Mayor and Council - Regular Meeting

Adequate notice of this meeting of the Maran Council was sent to the Asbury Park Press in the Post Star, our official newspapers and notice of this meeting was posted on the bulletin board municipal building. Take roll call. Councilman Donovan here. Counciloman Kenny here. Mayor Besco here. Councilman Rondo here. Councilman Levis here. Please stand for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all.

Please remain standing for a moment of silence for our troops, their families, and our first responders. Okay. Okay, welcome everyone to our last meeting of 2025 and uh we're going to start off with the workshop. The Harbor Commission year in review is going to be at the January meeting the 25th I believe it is. So that uh that's not happening today. Are there any other discussions for workshop at this point? Yes, absolutely.

Okay. Um, Council McKenna and I wanted to take a moment to thank Councilwoman Levis and Councilwoman Rono for their service for the past three years. It has been an honor to be up here on this day with you. Um, and beyond that, all the work we do off of the day, which takes up so much more time. Um and um the amount of energy and amount of things that never make it out here and um that we are working on all the time is really immeasurable and um yeah and we worked as a team and I think we did well and I appreciate all the hard work that you've done and all the time that you put in and so I just want to say thank you.

Thank you.

Anything else workshop? I might as well relate to my comments at this point, but um you know uh I'd like to take us back just a minute for those of you who may not know, but Mark Maria and I ran uh together and were elected together three years ago uh in an election which people didn't think we would win, but we had the opportunity and we worked hard and we actually I think were the only municipal uh council which replaced two incumbent uh council people and an incumbent mayor. So we did turn the tide and I think we uh did more than that in the last three years. Uh again, with the help of Mark and Maria, and obviously our other council people, Jody, um Katie, and let's not forget about uh Tom Brennan, who was with us the first six months. So, I think we uh we lived up to the expectations of of everyone, I hope, and I think we did more in the three years that we've been on the council than many administrations have done in four years. Uh and I'm going to comment more on that uh later in the year. I'd like to do like a comprehensive report which will outline all of the things that we've done over the past three and three and a half years because I think it's significant that the people voters know how hard everyone has worked on this council. So, uh those are my remarks for now and I think we should uh move on with the meeting. Thank you again, guys.

Thank you. Thank you. Okay.

Thank you, mayor. And can I just say one more thing? I I agree um that a lot doesn't get brought here to the meetings uh that we work on regularly. Um and it's a pleasure to work on those things, but it can be hard and our administration came up to mountains uh when we first came on. We weren't allowed bathrooms on the boardwalk. Um, we were woefully um in in not in compliance with our state mandate for affordable housing. Uh, we had broken fuel um a fuel deck. We had um pilings that were broken in our marina. Our infrastructure was really rough. Um and um one of the things that I can say so strongly about our whole administration and um you know especially our our professionals and our employees is that we worked in such an ethical manner um with integrity and Bnee Brown has a um quote she's one of my favorite social workers and that's integrity is choosing courage over comfort choosing what is right over what is fun fast or easy and choosing to practice our values rather than simply professing them. And I really believe that our administration should be proud that we did just that. Just want to add I expect to see these two in the audience, you know, in future council meetings as necessary because um you know that's where we all came from, you know. So, um, I would expect that to happen and I assume, you know, they're going to have as much, well, they'll try to have as much input as they did as council people, but, you know, I'm sure we as a council will listen to them as we do everyone else who gets up to the microphone. So, thanks again, guys. Okay, let's move on to petitions.

I have not received any petitions. Approval of minutes. Can I have a motion to approve the minutes of the December 9th meeting? I'll make the motion. Second. Councilman Donovan. Yes. Councilman Kenny, yes. Mayor Michael, yes. Councilman Rando, yes. Councilman Lewis, yes. Reports of council. Uh, Councilwoman Donovan.

Um, as the mayor said, we were going to do a Harbor Commission year review today, but um, we realized while we were making that review that, um, the full financials for 2026, 2025 have not happened yet. So, we have postponed them until the first full January meeting. Um, but I do want to take this minute to thank every member of the Harbor Commission, every member of the environmental commission and the Silver Lake subcommittee. Um, all of the members of the tourism commission, all the people who come to those meetings, all of our professionals. Thank you both of you who sit there politely every single meeting. um at the end of the year is a time to reflect on everything we've done and we really have pushed so much forward. Um everyone works so hard behind the scenes. So, thank you uh for a wonderful 2025 and I look forward to 2026.

