Common Sense For New Hampshire

Today’s Coast Star has the full story about Ted Ehmann’s ethic’s complaint filed against Jamie Fox.  (The one published here May 15.)

A Belmar resident has filed an ethics complaint against a member of the New Jersey Local Finance Board for discussing two complaints when he had an alleged conflict of interest.

Vincent Ehmann made the complaint to the state ethics commission on May 13, alleging Local Finance Board member James Fox participated in discussions at a May 8, 2013, meeting regarding two complaints filed by Councilman Jim Bean when he had a conflict of interest.

The local finance board is an independent board within the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs [DCA] that deals with ethics-related complaints that the DCA receives from or about local governments.

According to Mr. Ehmann’s complaint, Mr. Fox made political contributions to Mayor Matt Doherty’s campaigns for State office and mayor.

Mayor Doherty ran unsuccessfully for general assembly in 2005……….

The Star also reports on the retraction of a statement made by Tammori Petty of the Department of Community affairs:

While the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs said last week that a municipality determines who to grant free beach access to, a spokesperson for the agency has since said she mistakenly spoke and it is governed by state statute.

At a recent council meeting, the governing body voted 4-1 to provide free beach access to first responders. Councilman Jim Bean was the sole no vote, citing the fact that granting such access is beyond the purview of the council as the reason he voted no.

The governing body also unanimously voted to approve a resolution granting free beach access to active military personnel.

DCA Director of Communications Tammori Petty said last week that the municipality determines who to grant free beach access to.

However, she has since said she misspoke, and a state statute determines who is granted free beach access. The municipality determines the beach fees, she said.

According to the state statute, a municipality can grant reduced beach fees, or no beach fees at all, to people 65 years of age or older, those who are disabled, active military personnel, active members of the NJ National Guard and those who served in any of the Armed Forces but were discharged for reasons other than dishonorable discharge.

Ronald Chen, current dean at the Rutgers Law School and former public advocate of New Jersey during the Corzine administration, said “it gets very murky” because the statute does not say a municipality can or cannot grant free or reduced beach fees to a group that is not included in the statute.

But, at first look, what Belmar has done “seems reasonable,” but then it becomes a legal issue as to what extent municipalities can add categories the legislature has not, Mr. Chen said………

But there’s one little thing that maybe Mr. Chen should have mentioned, you know full disclosure and all, before opining on the legality of our policy: