All work and no play makes the Muse a dull read

Sorry folks - it's been a week of number crunching, spin doctoring and overall preparing for many meetings chaos. I'm a little behind on the buzz but catching up.

The AH Council voted unanimously not to pay the borough attorney's December bill. Pop the cork! The Council agreed on something unanimously. The matter will be discussed in more detail...where?..."inmyofficeinmyofficeinmyoffice."

Highlands passed a resolution to officially support the construction of the new bridge on Route 36. The Bayshore Courier reported that Highlands Councilwoman Anna Little said "she expects downtown Highlands to experience either very heavy or very light traffic when the bridge undergoes construction." Brilliant insight Councilwoman.

Not only is Virginia Bryan a poet but apparently she's also a soothsayer. In her poem, Atlantic Highlands, published on 1/27/05 on the Atlantic Highlands Herald she wrote: "A transformation awaits its birth/ For a new day has come/ One with a purpose of rejuvenation/ Of the creative spirit!" Well, it looks like baby transformation is due in April when Bryan hopes to expand the elementary school's after-school program to include her "Words, Creativity - Things N Me" program.

New Jersey's first Journalist of the Year, Bishop Gordon forgot to take his medication again. This time he jumps from the New Deal to Marxists taking over society to the US losing the war on communism. He accuses New Jersey voters of being "either brain-dead or stupid" for "voting for liberals over conservatives, who lean toward fiscal restraints and the 'rule of law'." Why in the world do both the Bayshore Courier and the Atlantic Highlands Herald bothering publishing this lunatic. I'd chalk up his rhetoric to just being over the top to get attention like so many radio/cable news talk show hosts but his columns and ramblings get so completely incoherent that I can only assume he takes few good slugs of whiskey before sitting down at the typewriter or he's just off his rocker.

AH Mayor Peter Donoghue speaks! Unfortunately his column in this week's Bayshore Courier is not posted online so you'll have to go spend the $.40 if you missed it as my scanner is acting funny. Unlike the Bishop, Donoghue is looking to bridge the partisan divide - especially among the current Borough Council, albeit with a few slaps to the face. He writes:

For my money, those who have been chosen to serve should worry less about getting credit for progress rather than criticizing the efforts of others for fear those others might get credit for something good.

For my money, political figures should first find out how and why things are being handled in a certain way rather than being quick to attack.

Of course, public officials have the responsibility to oversee government. But they also have obligation to suggest better ways of doing things rather than getting carried away with constant carping.

Donoghue then goes on to defend his, and the Democrats, record. However, the article doesn't seem to have changed anything and the soap opera at Borough Hall continued this week with accusations of forgery and a threat to call in the US Attorney's office in regards to a letter Councilman Carl Nolan sent to the DEP. In a nutshell:

• The Council and Congressman Pallone signed off on a letter to the DEP in October 2004 re: work being done near the Fireman's Field and Many Mind Creek by New Jersey Natural Gas.
• The person whom the letter was addressed to apparently left the DEP. Councilman Nolan re-sent the letter to the appropriate person in January. He put the current date on the letter and addressed it to the correct person. He also included a cover letter explaining the situation.
• Councilman Louis Fligor believes Nolan's actions constitute forgery and Joeseph Hawley believes Nolan's actions constitute a call to the US Attorney's office as a US Congressman's name was on the letter. Councilman Jack Archibald said "My signature was taken without permission" and "Give it back to me. Right now."

Who did we elect town shrink? Get him/her over to the republican party headquarters. I'm beginning to see a pattern of delusion here. The AH republican party is becoming a party of whiners. Everything the Democrats do seems to be a scandal, with "botched back-room deals," illegal political donations and now forgery and ethics violations. Meanwhile, serious thought needs to be put into how to best utilize our harbor and surrounding land, what is the town's master plan and what actions can we take to entice developers to do something with the empty lots along First Avenue. Not to mention all the hard work it takes to just keep the town running. If the current relationship between Council democrats and republicans is any indication of what November's election is going to be like we're in for some major BS and unnecessary drama this fall.

I think a bi-partisan Council is best as it should more accurately reflect the opinions of residents. I hope the republican party can find some November candidates with common sense and at least the pretense to want to work and accomplish goals with the democrats on the council.