from YOU'
First, I apologize for the vulgarity, but sometimes I am astonished at the lack of respect and trust the Township Committee and the Board of Education have for each other. If you thought a new year and new members would bring a change, think again.

It's no secret the BOE and the TC haven't always seen eye to eye. As I former BOE member and president myself, I've encountered the frustrations of trying to create common ground. The Middletown residents, however, have made it crystal clear that they want to see a better working relationship between the two entities to not only reduce taxes, but to keep the public better informed of issues that affect their families. And in turn, all the candidates who ran this year for both BOE and TC made 'working together' and 'transparency' a central platform of their campaigns.

So here's the latest beef as I see it...There have been passing statements made by members of the Township Committee since the election, that they felt the Board of Education elections should be returned to April. Here's where it gets a little complicated so bear with me while I give you some background...

-BOE elections are presently held in November. There are no party affiliations on the ballot and they are purposely sectioned away from party-specific positions on the physical ballot.
-November elections are directly tied to a 2% cap on the BOE's budget, meaning the BOE may not raise their overall budget by more than 2% in a given year thereby limiting any taxpayer increase. (There is a minor exception with banked cap.) The budget, in turn, does not have to be voted on by the public.
-We used to have BOE elections in April several years ago, but we moved them to November.
- Moving elections to April, would eliminate the cap of spending, and allow the BOE to present any increase they feel necessary with the codicil that is will now be voted on by the public. There were several budgets passed with increases up to 11% to the taxpayer when this was the case.
- If the budget does not pass, it would be turned over to the Mayor for revision.

Still with me? Great! At my last BOE meeting in December, these statements and/or rumors from the TC were addressed. Our attorney told the BOE (all in public and on video at the middletownk12.com website) that basically, whoever passes a resolution first gets to decide when these elections occur, (which seems ridiculous to me, but I digress). I advised my fellow BOE members, that although I did not trust the motivation for the TC's talk of this that they should reach out and try to work together as well as table the decision making until the two new BOE members were sworn in.
On January 2nd, the new BOE had a discussion about passing a resolution to prevent the move to April elections, as a number of BOE members felt strongly that the move was frivolous, among other reasons. There was also further talk of having the resolution prepared for the January 15th meeting, giving the public and the TC about 2 weeks to digest the idea and allow time for discussion with the TC.

Keep in mind here, as stupid as it sounds, whichever governing body passes their resolution first, wins this debate.

Fast forward less than 48 hours later...The TC sends the BOE their resolution to move the elections to April. No public discussion, as the BOE did. No input from the public, which the BOE did. They sent the resolution and informed them it would be voted on at the Township Committee Re-organization meeting on...(wait for it)...Sunday morning....Seriously? The first official act of this new TC is to undermine the BOE and dictate to them, without any time for input or public opinion, when their elections should be.

Not to be outdone , the BOE quickly reacted by sending public notice with intent of their own of passing a resolution keeping the elections in November. The BOE meeting is 9 am Sunday. The TC Meeting is 10 am Sunday morning....Neither meeting is a particularly accessible time of the week for residents to get involved or give residents enough time to learn about the issue, but both are open to the public.

So the pettiness, blame-game and political battle will continue into the new year for the TC and the BOE. The audacity of the TC to presume to know what's best for the BOE without sufficient consultation with them is alarming. There are two sides to the timing of school board elections, and I see validity in both, as I outline below, but to push this through quickly, without public input or even school board input is a deceptive and arrogant move by the TC. My suggestion to you is to share this information and write the TC and BOE and demand your input be counted and transparency be a priority. Otherwise, we will continue to be dictated to and told our voices are obsolete. It is sheer hubris that allows our elected officials in the TC to presume issues are too complicated or too unimportant for our input. And I find it terribly ironic that our TC spouts about the importance of keeping taxes down, while simultaneously voting for measures that cost us more money, and have the potential to raise taxes exponentially.

Here's my take on the pros and cons of April/November Elections....

