A Post-Mortem
Last night felt less like a City Council meeting, and more like a public autopsy.
The current stewards of Asbury Park were very forthcoming. To use an old Asburyism, they showed us their ass... and it wasn’t pretty. I won't call it "too little, too late," as there was nothing little about it. But, it turns out, we are over a decade too late.
The information presented last night was not top-secret classified info. It's been out there in bits and pieces. Fractured, incomplete narratives. But it was all there if you were invested and willing to put in the time to track it down (shout out to Tom De Seno, Esq.).
The thing is, I don't believe many people were expecting Joseph Maraziti Jr. and Mayor Moore to be as forthcoming and direct about this very complicated and historically mishandled situation. It set everyone with prepared speeches on the back foot. The presentation was well prepared, informative, enlightening... and just plain disheartening.
While the council made it clear that there were some assertions from the public they disagreed with, there was a general feeling of consensus in that auditorium: listen, this situation is bad, it's getting worse, and there is no easy or cheap path to remediation. It was surprising to hear the earnestness of the administration's presentation. My only real critique would be that this type of transparency is long overdue.
So what do we do? Maraziti laid it out, and it’s a depressing menu. We can wait for Madison Marquette to maybe, hopefully, use an $11.7 million state grant to do structural work on the Paramount before the end of the year. Or we cross our fingers that the state bails the developers out with $83 million in tax credits. And then there is the issue of the EDA holding MM accountable… Maraziti was brutally honest, reminding everyone that Madison Marquette has routinely ignored Notices of Default issued by local officials in the past, and that the restrictive language of the 2010 Subsequent Developer Agreement severely limits the municipal government's legal options to respond. Right now, the administration's immediate play is to legally block the demolition permit by insisting on an independent report from a certified structural engineer to determine if repairs can ensure public safety as a viable alternative to razing the building.
Then there is Eminent Domain. The nuclear option. Suing to take the properties back. The Mayor is terrified of it, and honestly, I get it. If the municipal government loses, it bankrupts the taxpayers. The property taxes will skyrocket and force out the last remaining working-class families who actually built this community. That is not an easy decision for any mayor to make. Charles Lada, a founder of the "Save Asbury Park's History" non-profit coalition, publicly argued that officials have a legal right to declare the buildings abandoned due to prolonged neglect, allowing them to retake the structures and access funding avenues completely unavailable to private owners. Next week, he plans to formally propose that the Asbury Park City Council file an eminent domain lawsuit to seize and save the Convention Hall complex. He will argue that the property's appraisal will be low due to an estimated $85 million in deferred maintenance. To protect the taxpayers of Asbury, the non-profit intends to cover up to $300,000 of the municipal legal fees, kickstarted by a $100,000 anonymous donation and a matching pledge. Lada, Henry Vaccaro Sr., and Bruce Belfer (all three spoke last night) believe the actual restoration costs can be fully funded through private and corporate tax-deductible donations. Stay tuned on that front...
I would be remiss if I did not mention Felicia Simmons. A lifelong resident and president of the WCC Historic Innovation Association over on the West Side (the best side, as she called it), Felicia got up to the mic on the verge of tears and delivered a hell of a speech. She didn’t just point the finger at the developers... she pointed it right at the people sitting on the dais. She called out the decades of politicians bowing down to developers while working-class folks get squeezed dry. It was raw, it was passionate, and it was the exact kind of truth needed right now. She reminded everyone that we aren't just losing brick and mortar, we're losing the soul of the community. As Maraziti himself pointed out earlier in the evening, these historic structures serve as "repositories of communal or collective history and memory," and losing them inflicts an actual "erosion of identity" on the local population.
Interesting note: Celia Moriceet, of SOS-AP (Save Our Structures - Asbury Park) and the Asbury Park Historical Society, claimed to have documentation demonstrating that the Casino and Carousel House are actually listed on the National Register of Historic Places under the Convention Hall complex umbrella. The council members and legal counsel disagreed with that assessment, but did agree to review the documentation. Could a detail that massive be missed for forty years by a small army of lawyers? We could use a miracle on this boardwalk right now, but we can't rely on it.
There is good news. People are mobilizing. Over 9,300 people have already signed the petition to stop the demolition. The Committee To Save The Asbury Park Casino is planning another public show of support in front of the Casino. And I think that the City Council can expect attendance to be up from here on out. Maybe not always a packed house, but people are paying attention now. Could it be that the "Facebook Warriors" made a little bit of difference?
Immediately following last night's meeting, I posted a couple of immediate notes and thoughts on Facebook. I'm pasting the text in full here:
Your friendly neighborhood "Facebook Warrior" here...(that stung.)
Key takeaways from the Asbury Park City Council meeting:
-The most obvious takeaway? This situation is a convoluted mess. To put it bluntly: previous stewards of Asbury Park have left the current stewards with a total shit sandwich.
-Joseph J. Maraziti's presentation was COMPREHENSIVE, but necessary.
-While the council at large remained mostly silent, Mayor Moore did express some of his feelings on the matter. He seems to genuinely care about the history and character of the town he grew up in. You can tell he’s at his wit's end.
-Tom De Seno, Charles Lada, Henry Vaccaro Sr., Bruce Belfer, and a host of others stood up. These are highly qualified professionals with skills that directly apply to a project of this magnitude. They’ve recruited big-money benefactors and are ready to lend their skills to the cause. They should be commended for their passion and willingness to get their hands dirty.
-It was a packed house and the room did seem unified in one message: The city needs to get rid of Madison Marquette (MM) by any means necessary, even if it means a costly legal battle.
One thought keeps recurring to me throughout these past 2 weeks, and I’m surprised it wasn’t brought up tonight.
Actors, musicians, directors, authors, photographers, producers, and politicians... they all use the image of these buildings to sell their music, merchandise, books, movies, and political campaigns.
They kick off worldwide tours here. They celebrate election victories here. They orchestrate major movie productions around these landmarks. They cite Asbury Park as their inspiration, the genesis of their careers. They never, ever miss a photo op.
The ghost of Asbury Park is good enough to sell. But apparently, it’s not good enough to save.
Does MM think CBS's Survivor 50 Challenge chose the Asbury Park Boardwalk as their only New Jersey stop because the Ocean Club makes for an outstanding backdrop? Do you think Bon Jovi recently filmed a music video here because the ocean is bluer in Asbury? Because it’s cheap to film in Asbury?
But MM has shown us that they are ok letting the "Jewel of the Jersey Shore" fall into the ocean. I guess they’ll still have The Stone Pony left? Maybe?
They, and everyone else capitalizing on the ruins, are going to need a new marketing plan.
Nobody expects celebrities to save the day, financially or otherwise. But, a public statement by a “notable” figure goes a long way….It gets wide attention and encourages public engagement with the issue. Just sayin’…
Maybe a photo-op tax is the answer Asbury needs!
Rudy Falco