Belmar Mayor Ken Pringle has apologized for cartoonish characterizations of Staten Islanders and “guidos” in a newsletter distributed earlier this month to residents of rental houses in town, according to a wire service report.
Pringle, who also serves as Red Bank’s borough attorney, “says the newsletter is tongue-in-cheek satire meant to curb the behavior of rowdy renters and visitors to the Monmouth County beach town,” according to the report, which appears in today’s Long Island Newsday and does not quote Pringle apologizing.
The controversy was reported in yesterday’s Staten Island Advance under the headline, “Sand-for-brains pol disses Islanders.”
The Advance also had some perspective from islanders, not all of whom disagreed with Pringle:
Mario Flotta, a New Springville resident who visits Belmar a couple of times a month, said he was angered to hear the mayor felt that way about visitors to his borough.
“It’s surprising to know that a place where tourism thrives and pays for pretty much everything around here, that someone would make comments like this,” he said. “Two or three people are supposed to summarize everyone who comes to the beach? It’s ignorant.”
That’s not to say that all Staten Islanders disagreed with the mayor.
Dino Fici, a Todt Hill resident who was lying on the beach in Belmar earlier today, said Staten Island girls are known to be especially aggressive.
“They’re all crazy, Staten Island girls,” he said. “They don’t take nothing from nobody. … If someone’s giving them the evil eye, they’re not going to walk away, they’re going to hit somebody.”
It was clear on the beach that the mayor’s comments reflected a divide in the community.
“He can talk about us all he wants but Jersey girls are all promiscuous,” said Stephanie Russo of Tottenville. “I’d rather fight than walk around with half my clothes on.”
