VIDEO > Brigantine City Council Recap FEB 4, 2015

Items of note from the Brigantine City Council meeting of FEB 4, 2015.

Brigantine not paying bills on time. Mayor says better accounting is needed. Recent late pay of City Hall electric bill….forced the utility to threaten a power shut down. This was acknowledged by City Manager Stinson.

The current part-time position of Brigantine CFO…. is being considered for an upgrade to full-time.

Councilman DeLucry questioned a sizable bill from new auditors appointed by Mayor Guenther. In just a few weeks, a $7,800 invoice was submitted for payment. Invoice had no detail or line items. City Manager Stinson unable to explain services connected to that bill. Situation reminded those in attendance of past ‘no-detail’ invoices from Doran Engineering.

Stinson admitted he’s still playing role of City Engineer, along with new position of City Manager. Unknown if Stinson is still handling Zoning Officer and Mercantile roles. Updated pay and compensation info for Stinson was not released.

The BTA (Brigantine Taxpayers Association) noticed continued lack of web updates by Police Chief/Webmaster Reed on BB-NJ municipal site. Note: Tech glitches affected first 30 minutes of the online council meeting webcast.

BTA also asked about the recent appointment of a ‘Brigantine Medical Director’. Most in the room were surprised to hear that Brigantine even had one. Compensation for that position was not released. Fire Captain Bordanaro, filling in for Chief Weidner stated that Brigantine always had a medical director and by law, must have one. Unknown if Captain Bordanaro was paid as ‘acting chief’ for his attendance at this council meeting. Chief Weidner, a salaried employee, would not have received extra pay for his attendance at a meeting like this.

Links at Brigantine Golf course was discussed…….but no talk of Jaworski Golf managing our money losing asset. Opposition (Piccardi, McClay, Delucry) made no inquiries into potential Jaworski Golf deal. But….Brigantine taxpayers will spend close to $300,000 for new golf carts. Council OK’d the extended 4 year lease that will cost Brigantine $6,095 per month. That’s $4,800 more than previous golf cart vendor deal. (over 4 year period)

Mayor Guenther curiously didn’t question long length of the golf cart lease, in light of pending negotiations with Jaworski Golf. Some asked why City wouldn’t tap into Jaworski’s supply of golf carts and other resources. Guenther did ask about color of carts, noting that darker colors attract greenhead flies.

Mike Brennan; President of The Brigantine Chamber of Commerce asked council to limit…or forbid….the Farmers Market to accept vendors that might compete against local Brigantine stores. A pizza vendor (popular Tony Baloney?) seemed to be main target of Chamber anger. In 2014, most Chamber members boycotted the popular Farmers Market.

Price for a 2015 Farmers Market vendor slot will jump from $75 per season….to $220 per season. $20 of fee is for application process and doesn’t guarantee vendor placement at the market.

Chamber President Brennan also noted power (and pain) of social media. Brennan disputed Facebook rants by Hockey Coach Chris Howe’s Real Brigantine site…. that suggest City & Chamber are at odds. Coach Howe has upset Chamber members by launching his own tourism and marketing site, similar to the BB-NJ Business Directory managed by Officer Tim Reed & OK’d by former City Manager Blumenthal.

More Chamber News:  It’s official, the Chamber has parted ways with Chamber VP; Joe ‘Moose’ Muscemeci of Atlantic Coast Realty. Fresh blood was needed as Chamber was top heavy with Realtors and has been losing membership at a faster pace. Muscemeci’s lack of Internet marketing skills may have contributed to his departure.

Councilman DeLucry talked about Beach Committee meetings.

  • Meeting minutes still not shared publically or posted by Police Chief / Webmaster; Tim Reed, on BB-NJ municipal site.
  • Items for discussion: expand 4×4 area? NO
  • More regulations for street & beach ice cream vendors
  • Jet Ski regulations
  • Increased safety concerns about COVE. Mix of trucks, fishing, jet skis, boats, red cups, kids…without lifeguards. ( NOT DISCUSSED )
  • No need for beach tags at The Cove. ( NOT DISCUSSED )
  • Inlet Jetty is rare example where local beach town allows anyone to walk out onto jagged and treacherous rocks. ( NOT DISCUSSED )

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16 thoughts on “VIDEO > Brigantine City Council Recap FEB 4, 2015”

  1. we didn’t pay our bills on time because we need justification to make part time CFO full time and create a CFO assistant with a bloated salary

    new auditor invoice was a reverse signing bonus, kinda like a reverse mortgage

    to our police chief and webmaster “Reedy, you’re doing a heck of a job”

    glitches are glitches, shet happens

    the farmers market is good for the taxpayers and visitors (shoobies) but not good for my “partners” so we are doing whatever necessary to end it. we will make the case that all the vendors compete against local businesses.

    brigantine golf course will remain a tax titanic for brigantine taxpayers for as long as I’m in power, were certainly not paying Jaws to golf on our own course

    facebook, what’s facebook?

    the cove is an insider thing, you wouldn’t understand.

    anyway i have to get back to my duties as a public servant, until next time.
    onward, guenther and gang

  2. Correction:

    The Mayor does not appoint the City Auditor. The selection of this professional is done each year at the reorganization meeting in January. This vote and appointment is made by the entire city council at a public meeting.