April...Pros
-Likely a more informed voter base, as school elections draw out those who know the candidates, with the possibility of less votes based on presumed political affiliation
-Public input in the budgeting process for the BOE. The Budget Ad Hoc Committee (of which I was a member) was designed to help inform and sell the public on what their money is being spent on.
-The public votes on whether to approve the budget.

April Cons...
-The additional cost of approximately $40,000 to run the elections separately will be assessed to the BOE, who has already lost $1.3 million to state cuts.
-previously elected BOE members to 3 year terms will be cut approximately 8 months, undermining the will of previous voters.
-Budgets have the potential to skyrocket if approved by the turnout of residents.
-Voter turnout is substantially lower
-If a full day of voting, another day added to the school year, if school's close.
-If a 4-9pm voting window, the possibility on minimal voter turnout broadens and could be considered voter suppression.
-2% cap is lifted on BOE budget.

If the Budget fails during April elections, the mayor would be responsible for revisions and quite honestly, I believe this is why this nonsensical pissing match is happening. The Township Committee wants more oversight of the BOE. Tony Fiori is still whining about losing his precious Stevenson Park Complex and being asked by the public to work with the BOE to upgrade fields. But ask yourself who is more qualified to make financial decisions that concern our children? The BOE Business Administrator and Superintendent in conjunction with teachers, principals, parents/residents and the 9 people elected to the BOE or our (likely) new mayor Tony Perry, who has shown himself at the very least to be dishonest in his campaign practices with zero experience in what our children need to succeed?

No other district in the state has ever gone back to April elections after moving them to November. That doesn't bar us from doing it, but it should give us pause to take our time, talk it out in public, get input and make the right decision, instead of this race to mediocrity we have in Middletown with these rash decisions, excluding all public input. Let's take a step back, take our time and do the right thing for the taxpayers and more importantly our children...

Please share, share, share and help keep Middletown Residents Informed!

August 20, 2018 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

Last Monday night's marathon meeting of the Middletown Township Committee lasted until the wee hours of the morning. There was an overflow crowd that spilled out into the lobby and the Township Fire Marshall was there to ensure that the Court Room did not exceed the maximum number of people.

The reason for circus like atmosphere was the public hearing regarding ordinance to determine if the redevelopment plan proposed for the Village 35 property was consistent with the Township Master Plan. This was the first time that many residents were allowed to speak on the matter and many attended this meeting to voice their concerns regarding the Plan. At the end of the night, the Township Committee accepted the recommendation of the Planning Board and voted to approve this ordinance.



As always you can download a copy of the Meeting Agenda that contains the discussion items and the proposed resolutions and ordinances that were voted on or presented during the meeting. A box around an item is a link, bringing you further into the document to that resolution or ordinance. At the end of the resolution there will be a link bringing you back to the agenda. Attached to this agenda is also the monthly bill list, so that everyone can see how the Township is spending our tax dollars.

The Slate Is Set; Sean Byrnes Joins Tricia Maguire & Danielle Walsh As Candidates For Middletown Township Committee

The Middletown Democrats have informed me that they are very happy to have former Township Committeeman Sean Byrnes, join Tricia Maguire and Danielle Walsh, as a candidate on their ticket this fall.

Recently the Middletown Township Committee appointed Patricia Snell to the fill the vacant seat on the dais that opened when acting Mayor Stephanie Murray resigned. As a result, 3 seats are up for grabs this Fall. This election will determine who controls the Township Committee, Democrats or Republicans, next year.

The Middletown Democrats will be making a formal announcement soon concerning this year's candidates for Middletown Township Committee.

July 16, 2018 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

At this weeks Middletown Township Committee meeting, realtor Patricia Snell was appointed to fill the open seat on the Committee that was vacated by Mayor Stephanie Murray, when she suddenly resigned last month.

By appointing another member of the Township Committee, the majority of the Committee has not been elected by the residents of Middletown. Come November, there will be 3 seats up for grabs during this year's general election.

Also at this meeting:

• 7 ordinances were adopted permitting the township to borrow over $7M for various projects.
• An ordinance was introduced to accept the the plan which is now being called the Circus Liquors Redevelopment Plan, formerly know as the Shoppes, Village 35 and the Towne Centre. 

