Skip to content

A town square for an unsquare town

redbankgreen

Standing for the vitality of Red Bank, its community, and the fun we have together.

POLITICAL “SOUNDBITES” FROM MIDDLETOWN

fiore-byrnesDeputy Mayor Anthony Fiore, left, and Committeeman Sean Byrnes talk before Monday night’s meeting. (Photo by Dustin Racioppi; click to enlarge)

By DUSTIN RACIOPPI

The finale to each Middletown committee meeting the last couple months has, by Deputy Mayor Anthony Fiore’s account, become a forum for politicking and an opportunity to make for great soundbites.

Terms like “consolidation,” “planning” and “committees” tend to top the list of buzzwords, he said.

Monday night didn’t disappoint, when discussion related to a resolution to remove school spending from property tax bills widened a political divide among the committee, particularly between Fiore and his Democrat counterpart Sean Byrnes.

Byrnes, who voted against Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger’s proposal to find a new source of education funding, made it clear that, in his own estimation, the resolution is a way to take heat off local government’s problems at home — a late budget and rising taxes — by shining the spotlight on an issue that will perk the ears of taxpayers.

He said the resolution is vague in how a new funding source would be implemented and the idea is “radical change” that affects the whole state, but doesn’t hone in on Middletown’s problems, like having a budget in place.

“I think it’s more of a political resolution than anything else,” Byrnes said.

Rather than focusing on local issues, Byrnes said the resolution stirs debate on a topic better left for elected officials in Trenton. He then went on to outline ways to dig Middletown out of its fiscal hole — forming a finance committee, privatizing certain municipal services, consolidating services and selling off valuable real estate were among them — and said poor planning has led the committee to this point. With a little more than four months until the end of the year, Middletown has yet to finalize a spending plan, though the one proposed calls for an increase.

“I feel like this resolution is a distraction to shift the focus from what we have going on here,” he said.

Fiore took offense to the comments, saying that, “I agree, the budget is difficult, but to say there is no plan is just a good soundbite.”

He said the committee has a multi-phased plan in place to reduce taxes and find efficiency within its budget, namely by reducing the township’s workforce, reducing insurance costs and combing through the operations and expenses portions of the spending plan to find areas to save.

Fiore voted in favor of Scharfenberger’s resolution and backed up his vote by saying property tax reform would have a direct effect on Middletown tax bills. For example, he said the municipal portion of the budget typically accounts for about 20 percent of tax bills, but when there are successful appeals, the financial burden is placed 100 percent on the township. It’s not as if the town gets a refund from the school system for the money it pays out in appeals, he said.

“There needs to be some real serious change at the level in Trenton to look at education funding,” he said.

Scharfenberger contends that making noise about education funding is necessary. If not, then the trend will continue, he said.

“Unless we stand up and say something now, say goodbye to New Jersey, because there will be an exodus like you’ve never seen before,” he said.

Scharfenberger, who, like Byrnes, is running for re-election to the committee in November, closed out his comment period with a possible answer to Fiore’s description of recent meetings.

“It’s silly season a little bit early,” he said. “There are elections coming up, so you’re probably going to hear more of this.”

Remember: Nothing makes a Red Bank friend happier than to hear "I saw you on Red Bank Green!"
Partyline
RED TRUCKS AT RED ROCK
A small dishwasher fire at Red Rock Tap and Grill was put out quickly by firefighters overnight, causing minimal damage. Red Bank Fire Depar ...
CREATIVE COVER UP
The windows of Pearl Street Consignment on Monmouth Street were smashed when a driver crashed their car through them injuring an employee la ...
THEY’RE BACK!
Ospreys returned to the skies over Red Bank this week for the first time since they migrated to warmer climes in late fall. With temperature ...
SPRING IS SPRUNG
RED BANK: Spring 2024 arrives on the Greater Red Bank Green with the vernal equinox at 11:06 p.m. Tuesday.
RED BANK’S FINEST – AND NEWEST
Red Bank Police Officer Eliot Ramos was sworn in as the force’s newest patrolman Thursday, and if you’re doing a double take thinkin ...
EASTER EGG MAYHEM AT THE PARK
An errant whistle spurred an unexpectedly early start to the Spring Egg Hunt on Sunday, which had been scheduled to begin at eggsactly 11am ...
PRESEASON DOCKWORK
RED BANK: With winter winding down, marina gets ready for boating season with some dockwork on our beautiful Navesink River.
CORNED BEEF AND DISCO FRIES?
It’s Friday, and smart Lent-observing Leprechauns know the pot of gold at the end of Red Bank’s rainbow is actually the deliciou ...
SURFBOARD DITCHED
It’s a violation of etiquette in surfing to ditch your board.  (it could hit another surfer and hurt them). But someone appears to ha ...
ELSIE, TAKE ME WITH YOU!
Soaked by pouring rain with the temperature hovering in the low 40’s, this sign in the window of Elsie’s Subs on Monmouth Street ...
WALK THIS WAY
PARTYLINE: Before-and-afters of a sidewalk cleanup on West Street.
SOGGY NOTION
RED BANK: Breezeway sculpture captured the mood downtown as heavy rains fell Saturday morning.
HOME DELIVERY
RED BANK: After a subdivision, an instant house rises on a new Catherine Street lot.
COMMUNITY PROFILES
For Black History Month, Red Bank's Community Engagement and Equity Advisory Committee has been running a series of local profiles on Facebo ...
HEARTY FAREWELL FOR HARDY
RED BANK: Council to honor DPU supervisor Rich Hardy, who retired recently after almost 39 years of keeping things running.
HOMEBOUND? READ ON…
RED BANK: Can't get to the public library? It's now offering free delivery and pickups for homebound borough residents.
TAMING A BEAST OF A WEEK
RED BANK: After the second snowfall of the week, a borough family finds the perfect use for it – a Godzilla snow sculpture.
RED BANK: LIBRARY CLOSED, BUT THE HILL’S OPEN
RED BANK: Though the library was closed by a snowstorm, kids got to enjoy the riverfront property's steep slope Tuesday.
LIGHT(HOUSE) MAKEOVER
This year, getting ready for spring means a midwinter makeover for Strollo's Lighthouse in Red Bank.
TODAY: LOCAL PUPPY COMPETES ON ANIMAL PLANET’S “PUPPY BOWL”
Red Bank’s very own rescue puppy, Biscuit, is set to compete in Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl this Sunday, February 11, at 2 PM. Th ...