04/30/2019
April 30, 2019
Hello Everyone,
Please see the very important information (below), from the Deal Lake Water Shed Alliance (DLWA) regarding their upcoming Meet The Candidates For Ocean Township Council event, which is in advance of the May 14th, 2019, election for the Ocean Township Council.
We are very pleased that the DLWA has recognized the widespread and chronic decline occurring in the Deal Lake Water Shed, and in particular the infilling of the upstream basins, all of which are over 90% impaired, and consequently key contributors to the infilling and polluting of the main body of Deal Lake, as well as unnecessarily passing pollutants to the Atlantic Ocean, including the local beaches of Asbury Park and Loch Arbor.
On the DLWA web page (http://www.dlwanj.org/) – the following information is stated:
“Invested in the preservation of the Deal Lake Watershed”
“In partnership with Clean Ocean Action, Rutgers & Monmouth Universities, and the Deal Lake Commission, the Deal Lake Watershed Alliance (DLWA) will collaborate on ways to engage citizens, communities, and municipal leaders to take action to reduce runoff, which is the main cause of shoreline erosion, sediment buildup and toxins that pollute our lake as well as the ocean. “
We are very pleased that the event is being held on the banks of the Colonial Terrace Basin, as this provides a first-hand view and allows all to form their own opinion about the condition of the basin.
In 2015, the Friends of Deal Lake hosted a forum, prior to the last election for the Ocean Township Council. In the information provided to everyone, prior to discussion with the candidates, the chronic decline and impaired condition of the Colonial Terrace Basin was highlighted.
The DLWA event will allow the Deal Lake Water Shed Stakeholders opportunities to ask questions, including, what has taken place in the past four years to understand and address the condition of the Deal Lake Water Shed, including the Colonial Terrace Basin.
Key questions, which the Friends of Deal (FoDL) has already received from Deal Lake Stakeholders, include:
What, specifically, has been done in the last 4 years to understand the infilling of the Colonial Terrace Basin?
Who is responsible for the maintenance of the Colonial Terrace Basin?
Who is accountable for the maintenance of the Colonial Terrace Basin?
How much has been spent from 2015 to 2019 to understand the Colonial Terrace infilling situation?
Is the infilling of the Colonial Terrace Basin unnecessarily causing pollutants to be carried downstream to the main body of Deal Lake and to the ocean?
What are the plans, and timing, to address the infilling of the Colonial Terrace Basin.
Hopefully all will attend the May 5th, 2019, DLWA event – full details are below.
Sincerely,
The Friends of Deal Lake
________________________________________
Hello DLWA Members,
Tuesday, May 14, 2019, is the Ocean Township Municipal Non-Partisan Election Day. Polls open 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Though this email is being sent to all DLWA members, only those living in Ocean Township will vote in this election. For those not living in Ocean, we want you to be aware of our efforts to educate elected officials about the dire condition of Deal Lake.
DLWA is holding a “Meet the Candidates” event on Sunday morning, May 5, from 9:30-11 a.m. We are meeting at 310 Lincoln Drive, Ocean (a property adjacent to a section of Deal Lake that has almost disappeared due to sediment fill). There will be a tour of the area, a short powerpoint presentation, followed by a question and answer session.
We will have a moderator appointed to ask questions of the candidates. Please respond to this email with any questions you would like answered regarding the condition of Deal Lake. We want to allow as many people's voices to be heard as possible. All questions will be anonymous and can be submitted either ahead of time (by responding to this email) or at the event.
This is a rain or shine event. Please join us to demonstrate your desire to see change in the health of Deal Lake, and to learn more about each candidate, as well as their commitment to improve lake maintenance.
OCEAN TOWNSHIP MAYOR & COUNCIL OVERVIEW
The following was taken from the OT website: The Township of Ocean’s five-member, non-partisan Council operates under the Council-Manager form of government. Council members serve four-year concurrent terms. The Council is elected at large with the Mayor elected among the Council members. The Council sets policy for the municipality. The Mayor presides over the Council and, as a member, has a voice and a vote in its proceedings. All present Council terms expire June 30, 2019.
ELECTION PROCESS OVERVIEW:
There are nine candidates vying for five full (four year) terms. Those candidates are (in order of ballot position): Christopher Siciliano, Margie Donlon, John Napolitani, Sr., David Fisher, Donna Schepiga, Raymond Pogwist, Jacquelyn Wenzel, Robert Acerra, Sr. and Victor Ashkenazi.
Chris, Margie, John, Dave and Donna are running on a combined slate of five. Jacqui is running independently, Ray is running independently, Rob and Victor are running on a slate of two.
This is a non-partisan election. That means it's not supposed to matter what political party a candidate belongs to and they do not have to publicize a party.
You can vote in many ways. You can vote for just one candidate, just two etc (up to five). You can vote for a whole slate, a piece of a slate or pick between slates and independent candidates. You can also write in a name or names. Most importantly, PLEASE VOTE!
Hope to see you all Sunday morning!
Laura
Laura McBride
President, Deal Lake Watershed Alliance
Ocean, New Jersey 07712
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.dlwanj.org