A number of residents attended this meeting to gather further information about the project, only to be told that because of pending litigation the Committee was not able to provide information.




As always you can download a copy of the Meeting Agenda that contains the discussion items and the proposed resolutions and ordinances that were voted on or presented during the meeting. A box around an item is a link, bringing you further into the document to that resolution or ordinance. At the end of the resolution there will be a link bringing you back to the agenda. Attached to this agenda is also the monthly bill list, so that everyone can see how the Township is spending our tax dollars.

May 7, 2018 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

Here are the highlights from last Monday night's Workshop meeting of the Middletown Township Committee. Interesting to note that committee members Stephanie Murray and Rick Hibell were not present for the meeting:

• An ordinance was introduced to allocate $250k towards the new municipal complex that is under development.
• An ordinance was introduced to revise floodplain maps according to FEMA mandates.
• An ordinance was introduced to designate certain intersections as stop intersections.
• An ordinance was introduced to limit parking on various roads.
• All ordinances will have a public hearing at the May 21 meeting, after which a vote will be taken on each.
• Various resolutions were adopted in the consent agenda.
• Of all the items on the agenda for discussion, there were only two that drew any discussion.
• The Township Attorney mentioned that there should be some resolutions granting easements on some properties.

During Public Comments, members of the public expressed concerns about the pavement on the dunes at Ideal Beach, security guards hired by the Board of Education, lines of sight at various intersections and thanking the township for supporting the R.A.G.E. group in opposing the power lines along the train tracks.



As always you can download a copy of the Meeting Agenda that contains the discussion items and the proposed resolutions and ordinances that were voted on or presented during the meeting. A box around an item is a link, bringing you further into the document to that resolution or ordinance. At the end of the resolution there will be a link bringing you back to the agenda. Attached to this agenda is also the monthly bill list, so that everyone can see how the Township is spending our tax dollars.

March 5, 2018 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

At the March 5th meeting of the Middletown Township Committee, ordinances were adopted to establish a no knock registry and to establish a CAP Bank. Also An ordinance was introduced to acquire property on Compton St. by purchase or by eminent domain.

Items up for discussion included upgrades to the McLeod-Rice House, improvements to parks using Green Acres Funds including adding cameras to many of the parks to monitor for vandalism and the sale of excess leaf compost by auction.




As always you can download a copy of the Meeting Agenda that contains the discussion items and the proposed resolutions and ordinances that were voted on or presented during the meeting. A box around an item is a link, bringing you further into the document to that resolution or ordinance. At the end of the resolution there will be a link bringing you back to the agenda. Attached to this agenda is also the monthly bill list, so that everyone can see how the Township is spending our tax dollars.

Middletown Committee Ready To Replace Steve Massell Tonight With Scharfenberger Son-in-Law

At tonight's meeting of the Middeltown Township Committee, the long anticipated replacement for Steve Massell will be appointed to finish his unexpired term.

For those not familiar, Committeeman Steve Massell, a realtor by profession, accepted an appointment  as a Commissioner of the Monmouth County Tax Board a few months back, but didn't officially resign from the Township Committee until last month. His new job is a paid position and reeks of patronage and cronyism.


The Middletown Republican Executive Committee presented the names of Patricia Snell, Anthony (Tony) Perry and Chris Aveta to the Township Committee, for consideration to replace Steve Massell, at the meeting tonight.

Who are these people you ask?

Not much is known about Patricia Snell other than she is a local realtor who seems to be relatively new to Middletown. Voting records indicated that she's only lived in town since 2012.

People familiar with the Middletown Board of Education, will recognize the name of Chris Aveta. Aveta is a longtime friend of Tony Fiore and both moved from Carteret to Middletown around the same time. He served 1 term on the board of education before being voted off by residents. He then spent the next two election cycles trying to get reelected to no avail. He was seen by many to be divisive and counterproductive. He wasn't an advocate for the students, rather he was a proponent for cutting the school budget under the mantra of "taxpayers" first. Sound familiar?

