Contrary to the statement contained in the Asbury Park Press's April 19, 2010 Op-Ed piece entitled "Move Ahead on Fort Bill", the Borough of Oceanport has NOT endorsed the legislation known as "The Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority Act".  In fact, as the Asbury Park Press and our State elected officials are well aware, on March 18, 2010 the Oceanport Municipal Council unanimously passed a resolution opposing this legislation.  Your editorial endorses the bill's immediate passage and warns that the "… bill must not languish in Trenton nor be nibbled to death by legislators" and further advances the proposition that recently proposed amendments to the bill have been endorsed by the three municipalities that host the fort because the amendments properly balance local, regional and state interests.  Inasmuch as the Oceanport Municipal Council has consistently voted against and vehemently objected to any and all legislation wherein all real redevelopment powers vest in the State of New Jersey and local control over the process is diminished, we take issue with your stance regarding this bill.

            Senator Jennifer Beck has made much ado about the proposed amendments to the bill and we do not dispute the fact that these amendments, for the most part, would make the legislation much more palatable if they make it into the final version of the bill.  As soon as the bill was introduced, Oceanport's Municipal Council made it known that the legislation was absolutely unacceptable as written.  Soon thereafter, Senator Beck and the Municipal Council began a vigorous and often heated debate over many of the elements of the bill which we deemed objectionable.  This give and take resulted in the proposed amendments. To be fair, Senator Beck should be commended for her willingness to listen to opposing voices.

            Simply stated, we are of the belief that the proposed amendments do not go far enough.  In particular, we are adamantly opposed to the establishment of yet another State Authority upon which the local municipalities do not have a majority vote.

            Given the State's dire fiscal straits, moreover, we are skeptical about the State's ability to produce the extensive economic growth and job creation forecasted by Senator Beck in her comments in support of her bill. We are hard pressed to find empirical data to support Senator Beck's contention that the State has the ability to redevelop the property and attract enough businesses to generate 20,000 new jobs.

            If the State has the ability to generate so many jobs and create such an attractive business climate, why did it allow the loss of close to 90,000 private sector jobs between 2001 and 2009?  (Source: James W. Hughes & Joseph Seneca, Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy)  Professors Hughes and Seneca have pointed out that states are competing to create jobs and attract new businesses and that, in order to do so, states have to offer an attractive business climate, regulation, incentives and rewards.  Unfortunately for us, New Jersey is at a disadvantage insofar as we are ranked last in the non-partisan Tax Foundation's 2008 State Business Climate Tax Index.

            This very complex piece of legislation was authored by Senators Jennifer Beck (Rep. -Middlesex & Monmouth Count), Raymond Lesniak (Dem. - Union County) and Joseph M. Kyrillos, Jr. (Rep. - Monmouth County). It contemplates payments in lieu of taxes, Special Improvement Districts, Transportation Planning Districts, Infrastructure Districts, Franchise Assessments and other financing and planning schemes of which we are suspect. We are not interested in allowing the State to use Oceanport as its suburban guinea pig for untested and unproven development processes. Instead, let the municipalities, with the assistance of the State of New Jersey, redevelop this property. We believe that Oceanport's economic future is best served by Oceanport being an integral part of the redevelopment process, not just a product of it.

Municipal Council of Oceanport: 

Joseph A. Irace- Council President

Jerry Bertekap

Jay Briscione

Richard Gallo

Ellynn Kahle

William Johnson