Thank you, Councilman King. I would like to echo those sentiments to thank all of our professionals for all the hard work commission committee um all the subcommittees that I've been involved with and just say happy new year to everyone and look forward to 2027.

Thank you council president Housing Authority. I'd like to congratulate Mary Louise Anderson or as we know her Louiesie on her appointment to the BHA board of commissioners and a thank you um to former commissioner Mike Casserly um who put in many years of the seat of the BHA before he decided to to step down this year. Um so Louise served our residents in that building as lifelong first aid me uh squad member and cares greatly for the safety of our residents and our seniors. So, we wish her luck. Um, I'm finally happy to report that bids for partial work uh were received on uh for the facade and that they will be accepted. Um, so please come to the Belmar Housing if you'd like to come to the Belmar Housing Authority meeting um in the that's the first Monday I believe in uh January and um we'll find out what exactly we can do starting the project, but it will finally start. Um this has been a long time coming, so I'm I'm happy to be able to announce that. Um, as I conclude my time as councilwoman, um, I first like to thank my family, uh, my husband Joe and my daughter Adriana, um, and my mom and brother and all of the people who, um, encouraged me to run. Um, but then not only encouraged me to run, but put up with our running. Um, and then put up with our, you know, lots of phone calls and, um, so much time, you know, out of the house. Um, I know for them this feels like a um a win that we got to know so many people and be involved in the town and and we don't see that changing. Um, it's also um I'd like to thank the employees of the burrow, all of the professionals um and my fellow mayor and council

members. Um, Belmar has a lot of volunteers, so thank you to the volunteers and and most of all just the residents. Um, it's been an absolute honor being your representative. Um, and uh, I've earned so much from you all, especially Mr. Kramer. Uh, and I, uh, you know, I will be walking beside you or fighting with you uh, for the betterment of Elmar for a long time to come because I'm not going anywhere. So, I'll just be over here. So, thanks so much and happy new year. Thank you, Council Levis.

Thank you. I generally don't have a lot to report on the end here. Usually everything gets taken at the scraps. Um, so I don't mind being a man of few words. And I hope uh, you know, my time on council has has benefited the bureau and I hope residents you know, reflect on you know, what I've done and not exactly what I've said. So, you know, is not words is really a mantra I've tried to live by. Um I'm proud of what we accomplished. I have no regrets being up here. I've been coming to council meeting since 2013 sitting back there and I remember coming up to the mic the first time and trembling profusely as I was about to read what I had to say. I don't remember if it was good or bad. But uh I've never been shy about uh how I feel and I will continue to be shy about how I feel. Um, and I think that's uh one of the things I love about living and serving the residents of Belmar is they're not really shy about how they feel either. You know, it's important that we hold our governments to be accountable to us. Um, because ultimately we're responsible for electing those officials and putting them in those positions of power. So, I hope residents of Belmar continue to hold their governments responsible and look for ways to move forward and improve the town as best they can. And I'll be there right by her side. That's all I have.

Thank you. Um, two two comments. Uh, the first again towards Maria. Maria is going to remain as my repres alternate representative on the library board. So, I expect that she will prepare a an update for me for every meeting. She does. And uh obviously she's been going to the uh the housing authority meetings pretty much on her own. That was not a designation from the council. So if you if you continue going to those meetings, you know, I would appreciate it if you would text me, you know, or email me about what's happening there and I'll pass it on to the uh to everyone here at the meeting. Um other than that, I just want to give you a brief update on the affordable housing. Uh I did do a notice uh last week about the uh about where we are. Uh and again we've had we had basically three meetings with the with the uh the judge acting like a mediator. He's called the program judge and uh as I said as a result of those meetings um we we were able to agree with uh get into an agreement with fair share housing as to our plan. So, uh what's the next steps will be uh the judge and I assume it will be after after this week because the judges are on vacation. Um he will issue an order or a report uh basically saying uh you know that we we're in agreement and that we should move forward and the borrow should get its uh order of judgment and compliance. That message will be sent to the Mount Laurel judge who was Judge Jones who will then have the final decision on that. So, as I said in the in the memo, the uh expected time for that is going to be sometime in January. We don't we don't know an exact time, but obviously as we find out, we will pass that along. So,

that's what's happening on the affordable housing front. And um again, we've come a long long way with that. And uh um I'm not going to celebrate yet until we have the actual judgment in hand signed by uh Judge Jones, but I'm looking forward to that into in the new year. Other than that, I have nothing else to report. Can you clarify then the status of the Fourth and Ocean project? Excuse me. Can you clarify the status of the Fourth and Ocean?

