Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Candidates had until Monday's close of business to register for primary election
Brick councilman John Ducey has received his party's endorsement to run for mayor this year, though he will first have to fend off a primary election challenge from fellow Democrat Joe Lamb. Ducey, a councilman for over a year, is being endorsed by the local Democratic organization. Lamb is running in the Democratic primary on his own. Candidates who sought to run under a party banner for local offices had until the close of business Monday to file petitions with the township clerk's office indicating their desire to represent their party. Last week, the township's Republican organization announced it was supporting Councilman Joseph Sangiovanni for mayor. Councilman Dan Toth is challenging Sangiovanni for the Republican nomination. "We …
Monday, October 22, 2012
Five job titles would be cut under proposal
Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis and Councilman Joseph Sangiovanni will propose an ordinance at the next township council meeting that will do away with five unfilled positions in township government. The positions were included in the recent restructuring plan that was vetoed by the mayor. The mayor's proposal will not include cuts to any filled positions, nor will it create any new positions. The previous restructuring ordinance would have cut several positions, including those filled by deputy business administrator Juan Bellu, recreation department head Dave Francese and council secretary Jennifer Hartmann, and created three new positions, including a deputy township clerk. Officials from opposing sides of the political aisle argued over …
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Councilman forced to abstain after legal opinion
An attempt to veto Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis' veto of a controversial ordinance that sought to restructure Brick's municipal government failed Tuesday night. A pair of ordinances that made up the restructuring both passed in 4-3 votes last month, but a supermajority of five votes was required for the override resolution to be passed by the township council. Though one of the three council members who voted against the ordinances last month – Councilman Bob Moore – switched sides and voted in favor of the override, Councilman Dan Toth was forced to abstain after Acropolis delivered a lengthy legal opinion from a conflict attorney advising Toth against voting on the measure. The lack of Toth's vote meant a supermajority of council members …
Friday, October 5, 2012
Council President says he will push for override
Brick Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis has formally vetoed a pair of controversial governmental restructuring ordinances that were passed by the township council last week. The mayor promised after the Sept. 25 council meeting when the ordinances were approved that he would veto them. Council President John Ducey, one of the ordinances' proponents, said he expects the council will attempt to override the mayoral veto. The ordinances, passed in a 4-3 vote that was not along party lines, eliminate several positions at town hall and create three new ones. They also eliminate the departments of Recreation as well as Community Development and Land Use. The functions of those departments will be rolled into existing departments. Ducey has said the …
Rift between administration and council may be growing
Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis' administration will now bar township employees from attending meetings of small committees of the township council. In a letter to township council members this week, Business Administrator Scott Pezarras said the mayor has decided township employees should not attend the committee meetings of three council members, and questions about township business should be submitted in writing. "I can't ask the council president any questions in public because he refuses to answer," said Acropolis. "What I decided to do was to have everything put in writing. If the council has a question about a project being done, put them in an e-mail and we'll answer them for you." Council President John Ducey said Thursday that the …
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Former Scarpelli-era firm back in the mix, billing records show
The law firm that served the township under a previous Democratic administration is back in the mix, and its return has ruffled some feathers on the Republican side of the aisle. The firm of Starkey, Kelly, Kenneally, Cunningham and Turnbach, which held the township's legal professional services contract under the administration of former mayor Joseph C. Scarpelli, began working on assignments for the township council Jan. 2, according to a copy of an invoice sent to the township's purchasing agent. The firm was approved as part of the township's alternate legal services pool in January. A copy of the bill, obtained by Brick Patch through an Open Public Records Act request, indicates the firm performed 63 hours of work during the month of …
Monday, February 20, 2012
Mayor's foes blast decision to eliminate public works
Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis' decision to present a municipal budget that calls for the effective elimination of the township's public works department has been blasted by Democrats and union leaders. John Menshon, chairman of Transport Workers Union Local 225 Branch 4, said the labor organization has filed a formal grievance complaint against the township. "Whatever it takes, we'll be pursuing it," Menshon said. The complaint, filed with the state Civil Service Commission, alleges that the township has "unjustly filed a layoff plan to coerce the union into concessionary bargaining," Menshon said. The township and the TWU have been in negotiations for about three months, Menshon said, and both sides are still far apart. The grievance calls …
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
No change yet, but it's not completely back to the drawing board
Township council members voted to temporarily put off passing an ordinance that would modify the mayor's compensation package. After a lengthy public hearing on the plan, the council voted 5-2 Tuesday night to table the ordinance which would set two salaries for the mayor's position in Brick. The ordinance, favored by Council President John Ducey, would have left the salary at the current rate of $52,000 if a mayor worked less than 35 hours per week in another job, but cut it to $15,000 if the mayor worked 35 hours or more at another job, public or private. While the measure received some initial support from council members, questions from the public as to the ramifications of passing such an ordinance may have led to Tuesday night's vote…
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Ordinance up for second reading
Among the items on the agenda for the Jan. 24 township council meeting is the second reading and final passage of an ordinance that will reduce the salary of the Brick mayor if he or she has outside, full-time employment. Council President John Ducey threw his support behind the ordinance earlier this month, touting the measure as "part time pay for part time work" if a mayor has a full-time job in addition to his mayoral duties. The ordinance would leave the current salary of $52,000 in place if a mayor has outside employment of less than 35 hours per week. But "full time" employment of 35 hours or more per week – regardless of whether that employment is in the public or private sectors – would mean a reduction to $15,000 per year for the…
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Acropolis, Ducey find common ground
Brick Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis and Council President John Ducey may still have their disagreements, but found common ground and avoided a standoff that could have meant the two would hold dueling public meetings. Acropolis, a Republican, said that before the Jan. 10 township council meeting Ducey, a Democrat, told him not to speak unless spoken to or during a designated time period near the end of the meeting. Acropolis said he had the right under state law to contribute during meetings, and if he was not allowed to do so, would hold his own meeting along with the township business administrator and attorney, effectively forcing the council to have its meeting without key personnel at hand. The bad feelings from a week before seemed to …
Sal Petoia
6:15 pm on Friday, April 5, 2013
If George Scott can get elected mayor as an independent, it would be great to give him some help by electing a couple of independents to the council as well! Regrettably, independents usually cannot compete with the organization, manpower and/or the money enjoyed by the political parties. However, readers of the Patch can provide their support by conducting a "cyber" campaign. Thousands who are … more ›