Council meeting resembles Jerry Springer show

Mayor Edward McKenna and Councilman Pasquale Menna's plot to frame John Curley for their tax increase turned the last meeting of the Red Bank Council into a sickening version of the Jerry Springer show. Their transparent ambush of Curley was curiously held just prior to McKenna's release of our bloated new tax bills. What a surprise!

The fact that McKenna and Menna refuse to take responsibility for yet another stiff tax increase should come as no surprise to anyone. However, the crude and violent manner in which it was orchestrated shocked and saddened most all in attendance.

In an effort to pull the wool over the voters eyes and deflect attention from his administration's fiscal failures, McKenna called for the removal of rival John Curley form his finance committee position and recommended replacing him with Councilwoman Sharon Lee.

After the mayor whipped his troops into a frenzy and Pat "Mc"Menna uttered a "low blow" accusation drawing groans from the audience, a scene right out of the Jerry Springer show astonished me. With order reduced to chaos, Councilwoman Kaye Ernst politely requested a return to order and the business at hand. Her hands were outstretched motioning for the attention of those arguing when Councilwoman Sharon Lee sharply slapped Ernst's arm down upon the council table?

Sharon Lee's physical bullying of another elected member of the council was way out of line. And not a word was said about it. Not a word from our mayor about his new appointment's conduct! Mayor McKenna's motion to replace Curley with Lee passed with Menna, Arthur Murphy, Robert J. Bifani and Lee voting in favor of Curley's lynching.

The McKenna regime's efforts to blame John Curley are reminiscent of past efforts of McKenna and Menna to blame the school board for their tax increases before an election. This was and is a foolish argument given the fact that excessive development has an extreme effort on school expenses and the Red Bank Zoning Board has awarded density variances many times greater than our zoning ordinances otherwise allow.

This was truly a new low for a regime in tantrum, a regime that refuses to give up its absolute power and control over Red Bank. It appears the hands of the McKenna administration will have to pried off the municipal check book, Zoning Board, and Planning Board by the voters this November.

Bill Meyer

Red Bank