Well, what we were what we were told was that that that project is still an objector. Uh And I what I believe will happen, but don't quote me on this. I think once the once the uh final judge, Judge Jones, says that, you know, we have that order. I think again, I think in that order, the judge will basically say they're no longer objectors. But that's my sense of it. Okay. Okay. And so we won't, you know, that'll remain as an objector until that point. Thank you. Anything else? Okay. public session. If anyone has a comment or question about a resolution on the agenda, please step forward, state your name and address.

Can I have a motion to close the public session? Motion second. All in favor? Actually, can we go backwards real quick? Can we clarify if anyone sitting up here has taken money from any developers who are in who have filed through or any type of legal action against the bureau? No one. No.

No. I thought it was important to clarify that because I've heard and seen things stating otherwise. So, I thought it was important to be very explicit up here that no one up here is in violation of any payto-play acts, uh, any payto-play organs. We've not taken money from developers. And I think it's very important that we say that very explicitly. Um, and if anyone has any questions from the public to any of us, please reach out at any time here if you see us, email, whatever you need. Um, we all of us believe very firmly in ethics. in transparency and in the importance of bringing those ethics to what we're doing here. So, if anyone else got anything else to add?

Pardon the interruption. Thank you for making that comment. We take a lot for granted and sometimes the um you know people sitting out there don't realize that. Okay. Can I have a motion to approve the resolutions as listed on the consent agenda? I'll make a motion. Second. Councilman Donovan, yes. Councilman Kenny, yes. Mayor Magusco, yes. Council, yes. Councilman Levis, yes. Okay, we don't have any ordinances. So, next we're on to public session. Um, anyone's going to come up to the microphone. Please remember to state your name and address.

Somebody's got to say something. campaign or 18th MB. Um, three years ago, I was not a fan of turning the tide, okay? But you did turn the tide in the right direction, and I thank you for that. I only have five minutes, so I'll just keep it short. Good luck. I hope you are in the audience yelling as much as you did when you're in the audience before. Or maybe you won't have to, which will be good, too. So, thank you all and happy new year.

Happy New Year. And I would expect expect no less of them or any member of the public because if anybody knows me, I think the public input and public watching what government does is so important and you know uh it's it's important because uh we need to be watched all the time. So, you know, you have to keep everyone honest and I wish they would do that at other levels of government. But, um, it's easy here because we're we're so close. But, um, are there any other comments?

Barry Luben, 15th Avenue. I just want to say I'm one of the newer ones sitting back here. Uh, I still do quake in my shoes when I come up here sometimes, but I want to Thank all of you for what you've done in the time that you've been up there and in the time that I've lived in Belmar. Thank you. That's all of you.

Thank you. And just to close it out again, as we all said, you know, we've been able to accomplish what we did because of the the council that we've had for the last three years for the uh you know, the input of of Mr. Kane and our our lawyer George McIll and I see our engineer Jim Morris and all the other professionals that really make up the team. Uh and all of the employees and the department heads and you know our CFO. I mean this is not a a oneperson operation. You know we all have to work together and I think we did a pretty good job over the last three years and that's why we made the advances that we did. So, um I wish everybody a happy new year and I'll see you in uh

2026. Oh, one other thing. I think that the the U housing authority meeting is on the 6th. Thank you. I think it's the day after our um New York meeting. Okay. When is Monday? Monday. Monday the 5th. Mondayth. I'm also having a new new rule. Anybody who wants to talk is going to have to sit up on the front row. I'm just kidding. Okay, with that I think it's we can close the meeting. Um motion to close the public session and adjourn the meeting. Motion. Second. All in favor? I Happy New Year everyone.

Sorry. See you next year. Happy new year. Happy new year.