Tom Beck
Guest Column
I read with great interest recent stories in local papers on the frustrating travails of John Curley and Kaye Ernst, in attempting to function as duly elected Council members in a very hostile Democrat City Hall. Consequently, as a 34-year resident-homeowner in Red Bank, I feel compelled to comment on this matter.
It’s now evident that Mayor Edward McKenna, and his protégé, Councilman Pasquale Menna, have collaborated, along with compliant Dem Council members, to trigger a “Scorched Earth” policy against the two Republicans, in a relentless effort to discredit and silence their voices. Previously, Republican Jennifer Beck was also included in this insidious purging policy.
I still retain, for example, a vivid recollection of the bogus lawsuit perpetrated against Jennifer and John by a municipal employee. Their “crime” was to question the necessity of a permanent “Parking Czar” for Red Bank. The mayor, as we all recall, along with compliant Democratic Council members were in “lock step” with this unique form of tyranny.
This ordeal was a loathsome and lonesome journey for these champions, both non-attorneys, and culminated with their exoneration. This onerous legal campaign against them was a brand of tyranny only an attorney, embracing a discredited “win at any cost” mentality, could champion, and I view the acquiescence of the Dem Council members as a flagrant example of political cowardice, as well as vacant judgment and poor leadership.
The mayor criticizes Councilwoman Kaye Ernst for “constantly asking questions” during Council meetings. She is the new junior member, and asking questions is exactly why the majority of voters elected her!
In the Aug. 24 issue of The Hub, letters by Mayor McKenna and Councilman Menna both were most notable for their sanctimonious protestations, better described as tantrums.
Although individually written, it’s clear they were written in collusion since both were synchronized in their attack on the same gentleman, Mr. William Meyer, who was ungraciously accused of being a “hack for the Republican machine” by McKenna, as well as a resident of Tinton Falls, although he owns property in Red Bank.
Concluding his “principled” tirade, the mayor innocently interjected that the people should support Mr. Michael Dupont (for City Council), while conspicuously omitting the significant fact that they’re partners in the same law firm.
But more curious was Menna singling out Mr. Meyer as being an attorney, a fact which Menna, also an attorney, viewed with alarm, leaving the impression that this circumstance was something akin to disloyalty to that noble club.
“I have known Mr. Meyer for the greater part of 20 years, as a colleague and member of the bar. I therefore do not understand his spirited attack on the members of the Red Bank Council.”
Finally, the mayor, along with Democrat allies Bifani, Lee, Menna and Murphy, has just publicly and deviously removed Councilman Curley as chairman of the Finance Committee for a transgression for which auditor David Kaplan placed no blame and which Borough Attorney Thomas Hall further clarified with the explanation that the problems in the finance office “look like they were just sloppiness”!
Councilman Curley’s function was merely as a liaison, without any authority over the department head, yet the mayor felt compelled to take this retaliatory action in an obvious political grandstand.
While such transparency may play well to the intellectually and morally challenged, nonetheless, it is an egregious affront to the astuteness and integrity of the Red Bank voter.
Apparently, the “buck” never stops at the mayor’s desk!
What is becoming obvious to this voter is the conspicuous absence of ethical fiber in some of our elected officials, who appear to consider our City Hall to be nothing more than their personal fiefdoms.
So, if character is the issue here, and it is, I’m inclined to reflect on the wisdom of our Founding Fathers, who were so impressed with the character traits and shenanigans of attorneys, that they specifically excluded them as a mandatory prerequisite for candidates for the highest office in the land, the Presidency!
Accordingly, what this town does not need is another attorney or other champion of self-serving and malleable lawyer-ese sitting in the Mayor’s Office.
But enough with the compliments and niceties. On a positive note, I sincerely hope the upcoming mayoral contest sticks with important and relevant issues, and further that it proves to be a contest our little town will look back upon with both pride and satisfaction.
Although winning is important, in the game of life it is “how” you play the game that really counts. That is the essence of character, and the Christian attitude which leads to real cooperation and accomplishment.
Tom Beck is a resident of Red Bank