BrigantineNOW is Evil.

evil brigantine
BrigantineNOW

Got a semi-nasty email from a member of our Brigantine City Council a little while back. Here it is:

The New Republicans of Brigantine on Facebook. One of your latest projects? Do you really give a damn about this island? I am starting to believe not. Brigantine Now on Twitter? All fiction and lies. Evil!

…..First off, we appreciate that this council person reads BrigantineNOW.com. Some city leaders claim that they still don’t read us…..or even use the web on a regular basis. Love us or hate us….BrigantineNOW.com has become the ‘virtual town square’ of this community. Politicians & city employees can learn a lot from these pages. You may not like a post or story….but you can always comment and state your opinion. (moderated)

Here’s my reply to that well-intentioned…but misguided Councilperson:

Hi ___________,

Sorry for slow reply….but I was busy promoting & sharing news & info about our island of Brigantine….with my money & my time. See these new pics I just took of our Brigantine Golf Course.

Your email to me….calling me evil… is both funny & incredibly misguided.

You wonder if I give a damn about our island? Funny, I sometimes wonder if you, and too many Brigantine politicians… give a damn about more than just getting votes & doing deals. You see, many of us Brigantiners can’t vote. Matter of fact, about 75% of taxpayers in Brigantine don’t vote even thought we make up 75% of the tax base. We pray that YOU make good decisions for ALL of us.

Since the City of Brigantine & The Business Chamber totally STINK at marketing our island, I decided to create BrigantineNOW.com back in 2011.

This popular website is not a political platform for the Republicans or the Democrats. We think both have failed us. So we created BrigantineNOW.com. We did this to boost the ECONOMY of Brigantine. We created BrigantineNOW to share real information about the real Brigantine. Local papers don’t provide that critical service, neither do you and our elected leaders inside City Hall.

By boosting the ECONOMY of Brigantine, we can help roofers, landlords, Realtors, restaurant owners, hair salons, contractors, home sellers, city employees, 2nd home owners, investors, Marine Mammal Standing Center, The FishFinder, etc.. A better economy can also keep taxes down. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

  • I spend money in Brigantine.
  • I have friends & family in Brigantine that are taxpayers.
  • I have friends that own businesses in Brigantine.
  • I have friends who vacation in Brigantine.
  • I have friends that are city employees… afraid of losing their jobs.

We get emails….”demanding” that BrigantineNOW posts editorials from partisan readers. It proves the power of BrigantineNOW.com. We scratch our heads when we get emailed about our ‘one-sided’ posts. Comments are encouraged after a post. Lot’s of differing opinions there.

BrigantineNOW is a digital media operation focused on boosting the economy of Brigantine. Sometime we post uncomfortable facts. Somebody has to do it.

We want people to buy & rent in Brigantine. We want investors to come start a business here. We want contractors to thrive. We want those on a fixed income to have more money in their pocket. Seems like no one is handling those critical issues.

If we see an issue (union contracts, overtime abuses, etc) that might have an effect on the economy of Brigantine, we either post it….. or archive it for later.

Yes. We have an agenda…but it’s not political. Of course, no one believes that. But who cares. We don’t lose sleep over that nonsense.

We just do… what we do. Promote the awesomeness of Brigantine and share the unvarnished facts about this island.

For years, the City of Brigantine and the Chamber of Commerce…have done a LOUSY job at marketing our island to the outside world. Actually, the city & chamber is unqualified to do anything connected with sales, marketing & revenue generation. No one has the guts to call them on that. Except BrigantineNOW. That’s how we roll.

But of course, you have nothing to say about the lack of new business development for Brigantine. You just attack BrigantineNOW….out of fear & ignorance.

BrigantineNOW.com is a non-partisan, news & information source for those interested in Brigantine, New Jersey.

On occasion, we do support certain issues….if we think they’ll help the overall economy of Brigantine. So far, the current City Council can’t get past dog parks, bag bans, playgrounds, golf course rfp’s, overtime scams, non-stop web glitches …… Council never focuses on the ECONOMY of Brigantine. That’s OK, though. BrigantineNOW will take up that slack.

With our money.
With our time.
Because we give a damn about this island.

Subscribe BrigantineNOW

14 thoughts on “BrigantineNOW is Evil.”

  1. I made the mistake of attending a council meeting on Saturday August 24, 2013. I never saw such a group of inexperienced, immature individuals trying to run anything. It took the first 45 minutes to discuss how an agenda topic got on the agenda without the Mayor’s knowledge. After an hour and a half I just walked out. What a waste of time.

  2. As in our regular government it’s just ashame that the Republicicans and the Democrats can’t work together as one and make this town the best one on the East coast! I fear that will never change, and it is sad to think they could all work for the town’s people instead of thinking about the party in which they belong to.

  3. Veronica Billington

    I own a “second” home in Brigantine and spend most of my summer here. The absolute bull-shit that goes on between the politicians ad nausium makes my skin crawl. And the Shoobie parties??? Maybe us “part time” residents need to STOP PAYING TAXES and see where that takes you!!!!

