So I lifted from the comments section.
Important message from Councilwoman Pat Wann:
This Tuesday’s Council meeting is very important. During the workshop part of the meeting, we will present experts who helped us during the transition. They will reveal all the past administration left us. I think you will find the auditor interesting. You will see what 8 years “without a tax raise “ did. You’ll be able to ask questions so you don’t have to assume what they left us. This meeting is a must attend. I’m urging all residents to come out tomorrow, hear what the professionals have to say and have the opportunity to ask them questions. Mayor Walisfer and the Council are being transparent about what was found and we will share it with you. See you tomorrow night.
26 Comments
Thank you Pat!
Dear Pat, thank you for you’re concerns. I would like to preface this by saying I am not a fan of the prior administration, having spoken up in the past at public council meetings regarding the decisions they have made. I invite you and all to peruse Monmouth County tax rates at joeshimkus.com. What you may see is that it appears Belmar did in fact have their taxes raised from 2010 (where data starts) and up, with comparable percentage rates about the same as our neighboring shore towns. Perhaps this includes county and school taxes but all are in the same sending district and county. Hence the statement of ” no tax increase in 8 years” is a lie either way you look at it and that the term no longer be used. What cannot be argued is that careless spending and budgeting has put us in a bind. I blame the prior mayor, council, BS and CFO for this. Where is their fiduciary responsibility. I implore you to allow the residents to question and hear from the remaining Democrat on the council regarding past thinking and decisions made, by his votes and lack of out-speak. Perhaps he could shed some light on WHY this happened so as tis never occurs again. Where are the checks and balances if our form of government may allow one person to call all of the shots, and lie in the same breath. So…. if poorly spent money and lack of planning and budgeting got us into this jamb, I suggest you and council first begin by slashing budgets across the board, well prior to just, raising taxes. That, maam, is the easy way out. Please take the steps necessary to trim this out-of-control spending , it is why you ave been voted into office.
Transparency, I like that word.
CUT OUT ALL THE OVERTIME & lower salaries. STOP all the abuse of take home cars and free gas they get with it.
Might the Prosecutor be present?
#5 I totally agree…if it’s as bad as it sounds, how do they get away with it? I look forward to tomorrow night’s meeting.
Didn’t Walsifer vote yes on the budget ? Wouldn’t this mean he had no clue what he was voting yes to ?
Can’t wait to see prior mayors Mr. Magoo and McDoherty in the audience. Or do they still not care about their community. Bring your popcorn, tar and feathers if the Democrat even shows up. Predicting his resignation soon.
Didn’t both Tom’s on the council support Mayor Doherty and the pavilions?
And yet one Tom is council president and the other given the open “R” council seat.
bygones I guess.
And Didn’t Mayor Walsifer vote “yes” 2 times to the past budgetary practices?
bygones again.
Crazy how the republicans in Belmar think.
#9 We need to clean up the mess from the last administrations. So as a start shut up about who is a Democrat or Republican. Just have them fix all the problems.
#2 – Matt was/is no rocket scientist but he was smart enough I’m sure to keep Brennan in the dark on any decision making. Brennan was on a need to know basis – ie, vote this way on that and that way on this, etc. So please let’s not have any deep questioning of that poor sadsack, Brennan. He knew/knows nothing.
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#4 – BINGO!!!
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#6 – I hope these experts keep their statements short and speak in the vernacular and answer the citizens questions in the same way.
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#8 – C’mon. $5 will get you $10 those two dolts don’t show up.
#7-I agree with you. Mrs. Wann might have opened up a can of worms. I don’t think she thought this through. Mark Walsifer will be a great mayor. I’d hate to see a problem for him tomorrow evening. He deserves to have all run smoothly for him. In her attempt to put the Democratic Council in a bad light, she could cause a problem for our Mayor Walsifer, if in fact he voted yes on budgets that Mrs. Wann sees fit to criticize. Spending has to do with budgeting, correct? Someone in the audience could put Mayor Walsifer on the spot. The councilwoman is encouraging questions.
#12- And exactly why shouldn’t our new mayor have to answer questions regarding his voting yes/not asking questions to prior bidgets????????????????????
I wish we knew the 2018 police salaries for this meeting. Would love to question and blast the incompetent acting chief Hiseman.
The new administration appears to be trying to be transparent in their governance. Pat is openly encouraging people to show up and ask questions. If one of those questions is asking Mayor Mark for an explanation on his vote on prior budgets that seems a legitimate concern. Go to the meeting and ask. It is not Democrat bashing to share what they have discovered, it is exsposing the previous administrations poor handling of their civic duty (I count Brian’s quick tenure as an extension of Matt’s)
And ask Tom Brennan how he could have been so unaware of these things that will be brought up. Why not?
As for the new Tom, perhaps like many others in Belmar it took him a long time to see or admit to himself that Matt Dorehty was using Belmar as a political stepping stone. But, that’s me talking. Stand up and ask him! Let him speak for himself.
Though I can’t be at the meeting because I am away, I look forward to watching the video here on Common Sense for Belmar. Ask lots questions. Im sure I will ask many going forward at future meetings. Public participation is crucial to healthy government.
The present mayor could have been given the “Jim Bean Treatment”, that is, denied access to relevant material when he was a councilman, in other words, kept in the dark.
we can’t afford any more FREE
Huisman put himself in for unessential overtime putting up cones, standing in front of d’jais. He’s a thief and should be called on it.
Everyone knew there were issues with the town finance…. This is what the newly elected officals signed-up for, now its time to make the difficult decisions… Helpfully this is the correct group to get it do…
At least Jim Bean had the guts to ask questions, not be a silent rubber stamp…
18. 100% CORRECT. Complete incompetence and self serving mis management. When is he going to be indicted?
In the private sector, when you have financial issues, the fat is trimmed, you dont go out and take in more money…. A tax increase without decreasing the current expenses is a huge mistake… And it will represent the status quo of NJ politics and over taxation…
I agree with most everything that has been said about the police chief and the DPW guy and all the other low type people who are running departments in our town. But now is not the time for revenge. Just get rid of them and straighten out the mess they’ve made. Just let’s be happy they’re gone. Let it be like waking from a bad dream.
#20 thank you for the compliment. Please everybody, stop mentioning my name. It only start the Jim Bean bashing and rebuttals on the forum. I don’t care, but the debate should be about the blog post, not me. ty
Historically Government Budgets are approved and every effort is made to totally exhaust those budgets by the end of each fiscal year. Offer those budgets end in a deficit position. It’s rare that a government entity strives to NOT ask for increased budgetary sunshine year after year thereafter. The joke always was it you don’t spend it you’ll loose it next budget. Don’t ever think they run a Budget like your household or a money making, successful business.
#25… You are 100% correct…. But the new mayor and council was not elected to maintain status quo….
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