Anthony Perry's  claim to fame according to his LinkedIn profile is that he is currently the Chief of Staff  of State Senator Joe Kyrillos as well as being a member of the Middletown Planning Board. Not listed on LinkedIn, but I believe it's so, he is also a member of the Middletown Library Board.

What I see however, as Tony Perry's biggest accomplishment and advantage that makes him the front runner in replacing Steve Massell as a member of the Township Committee, is that he married Gerry Scharfenberger's daughter! That's right, he is the son-in-law of current mayor, Gerry Scharfenberger.  
Talk about cronyism with a sprinkle of nepotism thrown in. It's truly outrageous. Should Scharfenberger to even vote on this? Isn't it a conflict he should abstain from? Seems a bit unethical if he doesn't.

It just goes to show you that the Republicans in Middletown have been unchecked and in charge for far too long here in town. To even consider this, is to spit in the face of residents and shows that they feel entitled to do whatever they want whenever they wish to do it.

Out of the three choices, I vote for Patricia Snell. Sometimes the less we know about a person the better.


Here is the Agenda for tonight's meeting.

What's Going On At the Library?

Middletown Township has long been redirecting library funds back to the general budget, which is legal and relatively easy to do. Shoot, since 2012 they've turned it into an art form. They can increase township charge backs, reduce the library budget to increase reserves and unrestrict monies previously restricted for projects.

They get away with it easily and with little resistance because the Township Committee appoints cronies to the library board, that will do their bidding. The members of the library board often don't have the best interests of the library at heart, they are merely political puppets who are loyal to the Township Committee and care little for the library itself.

I haven't been paying much attention to the library situation for quite a long time now, hell I can't even remember the last time is was there. But when I received the following via email from a person going by the name of Mahat Macote. It may be time to start looking a little more closely again:

What's happening at the Library?

Malfeasance...that's what!

Why are they having budgetary problems?

I heard that they have have massive turnover of employees, without replacement, which under normal circumstance would mean that the budget is fine?

So why is there a budget shortfall....???

The Library Board has been shedding employees and library jobs, and getting them off the healthcare roles, "quietly"...but where are these so called, "SAVINGS" going...??

To the Taxpayers..???

Don't count on it...

To the LIBRARY...???

Don't make me laugh...

The funds are NOT going to fund the library, as they legally should...to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars...

Yet who is getting raises for doing the bidding of the Library Board and Town Council, who are one in the same, we wonders...yes, we wonders...???

I believe...no.... I KNOW that this is happening--the money is being held back and the Town Council is using the library as it's little piggy bank slush fund, for their personal accounts...or to pad their own budgets, but NOT to the library, as it should be...

They may be trying to justify this as "charge backs" for services rendered, but that is a smoke screen...Don't believe it

Do I have smoking gun proof?

No, unfortunately not... but I do know that this is happening...

A little investigative reporting and looking under a few stones may turn something up....besides some worms, and Fiore....

What else...who knows?

The Shadow knows....

For those wondering who this Mahat Macote fellow is? I really don't know.  During the great library controversies of 2012-2013 this person was a frequent commentator on the this blog, as well as, sending me emails. If something fishy is truly going on, as Mahat seems to think, then I feel it's something that may be worthwhile perusing.

Tricia Maguire For Middletown

April 17, 2017 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

There were 10 proclamations presented during this meeting. Among them were designating April as Autism Awareness Month, Volunteer Month and Alcohol Awareness Month. Others included May as Buddy Poppy Month, Older Americans Month, designating May 14-20 as Police Week and 7-13 as Municipal Clerk's Week.

Ordinances to amend the 2017 Salary Ordinance an ordinance to amend the Township Code Governing Judges were adopted.

A public hearing was held on the 2017 Municipal Budget and will be voted for approval during the May 1 meeting.

All ordinances and resolutions were approved unanimously, except for resolution 17-141 authorizing the township for self examination of the budget, which was removed from the agenda.

As always, you can download a copy of the Meeting Agenda that contains the discussion items and the proposed resolutions and ordinances that were voted on or presented during the meeting. A box around an item is a link, bringing you further into the document to that resolution or ordinance. At the end of the resolution there will be a link bringing you back to the agenda. Attached to this agenda is also the monthly bill list, so that everyone can see how the Township is spending our tax dollars.

