October 25, 2002: Point Pleasant GOP Hdqts.

Ocean County Politics .com

Point Pleasant Republicans Set Up Campaign Headquarters On Route 88 Property Where The Owner Reportedly Owes The Borough $75,000 In Defaulted Property Taxes

Democrats Cry Foul, Saying It’s Potential Collusion And A Conflict Of Interest

Point Pleasant: An old used car dealership building at Route 88 and Bay Avenue, now closed, is being used as a campaign headquarters by Republican mayor and council candidates.

But Democratic candidates are crying foul because the owner of the property, said by the Democrats to be a political associate of the local GOP administration, apparently owes the borough more than $70,000 in back real estate taxes.

The defunct used car agency, Wheels Of Time, occupied the property for several years, but the taxes have allegedly not been current since 1990.

Suggestion Of Collusion And Conflict Of Interest

Democrats say the use of the property as Republican campaign headquarters raises ethical question involving the suggestion of collusion and conflict of interest, with the taxpayers of Point Pleasant “left holding the bag”.

Taxpayers make up the difference for unpaid taxes each year with a large appropriation called the “reserve for uncollected taxes”.

Responsibility for the reserve item, often the largest single item in the annual municipal budget, is shared by every taxpayer in the ratable base.

Democratic candidates are Peter Marone for Mayor; Brian Hanlon and Shawn McCarthy for Council.

Republican candidates are Martin Konkus for Mayor; Roger Pyrtko and Brian McAlindin for Council.

A wild card in the Point Pleasant equation is Republican Mayor James Schroeder who, after being denied his party’s nomination for another term, is running for re-election as an Independent.

Although everyone appears to agree that Schroeder will take some votes away from Konkus, the official GOP mayoral candidate, there is disagreement about whether the attrition will be enough to allow Marone, a former mayor, to be returned by the voters to the office he once held.