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A Bad Solution

For a non-existent problem.

 

From the Coaster of Asbury Park, with my comments in red italics:

Freeholder Thomas Arnone, former mayor of Neptune City attended the borough’s New Year’s Day reorganization meeting to announce he is working to introduce legislation that prohibits newly elected public officials from resigning their posts without good cause.

The proposed legislation comes in response to the resignation of Councilman-Elect Christopher Gallager who was just elected to the council in November. In a letter to officials Gallagher said he was resigning the post citing unexpected career obligations. The letter in part states, “I cannot properly serve the residents of Neptune City.”

His running mate, Pamela Renee, was sworn in by Neptune Municipal Judge Robin Wernik. The two Democrats defeated longtime councilwomen Barbara Shafer and Susan Mitchell in the November election.

I personally know how difficult it is to run for council and how much sacrifice is involved.  I can’t imagine that what happened in Neptune City is going to happen so often that we need a law about it.  It’s crazy.  And how are you going to force someone to be on the council against their will?  Does Arnone plan to bring people to city hall in handcuffs and chain them to their seats?  The whole idea is nuts. 

Arnone, a Republican, attended the meeting with Belmar Mayor Matthew Doherty, a Democrat, who was there to lend support to Arnone’s effort.

And why is Doherty involved?  It’s not like this ever happened in Belmar. 

Arnone said it is a bi-partisan issue which will affect Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike.

They act like it’s some sort of miracle when big liberal Republicans agree with big liberal Democrats on something.

Arnone said as a Freeholder he communicates with elected officials in all 53 Monmouth County towns.

“The thing that bothers me today is that this position is important…I find it bothersome that it was taken lightly,” he said.

The position is only that important because government at all levels, including municipal governments, exercise more power than they should legitimately have.  None of these guys have any sort of respect for the system of limited government that was supposed to define us as a nation.

Arnone said an elected official should only be allowed to resign his or her post when there are “obvious” health or family related issues.

How about the right to privacy?  Is Arnone going to demand to see medical records?  Is he going to require deeply personal family information to be made public?  Doherty gets mad if I even mention his wife, despite the fact that she’s a public figure and seems to be always working to raise our tolls or taxes or debt.

“I think both sides of the legislature will agree,” Arnone said. He said he is hoping the new bill will be called the Neptune City Rule.

Any time a new law is named after some specific incident you know it’s a bad law and it’s proponents are simply grandstanding.

Arnone said he is working with Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini to see that the bill is written and introduced in the legislature.

Figures he would look for her to introduce this.  That woman never met a new law she didn’t like.

To fill the vacancy now on the council the Democratic Party in the borough submitted three names to the council for consideration. They are Linda Brady, Jenee Farley and Christopher Miller. The council now has 30 days to appoint one of them to the seat. If the ocuncil cannot come to a decision the borough Democrats will make the appointment. The seat will be up for election in the November election…….

See?  There’s already a mechanism in place to deal with rare occurrences like this.  It certainly makes more sense than holding a gun to someone’s head and forcing them to be a councilman.

15 Comments

  1. Southie wrote:

    Slow day for Arnone

    Friday, January 9, 2015 at 11:23 am | Permalink
  2. Guest wrote:

    Grandstanding. Why else would Doherty be lurking around, or maybe he was there for the after meeting libations?

    Friday, January 9, 2015 at 6:47 pm | Permalink
  3. OLD MAN wrote:

    Ok let’s force public officals to work…Sounds like torture to me and I’m old.

    Friday, January 9, 2015 at 7:25 pm | Permalink
  4. guest wrote:

    He should stick to kissing babies and sun tanning.

    Friday, January 9, 2015 at 8:51 pm | Permalink
  5. Guest wrote:

    I would rather see a law passed that makes politicians hold to their campaign promises.

    Friday, January 9, 2015 at 10:18 pm | Permalink
  6. Anonymous wrote:

    Arnone and Doherty should be more concerned about all the voter fraud taking place in these shore towns. This may stop certain people from getting elected. I haven’t heard either of these politicos comment on the legislation that deals with limiting the number of messenger ballots one can turn in and that’s a huge issue right in Doherty’s own town.

    Saturday, January 10, 2015 at 9:53 am | Permalink
  7. admin wrote:

    Actually I’m hearing some speculation that this is about Doherty running for freeholder this year without having to resign as mayor (because he won’t be “allowed” to.)

    Saturday, January 10, 2015 at 11:10 am | Permalink
  8. callmecynical wrote:

    “People not Politics” – really? Of course Doherty wants to move up the political ladder, and this could be one way to do it. Typical, to create laws that can be used in ones favor, according to ones designs.

    Saturday, January 10, 2015 at 12:06 pm | Permalink
  9. guest wrote:

    Voter fraud, your funny here in Belmar Djais hand delivers enough votes to throw the election, and then the mayor makes a special proclamation stating what an asset Djais is to the town, Matt Doherty is afraid of no one.

    Djais is afraid of no one.

    Saturday, January 10, 2015 at 2:54 pm | Permalink
  10. OLD MAN wrote:

    I’m not afraid of anybody……..I’m old…

    Saturday, January 10, 2015 at 6:47 pm | Permalink
  11. South Side wrote:

    The time to be concerned about what someone will do after he or she is elected is before we elect them, not after.

    Sunday, January 11, 2015 at 7:43 am | Permalink
  12. Katrina wrote:

    would the mayor have resign to run?

    Sunday, January 11, 2015 at 8:22 am | Permalink
  13. admin wrote:

    No, but fundraising could be a little complicated because of local laws disallowing committee $$, laws he pushed for when he was a councilman here.

    Sunday, January 11, 2015 at 9:05 am | Permalink
  14. callmecynical wrote:

    There are ways to “reroute” money contributions, if I am not mistaken. But the powers in Belmar would never do such a thing…

    Sunday, January 11, 2015 at 10:37 am | Permalink
  15. sweetiepieface wrote:

    Dual office holding, dual benefits; War chest deposits start here. Nice work if you can get it.

    Sunday, January 11, 2015 at 5:08 pm | Permalink

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