BOE Workshop / Voting Meeting - August 24, 2016

It took me a few days to get through this video of August 24th, Middletown Board of Education (BOE) meeting. The video is a little more than 2 hours long and kept freezing up on me during playback.

The video is pretty standard stuff but an interesting discussion peaked my interest concerning shared services. It seems from the 25 minute conversation that took place between the 1:31 - 1:55 mark of the video, that information isn't being disseminated properly between board members.

Board members, Sue Griffin and Joan Minnuies questioned why they weren't informed about the Board being approached by the Township Committee about potentially leasing classroom space at Croydon Hall (presumably in the vacated building that was the temporary home of the all girls school Trinity Hall), for market value or near market value. Minnuies questioned why the Board would be interested in such a lease? She added that she hoped that if the Board was interested in such a lease, now or in the future, that the lease arrangement would be more favorable seeing how the Board of Education currently leases one of it's buildings, the old Lincroft Library, to the town for $1 a year.

Vinnie Brand, the Board Chairman of the Shared Services committee, with added input from Board President Jim Cody and School Superintendent Dr. George, insisted that there was nothing of significance to report to the rest of the board. The topic was brought up nonchalantly and in passing by Township Committeeman Tony Fiore ( I believe), a few weeks prior and was turned down due to the fact that the Board wasn't interested in leasing any space at Croydon Hall, now or in the future. The point and discussion therefore was moot.

The discussion then turned towards the potential of a new sports field at Thorne Middle School, where again, Joan Minnuies stated that she knew nothing about.

From what I gathered, the Board has ~ $60K leftover from the work done on the fields over at Nutswamp School and wants to use that money over at Thorne.  Apparently, during discussions with the Township Committee and Town Administrator Tony Mercantante, it was mentioned that the township had some fill material from some dredge project that the school district could have in order to raise the level of the fields, which would help offset the costs of the new field.

After going back and forth on the subject, which left me with more questions, it was decided that the Shared Services committee would do a better job of informing other board members of future discussions.

Here are my thoughts on the whole discussion.

As for the potential of the Township looking to lease available classroom/office space at Croydon Hall to someone is troublesome. The Croydon Hall complex is deemed as a Green Acres site and open space. The DEP was/is withholding nearly $1M of Green Acres funding from the Township due to issues surrounding the lease of one of the buildings to house Trinity Hall and other unrelated issues. The school district is wise to stay clear of that situation.

As for the field over at Thorne School, it's no secret that the BOE and Township Committee, has been hot and heavy to spend $800K - $1M on a new sports field for Thorne, even though the field abuts up to wetlands and is deemed environmentally sensitive by the DEP. Approval for permits on a such field improvements would cost thousands of dollars and take a few years to get, in which case, the $60K that the BOE has leftover from the Nutswamp project would be better spent elsewhere in my opinion.
 
 See what you think, watch the video and form your own opinion.

February 16, 2016 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

At the last Middletown Township Committee meeting held on February 16th, Richard Saker, owner of Shop-Rite, was presented a Citizen of the Year Award for his philanthropy in the community.

A new ordinance was introduced that will reorganize the recreation programs and the fees associated with those programs.

Questions were raised regarding the funding of the Open Space Program. In recent years the grant money obtained from the state has been used to pay down the debt incurred by matching funds received.

The Committee was also asked about the status of the design of the new municipal center that will be built in the township. The Committee did not comment, but the Administrator said that the final draft of the plans were reviewed with the architect last Friday. The architect will revisit each department one last time before finalizing the plans and announce them to the public.

Questions were also asked regarding moving the police 911 response center over to the county Sheriff's office. Again, the Committee did not reply but the Administrator did say that it was being considered. He said that the current system that was purchased 3 years ago is already obsolete and would need to be updated. Instead the township is considering moving the system into the county system for an annual fee that is based on the number of calls made per year.

Watch the video to see what else was discussed before tonight's next meeting of the Township Committee.