  4. Cannot Vote in Brigantine

    Dear BrigantineNOW creator and publisher. We wholeheartedly support you and your cause. Please do not allow the drones affect you. We cannot exercise our logical, although not legal, right of suffrage in Brigantine, as we are among the 70% of homeowners who although not full time residents, provide the majority of financial, creative support to Brigantine, which we apply with integrity.

  5. As for the business environment, it has been a shambles for years, but you don’t seem to acknowledge that the previous administrations are to blame for this. Reynolds, Burger King, etc didn’t just close in the past year when the Dems took control. You have no clue.

    1. fran, please chill.

      the previous administration, along with the past chamber…contributed heavily to this issue. the ‘clues’ i found, were easy to spot.

      please consider the foolishness of partisan politics in brigantine. fanatical party affiliation is poison in such a small town.

      voting along party lines in pretty dumb too.

      i can certainly see some of the benefits of a non-partisan commissioner system. ( similar to margate )

      unfortunately, i can’t vote.

      neither can 70% of brigantine taxpayers.

      so relax. put down your flamethrower….and kindly direct your anger towards council, the city manager and the chamber.

  6. Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, the council members and city manager that I am angry with are no longer in office. I was once one of the 70% and now that I can vote, I am much more engaged. I believe the majority council members are trying to correct past mistakes and the chamber, with its new membership, will work hard to bring businesses to Brig.

    My flamethrower is now holstered.

    Fran

    1. Hi Fran,

      Yes. We do edit for brevity on occasion. Sometimes we remove blatant personal attacks, foul language, off topic stuff.

      Are we politically motivated? I can see how sometimes it looks that way.

      I think you and I agree…more than we disagree. It took a much needed ‘shake-up election’ of November 2012 to start the challenging process of having Brigantine embrace today’s new realities. The past governments & chamber got a bit too comfortable with 110 years of running brig. So, the Dems deserve kudos for putting pressure on the process.

      Now, the dems have to defend their efforts…with a newly refreshed GOP effort. Competition is good. real good.

      My hope is that voters will exercise their right to vote people/parties IN and OUT every few years….no matter what their political party. This will keep BOTH parties on their toes.

      This will ultimately be good for all.

      thx Fran
      🙂

  7. Whoever owns that Burger King property must be paying taxes on it all these years . One would think the owners would want a business in there ; otherwise they are losing lots of money by having it remain empty . One would think a Five Guys burger joint , or a Starbucks , or McDonalds , anything , would do well there . There must be a reason that whoever owns that building is not having it prosper. Same with the old Dairy Queen property . What’s up with that ?

    1. Hi Augie,
      from what i understand, there is often a tax write-off benefit to letting a business property sit and rot….for a few years. ( old steak 38 )

      that being said, it would benefit Brigantine property values if the city enforced some kind of ordinance, where abandoned or shuttered business properties were forced to clean-up and maintain a shut-down business/property…..at least a little.

      seeing steak 38 rotting for years at the entrance to our town….sent the wrong message to visitors & potential investors.

      Burger King & old Dairy Queen are 2 other examples of prime property in need of some NEW BIZ DEV.

      The concept of “Pop-Up” businesses should be considered for the Summer months. (Lease empty building to summer only business)

      1. Given the fact that directly surrounding the old Burger King are 5 other local food vendors, my hope would be that a fast-food place would not be OK’d in Brigantine. Cool Cones, Goochie Brothers, Great Wall, Brigantine Beach Bagels, and St George’s are all steps away from the BK property. Plus, we have WAWA & Dunkin just across the street. Let’s give current individuals with food businesses and the few chains already established a chance to thrive and prosper in Brigantine. Do we need a franchise chain fast-food place again? I say no, regardless of which company it would be.

        There is enormous value in vacationing in a small town beach community. Not all parents want to have a flashy boardwalk and amusement rides easily available for their kids. A quiet vacation town where families can rent a house, play on the beach, ride their bikes, visit the Brigantine Farmers Market (shameless plug), go out to dinner, cook at home, go for iced cream and then spend one or two nights on a nearby boardwalk is very appealing.

        Consider the Outer Banks in NC, what makes that area appealing is that there is no boardwalk, it is not built up, very few chain restaurants, but, it has a huge family draw. There are plenty of family activities in OBX, kite flying, a nature center with kid and adult programs, mini-golf, shopping, family owned restaurants, Wright Brothers museum, surfing, jet ski rentals and the like. We have the potential to be that type of destination vacation. Brigantine offers similar activities already, like the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, Historical Museum, mini golf, fishing, surf lessons, etc. Let’s beef up what we already have and think of other family activities that can be added, a batting cage, driving range, night beach walks with Pirate story-telling, we need to get creative. Our proximity to other shore towns with boardwalks and casinos is to our benefit, our vacationers can spend a day there, but then come home to Brigantine.

  8. Second homeowner

    Thank you brigantine now. The only voice of reason in this town..
    Maybe the people in power will start paying attention to the taxpayers and give respect to the second homeowners who keep this town alive. They must create incentive for business to come into the town and to get the home values up to where they should be.

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