Fort panel debates taping of meetings
Members differ on restrictions on recording meetings
BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer

OCEANPORT - The Fort Monmouth Economic Redevelopment Planning Authority (FMERPA) failed to take action last week on a resolution seeking to establish regulations for public recording of the panel's meetings.

Eatontown Mayor Gerald Tarantolo said at the Oct. 17 meeting held at the Maple Place School in Oceanport that the proposed measure is "very restrictive."

"What is prompting this type of restriction on public participation?" said Tarantolo before he voted to table the resolution for further discussion.

"Why do we need these kinds of restrictions at a public forum where the public is invited to participate, yet we are trying to restrict the public from using media [devices]?" he asked.

"If we find the use of media equipment disruptive, we have a chairperson that could convene," Tarantolo added.

The resolution aims to establish guidelines for public recording of authority meetings.

The measure calls for members of the public who wish to record public meetings to notify the authority prior to any recording of any public meeting, according to the resolution, which also states notice should be given at least six hours before the start of the meeting.

In addition, the measure bars video cameras or audio recorders that produce a distracting sound or excessive light at the meetings and restricts the use of supplemental lighting, according to the resolution.

The specific location of the video cameras and recorders must be approved by the authority and members of the panel should be given the opportunity to obtain copies of the tape at its sole expense, under the proposed guidelines.

"I agree with Mayor Tarantolo," Oceanport Mayor Lucille Chaump said at the meeting before she agreed to work on rewording the resolution with Tarantolo.

Frank C. Cosentino, the authority's executive director, explained that the resolution is not aimed at someone carrying a video camera or recorder.

"If it came down to the television [station reports] coming in," Cosentino said is what he believes the measure to be aimed at.

"Reasonableness has to be applied to all of this," he said. "If you set up guidelines, then you can avoid chaos. I think if you look at this with a certain amount of reasonableness, it will take on some light."

During the public portion of the meeting, Tom Mahedy of Wall, who had a video camera at the meeting, objected to the restrictions listed in the resolution.

"There have been no problems with videotaping or recording as of yet," he said. "You are making it harder for the public.

"All of the words in all of your documents say you want public participation. Voting in favor of this means you didn't mean what you actually said," said Mahedy, who was previously arrested for observing the time limit on public comment.

"Tom, I hate to say this, but I agree with you," Tarantolo said. He explained that he agreed with some points in the resolution but felt it should be reviewed and reworded.

FMERPA Chairman Robert Lucky agreed.

"It sounds restrictive," Lucky said. "It looks like it is not reasonable. We will work with it and it can be reworded."