Letter: Christie and Middletown: Perfect Together

It is ironic that the Middletown Township Committee candidates Scharfenberger and Settembrino who bill themselves as "The Christie Team" suffer from his same lack of transparency. Just as a suit against the Christie administration alleges that it has "...failed to make public the most basic documents explaining the criteria for determining who gets [Sandy] recovery money and who doesn't...," the Middletown team has refused to share open information about the cost of Middletown's health insurance plan and details about the Middletown Disaster Relief Fund.

We know that Scharfenberger is clearly a paid member of "The Christie Team" with his $95,000/yr. state job given to him by Christie, but we hope he will break from the team and share information.

Carolyn Schwebel
Leonardo

9-3-13 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

Due to the Labor Day holiday last week the Middletown Township Committee met on Tuesday night Sept.3rd for its month workshop meeting. The meeting last just 32 minutes and would have been rather uneventful if it weren't for the astonishing bit of arrogance on display yet once again on the part of  a certain former mayor of ours that was eluded to in an earlier post.

When a a few basic questions were raised by Linda Baum regarding the Middletown Disaster Relief Fund a heated response by Tony Fiore and others on the Township Committee ensued that also included a few other members of the public that watched in disbelief as the events unfolded. You can watch the it all unfold starting at the 24:20 mark of the video below.

The most astonishing part of the exchange between Ms. Baum and Tony Fiore is the fact that  it could have been avoided if Ms. Baum's direct inquiries to the Middletown Disaster Relief Fund were answered by the funds principal trustee, Mr. Fiore, himself. However as he so arrogantly responded at the Township Committee meeting, Fiore chose not to response to Ms. Baum simply because he felt she didn't warranted one. 

Here are a few other highlights from Tuesday night's workshop meeting:

A new Deputy Tax Assessor was appointed and bills for the town were paid. The Committee were all excited to be opening 2 new ball fields at Nut Swamp School this Friday.

The attorney explained that a paper street will be vacated where some housing will be built. He also said that an ordinance will be introduced to dissolve the Swim Club Utility now that all of the bonds are paid off.

The DPW Director said a recommendation will be made to award leaf collection contract to Bennett Landscaping. He said extra zones will be awarded to Bennett if township employees are overwhelmed in the work they have. Bids will be opened Wednesday for janitorial services in township buildings and a new contractor was added to the list of snow removal contractors.

The administrator said a contact will be awarded to demolish 7 homes that were destroyed by Sandy. 90% of this cost will be paid by federal relief dollars and liens will be placed on the properties to collect the balance of the costs.

Public comments included questions regarding the placement of the departments that used to be located at Croydon Hall. The health department, parks and social services will be housed in the former Pt. Monmouth Library building and the former Lincroft Library Branch will house the Crossroads drug counseling program and a meeting room will be located there for meetings in that area of town.

Another member of the public presented an application to the Clerk expressing the desire to be reappointed to the Human Rights Commission in January because she did not see appointments being made to this commission in the past few years. Comments were made regarding conditions at a former restaurant in Leonardo were deteriorating with the display of graffiti and the placement of private vehicles for sale.

Someone else asked if funds would be made available to restore a historic stone building in Leonardo. It was said that this structure was not in any plans. 

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 Disaster Relief Fund Applications Due July 15

From Middletown Alerts:

This program will provide funding and/or volunteer labor to help residents affected by Superstorm Sandy with the rebuilding process. The program may also provide other types of assistance to residents in need on a case-by-case basis. All severely affected residents should fill out an application so their needs can be assessed. The maximum amount of funding for each applicant is $2,500.

The program is administered in partnership with the New Monmouth Baptist Church and funded by the Robin Hood Foundation. Forms can be found on the Middletown Disaster Relief Website (www.middletownrelief.com), at Middletown Town Hall at the Clerk’s Office or by contacting the New Monmouth Baptist Church at nmbchurch.org. Income and other verification will be required.

Mtown Newsflash: Disaster Relief Fund to Distribute Gift Cards to Sandy Victims

The Middletown Disaster Relief Fund, an independent non-profit organization, has received a donation of $100 Target Gift Cards to distribute to residents of North Middletown, Port Monmouth, Belford and Leonardo affected by Superstorm Sandy.

Recipients must pre-registered by noon on Tuesday, January 8th to qualify. Residents registered with the Citizen Communication Center for alerts simply need to log in and join the User Group ‘Sandy Relief’. New registrants can select the User Group ‘Sandy Relief’ as part the registration form.

Gift cards will ONLY be distributed by the Middletown Disaster Relief Fund from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm on Sunday, January 13th at the Middletown Arts Center, located at 36 Church Street next to the train Station. Proof of address will be required. Walk-ins will not be accepted.

Again, you must register by Tuesday, January 8th by noon to qualify. Limit 1 gift card per household. Supplies are limited. For additional information, contact the Mayor’s Office at 732-615-2024.

• Citizen Communications Center Login (Join User Group Sandy Relief)
• Middletown Disaster Relief Fund (501c3 Non-profit organziation)