Highlands
Why more Atlantic Highlands residents don’t wonder themselves about everything that’s going on in their town. I wonder even more about Highlands residents and why they don’t ask about everything going on in their town, what with three cannabis licenses getting conditional approval, including one on property that is owned by a Councilman! But that’s another I Wonder so look for that on this page as well. A lot happening in the Bayshore on Thursday night alone!
Atlantic Highlands
In Atlantic Highlands, the regular meeting is starting half an hour early, at 6:30pm so the Mayor and Council can go into executive session almost immediately and hear from their regionalization attorney, Matt Giacobbe.
Regionalization
One wonders first of all whether that closed session will really be no longer than 30 minutes as predicted. You remember last week when the Henry Hudson closed session was two hours long, even though each of the members of the three boards who were present had the printed resolution they were talking in secret about for two hours.
You remember also, that when they came out, none of the board members could answer Highlands Mayor Carolyn Broullon when she asked if anybody knew the assessed value of Highlands. They did not of course, then the Mayor told them it was a whopping more than a BILLION dollars, for the first time ever. All that private talk about splitting money on regionalization and they didn’t know, nor did they apparently ask, the value of Highlands?
Labor Attorney
The executive session also raises a lot of wonder. Why is that necessary at all?
Why can’t the public know what plans Mr. Giacobbe is suggesting or the council is asking about?
How come the public can’t sit in on discussions which were discussed in private at the school last week?
What is so secret about talking about how the towns will share costs, or why the public should be allowed to vote on something?
Mother Theresa Property
Residents here can remember only too well that in spite of being pretty much united that the Mother Theresa property would be best used as senior housing, they learned, after so many private executive sessions, that Council wasn’t going to suggest that at all. Being open about it cold have saved a lot of time and perhaps moved things faster.
One is hopeful Mr. Giacobbe, the attorney who keeps reminding folks he is a labor attorney but has been retained by Atlantic Highlands to talk about the money issues, can be present at Thursday’s meeting and can also stay long enough to answer questions from the public. The public was insulted enough at the Hudson meeting, let’s hope they don’t receive more disrespect at Thursday’s Council meeting. Mr. Giacobbe has had to rush out in the past, or not been able to appear in person. And we all know ZOOM has not been perfected yet.
Then Monday evening, there’s that special get together at the local theater to hear about the Mother Theresa School property issue. One wonders why that meeting could not be held at Mother Theresa School where the gym is certainly large enough to accommodate everyone. It’s ironic it isn’t, inasmuch as at Thursday’s meeting, the governing body is adopting its usual resolution to use the facility, as they have in the past, not only for recreational activities but for elections as well.
Whether you live in Highlands or Atlantic Highlands, skip your regular tv shows Thursday night and come out to a meeting in your home town, ask questions, get answers, and hear first hand what’s going on.
