Councilman Gives Courier a Tour of Police Department

The buzz in Matawan is Councilman Kevin Mendes gave a tour of the Matawan Police Department building today. Wonder who could it be...let's see who supposedly is the Matawan Democrats' weekly publication....uh, uh, uh, we got it..... we got it....none other than Alyssa P., (apologies if we spelled her name incorrectly)the Courier reporter.

What could possibly be the reason, were photos taken, will the reason for this tour be in the Courier prior to the Council meeting next week????

We will all just have to wait and see.....

Check out the Asbury Park Press Sat., 6-7-08

Sametta Thompson, Reporter for the APP, today has a story, and we do mean story, the Democrats on the Borough Council are trying to sell to Matawan regarding Pat Menna, Esq. Check it out!

Sprinkle it with fairy dust and maybe you can find the truth in this letter sent by the Matawan Dems on Council!

Follow Up to Borough Council Meeting 6/5/08

Last night's meeting held on Thursday, June 5, 2008 was uneventful. It was great to see the Council working together. Although Councilman Malley continues to make senseless barbs at the Mayor....but ah we forget he is running for re-election. Are the Borough Council meetings the proper forum for electioneering. You decide, because we think not!

At last night's "open public" portion of the meeting a resident questioned why Key Auto Body, Councilman Kevin Mendes' family owned business, is doing work for the Borough. Councilman Mendes is the Chairman of the Fire, Police, First Aid Committee.

During the brief encounter the resident had commenced to praise Councilman "Bud" Mullaney, because at a previous meeting and in one Blog this year entitled, "Mullaney will sponsor good government in Matawan," he stated his Company, Mullaney Tire, would not be doing anymore work for the Borough. It appeared that the resident agreed with Mullaney's position and was starting to commend him.

However, Councilman Mullaney stated Mullaney Tire continues to do work for the Borough.....Abruptly, Mayor Buccellato ended the discussion and chastised the resident. Why did the Mayor stop the proceeding? The Mayor requested the Borough Attorney to speak with Councilmen Mullaney and Mendes.

Will the resident that asked the question ever get an answer? Therefore, the question we pose to the readers of this Blog is:

Is it proper for a sitting Councilperson to perform work for the Borough and receive remuneration?

Matawan Borough Council Mtg 6/5/08 @7:30pm

Tonight's Council Meeting will include but not limited to the following Resolutions:

Resolution authorizing the hiring of part time Summer Recreation Canoe Rentals.

Resolution to appoint Jason Gallo as Lieutenant Matawan Police Department.

Resolution to appoint James M. Alston as Chief of Police, Matawan Police Department.

Resolution appointing Madeline Scalzo as Deputy Court Administrator part time.

There should not be any problem with any of these resolutions being passed by the Council.

We wish all of the appointees the best of luck and success in their new positions.

Hope to see you at the meeting.....

Matawan Rotary 5K Run Walk

A reader asked if the Rotary is having its 5K Run Walk for 2008. To the best of our knowledge the answer is no. Last year the Rotary decided it didn't bring the desired results. However, the previous year they donated a defibrillator to Matawan's First Aid Squad.

Matawan's Recreation will be having its Turkey Trot Walk Run this year.

Planning and Zoning Board Special Meeting

If you are interested in what becomes of this beautiful historic home come to a special meeting at the big blue house(226 Main St) today at 6pm. The Planning & Zoning Board will be conducting a special meeting, open to the public at 6pm June 2, 2008. This will be followed by the Regular Planning and Zoning Board meeting at the Matawan Community Center at 7:30pm.

The new owner wants to create office space with parking. We believe one of the questions will be regarding number of parking spaces. While it has been discussed that the new owner will try to keep the historic integrity of the house, details were not available.

Adjacent residents are concerned with quality of life issues as the parking lot would be in close proximity to their backyard.

What we see as a problem is the Planning & Zoning Board allowed C-Town to open with less parking spaces than mandated by the Borough's Code. Therefore, did they not set a precedent for others to follow?

Have we in Matawan been betrayed by others self-interests when they pushed C-Town? Has there been no foresight in planning for the future when these decisions were made?

Let's hope the new members of the Planning & Zoning Board aren't restricted by the previous Planning & Zoning Board's actions.

If you are concerned with the preservation of Historic Sites in Matawan, come to the meeting tonight at 6pm. If you can't make the 6pm meeting, then by all means come to the Planning & Zoning Board meeting at 201 Broad St at 7:30pm.