As always, you can download a copy of the Meeting Agenda that contains the discussion items and the proposed resolutions and ordinances that were voted on or presented during the meeting. A box around an item is a link, bringing you further into the document to that resolution or ordinance. At the end of the resolution there will be a link bringing you back to the agenda. Attached to this agenda is also the monthly bill list, so that everyone can see how the Township is spending our tax dollars.

December 7, 2015 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

If you blinked, you missed a significant portion of Dec. 7th meeting of the Middletown Township Committee. The banter before the meeting started lasted nearly as long as the meeting itself. The entire video is less than 9 minutes long.

Just a few pieces of new business was introduced and most Committee members chose to hold their comments until the next meeting on Dec. 21th and no one from the public wished to address any questions to the Committee. But here's what was discussed that had some significance:

A salary ordinance was introduced for 2016 that would set salaries for non-contractual officers and employees, statutory employees and elected officials not directly subject to duly adopted collective bargaining agreements by separate ordinance. This will be voted for adoption at the December 21 meeting following a public hearing.



As always, you can download a copy of the Meeting Agenda that contains the discussion items and the proposed resolutions and ordinances that were voted on or presented during the meeting. A box around an item is a link, bringing you further into the document to that resolution or ordinance. At the end of the resolution there will be a link bringing you back to the agenda. Attached to this agenda is also the monthly bill list, so that everyone can see how the Township is spending our tax dollars.

Anonymous Postcard Asks "Why is no one talking about the "Restructuring" at Poricy?"

"Mike, Why is no one talking about the "restructuring" at Poricy?", asked an anonymous postcard that I received in the mail recently. That's a good question that I don't have an answer to.


At one of the Township Committee meeting back in August it was mentioned that the Department of Recreation, which used to be housed at Croydon Hall before being moved out to make room for Trinity Hall School, was moving from the old Port Monmouth satellite branch of the Middletown Library on Main Street, to the Poricy Park Nature Center. A notice was posted to the Township website shortly there after, which I posted  HERE with a commented.

Since I last posted about it, I've heard that a few individuals were let go and a number of volunteers were told that their services were no longer needed.  I've also heard that a number of  activity fees were either imposed or raised substantially as a result and a part of the activity center was being remodeled to house the Dept. of Recreation.

I haven't been over to Poricy Park in a few years, since my son finished Cub Scouts. The grounds and Activity Center were nicely kept and the people there were always wonderful to the visitors. I would suspect that some of that "nicety" will be affected by the changes.

If anyone else has any further information that they would like to add, feel free to leave a comment, I'd be interested in hearing from you.

New Municipal Complex Coming To Middletown

Rumors have been circulating for many months concerning a new Middletown municipal complex to  replace the township's current place of residence. Township officials in the past had been very coy and guarded when answering questions about the possibility of a new complex, they would neither confirm nor deny such plans.  That has now changed.

During public comments of the April 20th Township Committee meeting, a resident asked about the rewiring of Town Hall after a major power outage the previous week fried much of the wiring in the building. When asked if the building was going to be needing a total rewiring, Township Administrator Tony Mercantante stated that it was unlike. When asked about  plans for redesigning or   refurbishing of the building, Mercantante mentioned that there weren't plans for a refurbishment  but plans for a new building.

The conversation starts at the 1:26:11 mark of the video and continues 1:27:40

At the April 30th special budget adoption meeting, a resident asked if there were funds dedicated in this budget to the construction of the new municipal building. She was told by the CFO that there wasn't, but money was included as part of the capital improvements in the previous year's 2014 budget. That conversation can be viewed starting at the 11:10 - 11:45 marks of the video.

So, at this point it now seems pretty clear that Middletown will be spending a few $ million on a new Town Hall, which I must say is needed. I'm just curious where it's going to be built and at what cost.

Are they planing on knocking down the current Town Hall and rebuilding in its current footprint or relocating and starting fresh? Originally it was going to be part of the Town Center project but that is unlikely considering the bad blood that litigation creates.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Letter: Middletown's "faith-based" Initiative Is Wrong

The expressed opinions or views of this letter does not necessarily represent the opinion of the MiddletownMike blog:


Dear Editor,

I was horrified to learn that the Middletown Township Committee in Monmouth County is planning on directing residents to utilize "faith-based" organizations, when seeking assistance with what they describe as "everything from storm recovery to substance abuse services to household finance".

