Ortley Civic Leader Says Councilwoman Maruca "Sold Us Down The Toms River The Very First Day"

Polifroni Questions Status Of $250,000 Grant Promised For Police Sub-Station

Editor's Note: Ortley Beach civic leader Dan Polifroni says Councilwoman Maria Maruca sold Ortley residents "down the Toms River" the day she was sworn in to office in 2004.

Mr. Polifroni recently submitted a program of action for the mayor and council, but not a single one of the eight elected officials responded to his request for "a timely response."

In a letter published in the Asbury Park Press and the Ocean County Observer, Mr. Polifroni, until this year president of the Ortley Property Owners Association, criticized Councilwoman Maria Maruca, a candidate for re-election, for sending out a campaign flier that is "full of misrepresentations." Mr Polifroni's letter follows:

To The Editor:

What happened to the integrity of the promises and commitments to Ortley Beach and other neighborhoods in our community?

We had a $250,000 grant all set two years ago to build the Ortley police sub-station on the OCUA property; there would have been no direct cost to Dover taxpayers for the project, and the building and equipment would have been a real service facility. What happened to the money? Was it spent on somebody else’s project?

Cheated Out Of $250,000 Grant Never
Mentioned At Property Owners Meeting

And why was it not mentioned at the last Ortley Beach Property Owners Association that we were cheated out of the $250,000 grant that was guaranteed by Mayor John Russo and Councilman Michael Fiure?

If this happened anywhere else but Ortley, there would have been an uproar.

The “dedication” of the $300 a month room in the rescue squad building, and the fax machine and the two way radio that goes with it, is not worth the effort. It is sham – no substance - and a serious misrepresentation to the public.

Furthermore, the flier from Councilwoman Maruca rubs the noses of the residents of Ortley Beach and other Ward I communities in some additional misrepresentations.

Maruca Takes Credit For Project
She Had Nothing To Do With

She takes credit for “initiating the dune walkover on 4^th Avenue and the boardwalk,” a project she had nothing whatsoever to do with.

The dune walkover was one of the few improvements we have ever gotten from the township government, and it was originated by former mayor Ray Fox after several meetings with me and other Ortley leaders.

Mayor Ray Fox: "His word was his bond"

Ray Fox has taken a lot of criticism, but his word was his bond and he followed through and delivered for us.

Exaggerations And Phony
Claims In Maruca Flier?

There are numerous exaggerations and phony claims in the Maruca flier, but the dune walkover falsehood and the claim that she “finalized the Ortley Beach Police Sub-Station opening” are figments of her fraudulent imagination.

Maruca "Sold Us Down The Toms River" With Crony Jobs And Huge Spending And Tax Increases

She sold us down the Toms River the first day by handing the Republican Chairman and other attorneys useless appointments the taxpayers didn’t want and couldn’t afford, and it has all gotten worse since then with the crony jobs and huge spending and tax increases.

The false claims in Ms. Maruca’s ridiculous campaign flier should be retracted and an apology sent to every resident who received it, especially her victims in Ortley Beach.

Daniel Polifroni – Ortley Beach

Click Here For Previous Article On These Issues Including A Photo Of The Dover Township Sweet Rhythms Ensemble

This article prepared for publications on July 13, 2004.