Look for the ‘Highest and Best Use’ of Barrier Beaches
To the Editor:
As an assemblyman who represented Monmouth County shore communities from Union Beach to Bradley Beach in the 1970s, a lifetime shore (Little Silver) resident and a former member of both the Gateway Advisory Committee and the Tidelands Resource Council, my life has been spent witnessing, enjoying and thinking about the barrier beaches.
It is my conclusion that we are destined to lose – and Mother Nature to win – the battle to “protect, preserve and rebuild” the barrier beaches which the Atlantic Ocean has just swept away.
This is not to say, however, that those who wish to live there should not be permitted to do so at their own risk and using their own money. It’s our practice of using taxpayers’ money for what should be private improvements that is bad policy.
It may be decades before we have another opportunity to realistically plan for the use of the barrier beaches. The fact that the state owns to the high-water line (wherever the ocean chooses to establish it) does not mandate a public obligation to underwrite protection of barrier beaches.
The “highest and best use” of barrier beaches and islands is the one God ordained for them: To protect the mainland.
I suggest that recognition of the validity of the foregoing principle, and adherence to it, would be the best policy for all of the people of New Jersey.
Chester Apy
Little Silver
Joe Kyrillos Offers Thanks to All His Supporters
To the Editor:
I am humbled and honored to have been my party’s nominee for the United States Senate for New Jersey. I want to thank you for all you have done to help make this possible and for your steadfast support.
While we have come up short, I will forever be proud of our campaign and believe we can all hold our heads high. More than 1.2 million people voted for me and I am grateful for their confidence.
We ran an issue-oriented campaign that contrasted my vision with that of Bob Mendendez. Though some in the press were disappointed we did not get personal, those of you who received our communications know we consistently drove our significant differences on jobs, the economy and other issues including his record and how our visions for the future of our country are drastically different – more of the same versus a new and better way.
Our campaign endured some bad breaks. Hurricane Sandy brought devastation to our state, rightfully took attention away from the election and contributed to a record low turnout for a presidential year. This was particularly pronounced in strong Republican areas and no doubt contributed to Governor Romney’s wider than expected loss in the state.
But Bob Menendez beat us and I congratulate him and wish him the best.
As Susan and I have always said, our campaign was never about me. Our campaign was always about what type of country, what type of future, we will leave to our children. Our campaign was always about whether we would continue to be a country where anyone can get ahead through merit and hard work; whether we would be a country that would preserve the American Dream; whether we would be a country that had jobs and opportunity for all.
I was always going to be a senator one way or another and I will continue fighting for those beliefs and work hard to help rebuild our state and make New Jersey and America stronger, as a member of the State Senate.
Many thanks to my close friend Governor Chris Christie, my colleagues in the Legislature, our committed county chairmen, our nearly 8,000 donors, and the hundreds of volunteers who helped us along the way.
I have no regrets; I wanted to offer a chance for people to vote for me, and for a different and better way. And I loved every minute of the campaign.
Again, on behalf of the entire Kyrillos family, thank you for what you have done for me and for what you will continue to do for our state and our country. May God bless you, our great state, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.
Senator Joe Kyrillos
Middletown
RB Incumbent Councilmen Say Thank You to Voters
To the Editor:
We want to express our deepest gratitude for the town-wide support Red Bank voters gave to us on election night, 2012.
We have always believed that by putting aside our differences and working for the common good of our town, Red Bank will continue to bloom and grow.
The sheer number of votes cast in our favor is very gratifying, as we have worked hard to enhance our town’s financial standing, government transparency, and most of all, our quality of life.
We salute Suzanne Viscomi for her commitment to Red Bank and ask her – and all our town’s residents – to come together as one community committed to our shared vision of retaining and improving the cool little town we call home.
We are proud to serve on the Borough Council and will continue to our work to keep Red Bank moving in the right direction.
Art Murphy
Mike DuPont
Red Bank Councilmen
United Way Creates Special MC Fund for Sandy Recovery
To the Editor:
Our hearts go out to the community and to all who sustained losses during the storm. We are working diligently, and have been throughout the storm, to ensure that information is available whenever possible and that volunteers willing to help will be given safe, efficient means to do so.
It appears that more than 10,000 homes in Monmouth County were destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, and that number may change over time as inspections are completed. Hurricane Sandy is the second largest natural disaster to hit the United States behind Hurricane Katrina.
The United Way of Monmouth County has announced the launch of REBUILD MONMOUTH, a major fundraising, volunteer and relief initiative aimed specifically at Monmouth County as it recovers from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. Through this program, the United Way will take immediate and long-term action to rebuild Monmouth County and meet the evolving needs of the community throughout the coming months and over the next few years.
I would like to thank New Jersey Resources and Best Buy for their in-kind donations in this effort. If you have any questions about donating to the fund, please contact Tamer Gouda, director of resource development at 732-938-5988, Ext. 2048.
We are receiving dozens of calls from around N.J., and from groups out of state, all seeking to volunteer or to donate goods. Our Volunteer Center is being expanded to accommodate the influx of projects to help rebuild Monmouth County. We are working with our partner agencies, as well as county officials and representatives from our local Office of Emergency Management to coordinate volunteers and help initiate the rebuilding of our communities.
For the latest information on volunteering, please contact Sara Jenkins, program coordinator, REBUILD MONMOUTH at 732-938-5988, Ext. 2040. In addition, for current information on donations management and rebuilding efforts, please contact Tara Maffei, vice president, community outreach at 732-938-5988, Ext. 2044.
For the past 45 years, the United Way of Monmouth County has been a trusted resource dedicated to serving those in need right here in our community. As REBUILD MONMOUTH unfolds, its efforts will be a true example of our motto to “Live United.”
Thank you.
Tim Hearne
President/CEO
And the entire staff of the United Way of Monmouth County
Two River Moment
This photo from the 1949 Army Day Parade shows members of the Red Bank High School Marching Band strutting down Broad Street Red Bank. According to the U.S. Department of Defense website, Army Day was celebrated nationally on April 6, 1949, for the last time.