    1. Yes, and who has the council majority???? Was the vote unanimous?

      Do you think the entire council fired Jennifer and hired the mayor’s boy? Please, take off those rose colored glasses. Unless you’re independently wealthy, then I guess you don’t mind the taxes and waste. I bet the ‘council’ also reinstates the 16 positions that were lost through attrition.

      Can’t wait to see the new union contracts.

      1. With the clear glasses I have on, I see who won the election last Nov by the majority of Brigantine voters. Sometimes acceptance is a simple thing to understand, but keep trying, there is another election this Nov.

        In the mean time, see you at the city council meetings where I choose, in public, to make a difference. There is no more GAG Order.

        FYI- I am an Independent non affiliated registered voter.

  3. You neglect to mention that the cart lease approved was more than $48,000 less than the competing bid from the company who has carts at the course right now, sounds like a smart decision by city council.

    Plus, what was the alternative? Not having carts?

  4. Correction:

    The position of “Police Chief/Webmaster Reed” no longer exists, and has not for several months since the city changed to a different outside Website management provider last fall. There has been no “lack of web updates” by Chief Reed concerning this matter.

  5. It was very slick, but hardly subtle, they way Geppetto manuevered the new boy to review an unpaid bill, then coyly ask if we need a full-time CFO. Glad to see the mayor is into transparency. We could all see through that one.

  6. The Farm Fest is a project of the BRIGANTINE GREEN TEAM. As part of the SUSTAINABLE JERSEY initiative which is comprised of many Brigantine individuals–full and part time- (We are not RED, we are not BLUE we are GREEN). When the Farm Fest vendors were approached last year they were told the the fee was an introductory amount and that they would become more realistic in the 2015 season (comparable to OTHER towns that do this ).

    The Green Team invited EVERY community organization on the island to use a table through out the season. Having sat at the Garden Club and Brigantine Beach Cultural Arts table , and a farm fest volunteer, I saw the CHAMBER OF COMMERCE host a table EVERY WEEK..

    INTERESTING POINT…. The pizza stand could not have taken revenue from the other stores. THEY WERE NOT OPEN FROM 8:30 AM TO 12 NOON. The farm market was closed before the dinner trade would have started.

    PLEASE FOLKS…VISIT THE WEBSITE http://WWW.SUSTAINABLE JERSEY and see how many towns in New Jersey are participating to help their communities sustain themselves through grants . This group of citizens registered and EARNED the Bronze Level of certification in less than 18 months!

    PLEASE INSTEAD OF BASHING LOOK WHAT WE HAVE DONE:
    dune replanting of dune grass and plants indigenous to dune environment, TWO sessions of 100 beach plum plantings –ALL donated plants, free cloth bag give-aways, and a FARM FEST that brought more people to the center of town (to also shop in the stores when they opened) than any parade or council meeting in a more FRIENDLY, SUPPORTING, WELCOMING environment than I have seen in the 12 years I have lived on this island!

  7. Why would anyone bash such a huge success? One that is great for Brigantine. Besides pizza, I bet you shouldn’t allow produce vendors, to placate Joe’s and the ACME. Oh, I forgot. It’s a FARMER’S MARKET.

    Good luck for 2015. I’ll be there every weekend. You’ve all done a great job.

  8. And the Oscars go to Sera and Stinson for best scripted performance. The bills being paid late exchange and need for a full time CFO was brilliant. I’m sure there will be many more by these fine actors.

  9. Thank you,

    I already have a wonderful life. Married 26 yrs, two children, United States Navy Submarine veteran, own two homes, two Businesses.

    I don’t know who you are, but are there any other personal attacks you need to direct to me?

    Luke 6:31
    Do to others as you would have them do to you.

  10. It’s sad that the fees will go up for our farmers market permits. It seems anything successful in brigantine is dismantled because the city didn’t have control over it. If the golf course had a chance under jaw’s direction to make money and be successful the city will deny permitting it to jaws. Instead of improving the island it appears to be crumbling down more. Where’s it end? Maybe Gov Christie needs to put a new management team in place like he did in Atlantic City

    1. FYI- Enjoy your smoke break,

      But you can no longer do it at city hall, the ball fields, the community center, or at the farmers market.

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