Follow up to Borough Council Meeting 5/19

It was our pleasure to witness two Matawan Police Detectives receiving an Award from no less than the F.B.I. Det. Sgt. Smith and Det. O'Boyle were acknowledged for their assistance in bringing to justice the armed bank robbers who held up the Sun Bank and other banks in the area. As residents, we are proud to have such dedicated and distinguished Detectives on Matawan's Police Department.

School Budget - There was a reduction of $500,000. to the School Budget offered by the School Board. The Council voted to accept their offer. Aberdeen's Council also voted to accept the Budget. When you are dealing witn millions, $500,000. doesn't even make a dent.


New Restaurant in Borough - AJ Pizzle LLC, is replacing the former Copperleaf Grill at the strip mall on Rt. 34 and Main St. We welcome new business in Matawan and wish them the best of luck.

Borough Attorney - The Council appointed James G. Aaron, Esq. of Ansel, Zaro, Grimm & Aaron with one no vote by Councilwoman Clifton. The fee was announced at $115. an hour, which matched the amount quoted by Pat Menna, Esq. However, no mention was made pertaining to phone calls. Mr. Menna had quoted unlimited phone calls at no charge. Since it wasn't mentioned, we have to wonder if Mr. Aaron also agreed to unlimited phone calls. If not, then we will be paying $115. every time a member of Council/Borough Clerk/Borough Administrator, etc. places a phone call.


Labor/Special Litigation Attorney - Scott C. Arnette, Esq. was appointed with one no vote by Councilwoman Clifton. Councilman Mullaney added Special Litigation to the Labor Attorney's position.


Comment: In the event one of the other attorneys have a conflict of interest, then we would utilize the Special Litigation Attorney. The way we see it, it gives The Arnette Law Firm LLC, another way to make money off of Matawan. The Democratic majority wants to add to Northgrave, et al., by re-appointing them as Redevelopment Attorneys and adding Environmental Attorneys to their firm. The appointment of any other attorneys has been held off. Councilman Cannon advised Councilman Mullaney that money must be certified by the CFO in order to go forward with appointing any additional attorneys.


Financial Aid from Trenton - What a joke! We will be receiving $17,000 +/- in State Aid. We did file for discretionary aid. We all sent letters to Trenton asking Corzine not to punish the small towns & boroughs in NJ. Let's hope he receives many, many letters from taxpayers and reinstates our financial aid package. As we all know we are facing financial problems in Matawan along with all the other small towns.


Grants - Maser Consulting will be filing for a Grant from the D.O.T. for a Road Program. Along with a previously mentioned grant application presented by Fred Carr, Borough Administrator, this will be the second Grant Maser will be applying for on Matawan's behalf. Any financial assistance we can get is welcomed. Remember Grants are free money (excluding the time put into the application and presentation), Bonds must be paid back. Good luck to Fred Carr and Bill White, Engr., Maser Consulting with their presentation.



The Preserve on Route 79/American Properties - A Resolution for Affordable Marketing of Rental Unit has been held for clarification.

Resolution 08-09 was introduced to create a position of Municipal Housing Liaison for the Purpose of Administering Borough of Matawan's Affordable Housing Program pursuant to the Fair Housing Act.

Signs in the Borough - A resident stated lawn signs are still be posted on his property. He has appeared before the Council last year requesting a solution from the Borough. We agree these signs are all over the Borough and there should be an ordinance preventing these unsightly advertising signs.

Cancer Care - A Resolution was passed to create the Matawan Cancer Research Program spearheaded by former Councilwoman Donna Gould. The purpose of this program is to provide transportation for cancer patients to and from Doctor appointments, chemotherapy, etc. Assemblywoman Amy Handlin was informed by the American Cancer Society of the lack of transportation for Cancer patients.

Matawan Alliance - Oh where, oh where has the Matawan Alliance gone? At the last meeting Mayor Buccellato asked Councilman Mullaney if he had any news concerning the Matawan Alliance. Councilman Mullaney replied no. Then Councilman Malley stated someone from the Matawan Alliance would be at the next Borough Council meeting. Needless to say no one showed up. A question was raised as to the money collected by the Matawan Alliance purported to be for a Memorial for the victims of the Shark attack many years ago. Last year Mary Mullaney (Councilman Mullaney's wife) spoke on behalf of the Matawan Alliance. Followed by Renata Bonelli of Synergy Bank. While Mrs. Mullaney attends Council meetings, she was not forthcoming with any information. The question is what the big secret....what happened to the Matawan Alliance and the money collected? They did a good job with the Sharkfest, Cafe Swing Night, Annual Night Out, etc.

Don't forget Matawan's Memorial Day Parade will be held on Monday, May 26th beginning at St. Clements Church Parking Lot.

Hope to see you at the next Council meeting on Thursday, June 5, 2008 at 7:30pm.