May 5, 2003: Baiamonte's Forced Off Planning Board?

Ocean County Politics .com

Baiamonte Inches Closer To Admitting He Was Forced Off The Planning Board By Officials Eager To Avoid Being Tagged With Overdevelopment He Personified

Anthony Baiamonte

Former Board Chairman’s Departure From Planning Board Is Giant Step Towards Reform Whether Or Not Anybody Believes Him About “Plans” To “Move Out Of Dover Township”

Champion Of Development Interests Now Says He Was Misquoted About “Moving Out Of State”, But Might Move To Brick Or Brielle

Tells Asbury Park Press He’s “Proud” Of Sucking Up To Developers’ Lawyers Who, He Notes, “Say I’m So Very Fair” As Pathmark Application Adjacent To His Business Reportedly Turns Out To Be The “Last Straw”

Dover Township: Tony Baiamonte spent twenty years on the local Planning Board sucking up to developers and their lawyers, and he is well aware of prohibitions against Board members voting and participating on issues where they have a clear personal or financial interest.

But this rarely stopped Baiamonte in the past, and he apparently saw nothing wrong with helping to ease the way for an application for a big 50,000 square foot Pathmark Super Market on property adjacent to Mugsy’s Bar and Grill, a business he owns at the intersection of Fischer Boulevard and Hooper Avenue.

Last Straw For New Planning Board Leadership

This was the last straw for some public officials who apparently demanded Baiamonte get off the planning board before he was censured by the courts or got the township involved in more expensive and damaging litigation.

Last year, Baiamonte voted for the application for the Fischer Boulevard Home Depot, when he should have disqualified himself, a matter that is now in the courts, partly because of Baiamonte’s greed and bad judgement.

The decision to constructively rezone 1400 acres near Mugsy’s also ended up in court and the rezoning was thrown out by Superior Court Judge Eugene Serpentelli, partly because Baiamonte voted on the application.

Baiamonte was quoted in two Asbury Park Press articles that he was “moving our of state”, and that was his reason for resigning from the Planning Board, but now, according to the Press, he says he never made the “out of state” resignation disclaimer.

OceanCountyPolitics reported last week the “moving to another state” and "moving out of town" excuses were “face-saving euphemisms for getting out ahead of the next court order”, an interpretation that has now gained additional credibility.

Developers' Lawyer Harvey York

Baiamonte Is “Proud” Of Cordial Relations With Developers’ Lawyers; Tells AP Press He Favors Applicants Because They “Spend Time And Money To Come Before The Board”

In one of the most ludicrous statements ever made by a public official in Ocean County, Baiamonte said he’s "proud" that developers’ lawyers say he’s “fair” to them, and no wonder, because, in the next breath, he acknowledged he favors the developers in any event.

“I am very proud of that”, he told the Press. “If there is ever any doubt on an application, I usually give it to the applicant because they spend time and money to come before the board”, Baiamonte said, insulting the intelligence of the public one more time.

“I always try to help the applicant”, he added.

Click here to review the October 29, 2002 OceanCountyPolitics editorial entitled “Unbelievable Arrogance”, a critical appraisal of Baiamonte as a “Saloon Owner/Forester” and Dover Township Planning Board Member, and check the front page or Click Here for OCP’s April 30th original Baiamonte resignation article. (5/05/03)