The Seaside Heights Business Improvement District is currently involved in a cover-up of records dealing with the sources of more than $28,000 in "commissions" which may have been paid to Seaside B.I.D. "director" Maria Maruca.

The cover-up involves Elizabeth King, B.I.D. secretary and B.I.D. Custodian of Public records who, in one stretch recently, set a near-record for failing to return telephone calls and answer letters and faxes regarding public records requests.

Also involved is Patricia Hershey, wife of Seaside Mayor Kenneth Hershey and other members of the Hershey administration who have been stone-walling the OPRA requests which date back to November 17, 2004.

Plot Thickens On Lacey-Morris Job Scam

Other breaking stories include the saga of Beachwood Borough's search for an "administrator" the local government doesn't need, so Freeholder James Lacey can get the superfluous $110,000 post to pave the way for Mayor Harold Morris to get a useless $85,000 county "job" under the protection of Lacey and the Freeholders, as taxpayers wince and cringe.

The plot thickened recently as Morris and the Beachwood Council hoped for a sparsely attended public hearing on the matter, but were foiled when the Ocean County Observer published a pointed editorial on the administrator scam.

Observer Editorial Urges Taxpayer Protest

The editorial urged Beachwood residents to "show up in force" to protest the "waste of taxpayer dollars" at a public hearing in Beachwood Wednesday at 7pm, where more than the usual number of taxpayers may materialize because of the sparkling public service offered by the Observer's timely editorial.

More on the panorama of Axis-Of-Greed raids on the public treasury as crack OCP reporters cover as much as possible.

"Because That's Where The Money Is!"

Other breaking stories include an expected announcement from bank technician Willie Sutton regarding a question concerning the location of funds in which he has a more-than-casual interest.

Could County Tax Claims Be Mostly BS?

Other breaking stories include new information which may show that claimed tax reduction by self-appointed freeholder finance whiz John Bartlett may be about 90% baloney.

The new data may show Bartlett's claims could be the surface ripples of another cover-up to hide huge blunders in the county's open space program which may have produced big local tax increases in a majority of the county's 34 municipalities.

More Sunshine Principles Trashed And
The Latest News From Highlands Borough

Also coming soon are more disclosures regarding the undisclosed location of secret Sunday meetings of County Republican Boss George Gilmore, travel consultant Virginia Haines and members of the Dover Township Republican Council, as more Sunshine Law principles are trashed and shattered in the county seat.

Other pending stories include a possible judicial malfunction of cosmic proportions concerning the recent dismissal of drunk driving charges in tiny Highlands Borough against the influential chairman of the Ocean County Republican Finance Committee who handles more aromatic pay-to-play funds than anybody on the planet.

During the next thirty days, OceanCountyPolitics reporters will probe deeply into the political storm sewers and provide unexpurgated answers to all of the overwhelming questions.

Stay tuned to OCP for all the breaking news.

This preview article prepared for publication 2/13/04