In this country, there is a separation of church and state. The Middletown Township Committee goes onto state that they are going to determine "faith-based organizations capable of collaborating with the township". This sounds like Middletown Township will be providing a preference to certain religious groups over others.

Given how high the property taxes that my parents pay on the family home in Middletown are, I am offended that the all-Republican township committee is not willing to allocate funds to helping the most vulnerable members our community, yet there is always money to give high-paid jobs to the politically-connected.

Government has a responsibility in providing for the social welfare of it’s people. It is a sad reflection on our society's moral compass when a township that spends so much money on high salaries for the well-connected and settling lawsuits for police chiefs accused of racism, is categorically unwilling to assist it's citizens in need, especially around the holidays.

Justin Cooke
Middletown, NJ / Boulder, CO

March 17, 2014 Middletown Township Committee Meeting: Bully Tactics From The Dais

Last weeks meeting of the Middletown Township Committee was yet another example of how NOT to conduct yourself  from the dais.

During the public hearing for the Ordinance 2014-3104 - Dissolving the Middletown Human Right's Commission - the conduct of Mayor Stephanie Murray and Committeeman Tony Fiore was reprehensible. You will see what I'm talking about starting at the 34:28 mark of the video. If was at this point during the public hearing on the ordinance that former Chairperson of the Middletown Human Rights Commission, Carolyn Schwebel was rudely and unprofessionally interrupted by both Murray and Fiore while commenting on the ordinance because they didn't care to hear what she had to say in defense of the Middletown Human Rights Commission and why it shouldn't be dissolved. Murray and Fiore each badgered Schwebel into silence. At one point during the badgering, Tony Fiore actually called her a bully for the way that she lead and used the Human Rights Commission for some kind of personal, political vendetta against the Township Committee.

When her husband John Schwebel spoke immediately after he was also cut off and not allowed to fully speak his mind. It was a travesty.

Regardless of whether or not you agree or disagree with the conduct of those on the dais or those who spoke on behalf of the Middletown Human Rights Commission, Carolyn Schwebel and others had the unequivocal right to be heard.Those on the dais should not have interrupted. During a public hearing on an ordinance, unlike a person who wishes to speak during the public comments portion of the meeting, the Township Committee has no time restraints on those who wish to speak. And calling people names from the dais is unacceptable on so many levels, Fiore and others need to apologize.

Committee Comments are at the 48:00 mark of the video and Public Comments (with it's 5 minute speaking limit) starts at 1:07:00



As always, you can download a copy of the meeting agenda that contains the discussion items and the proposed resolutions and ordinances that were voted on or presented during the meeting. A box around an item is a link, bringing you further into the document to that resolution or ordinance. At the end of the resolution there will be a link bringing you back to the agenda. Attached to this agenda is also the monthly bill list, so that everyone can see how the Township is spending our tax dollars.

Letter: Commission’s dissolution has erosive effect

The following letter appears today online at the Independent:

On the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Civil Rights Act, the American people can celebrate the progress that has been made in seeing the equality of all citizens. Although there is much more work needed, the foundation has been laid for generations to come.

In 1968, in response to the Civil Rights Act, Middletown Township set the precedent by being the first township to form a Human Rights Commission. Over the years, this all-volunteer body has contributed to various successes in the fields of public access, employee relations and the equal treatment of everyone.

In recent years, the Middletown Township Committee has neglected to appoint members to this commission and has discouraged the existing members from participating, leading to member resignations. Essentially, the governing body has decided that there is no need for a Human Rights Commission in Middletown and that they themselves can address any concerns a resident may have.


The Township Committee unanimously introduced and adopted an ordinance to abolish the Middletown Human Rights Commission. This shameful act of disregard of public participation in local government is appalling. The very premise of volunteerism, which our township thrives on, is being eroded by this dissolution. One can only speculate as to what will be the next thing that the Township Committee will remove to distance them from the residents.

Don Watson
New Monmouth