The Ocean County Observer, which had ample opportunity to examine the faulty premises of the Toms River Downtown Business Improvement District (B.I.D.) program, waited until nearly three weeks after the BID’s second bloated budget was adopted on December 23rd to condemn the project as "premature" if not wholly flawed.

What Took Them So long?

What took them so long? Were they not aware that Mayor Paul C. Brush spoke strongly AGAINST the B.I.D. at the Ocean County College debate last October?

They covered the debate at the college. Were they in favor of the B.I. D.?  Then why support the candidacy of a man opposed to it?

One of the problems in Ocean County is that all too often there is a lack of real communication between the media and the politicians.

One Hand Rarely Knows What The Other Is Doing.

The Toms River B.I. D. is the failed step-child of the Toms River Chamber Of Commerce, and the brainchild of a few property owners with the most to gain from someone else paying for the renovations of their downtown property.

Everyone should feel especially bad for Ms Terry Bastone, the B.I. D. Director who suddenly resigned last week.

She apparently relocated from New York State to assume this position, and it appears that she was not only serious about her job, but clearly experienced, having performed the same job in Yonkers.

Irreconcilable Differences?

She cites "irreconcilable differences" in comments to the Observer last week.

Ms. Bastone resigned the night before Christmas Eve, the same night the BID budget for 2004 was approved by the lame duck Township Committee.

One of the prime movers of the B.I.D. program was Victor Sandonato, a local merchant who has since left Toms River.

And according to the Observer, another merchant supporter of the BID fiasco will pull out of Dover very soon!

Business Owners Spoke Out In Opposition

When the BID was first presented to the public, the majority of downtown business owners spoke out against it.

I noted then that even though Democrats and Republicans could not agree on anything else, they astoundingly came together on this subject like school children at milk and cookie time.

The travesty was passed and we got a Downtown Business Improvement District. And a big budget and a 10% tax increase.

Whether we wanted them or not.

Now Look What We Have Done

In conversations I had with Ms. Bastone, she agreed with me that it was discriminatory to tax only the people in the geographic area surrounding the downtown, when indeed the whole town would benefit from a rejuvenated downtown area.

Is It In The Drinking Water?

Terry Bastone is a professional and she was stymied by the usual bunch of rubes and boobs that often arise to the top in this town. Put up an Ice Cream Show in Huddy Park and you are ready to head up the Government in Dover.

What a farce and what a joke. It really makes you wonder what drinking the local water can do to people’s minds.

Mayor Paul Brush made his stand against the B.I.D. in his election campaign.

But recently, at the December 23^rd township committee meeting where the BID budget was passed, Mayor Brush sat stone-faced and silent, giving his tacit approval to the BID budget for 2004.

What happened to the Campaign Promises Mr. Mayor?

Mayor Brush is apparently too busy listening to the political payoff demands of the North Jersey Democrats to see what's going on.

He's too busy handing out patronage to political cronies to remember his pledge to rid the township of Pay-to-Play!

Mr. Brush is running all over the county looking for support, he is not going to get it from the voters he is selling out with each politically inspired appointment.

What happened to the competition he promised for these appointments?

BID Idea Sounds Good - But It Won't Work

The BID is an idea that sounds good, but until there are significant infrastructure changes downtown, the money will be totally wasted.

The Chamber of Commerce should do its logical job instead of palming their responsibilities off on Dover Township taxpayers.

Repeal BID Blunder NOW

The new council should waste no time repealing the B.I.D. budget – and repealing the onerous tax increase that goes with it.

The B.I.D blunder should be corrected – NOW.

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