The HOWELL Times
Vol. 22 - No. 21
In This Week’s Edition
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
How The Jersey Shore Prepares For Hurricane Season
BREAKING NEWS @
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Community News Pages 7-11
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 13
Inside The Law Page 14
Classifieds Page 15
Photo courtesy AmeriCorps Homes like this one in Union Beach in Monmouth County were devastated by Superstorm Sandy. By Alyssa Riccardi NEW JERSEY – Twelve years ago, on October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy ravaged through New Jersey. It was the worst in the state’s history to make direct landfall to the shoreline. Fast forward to the year 2024. Hurricanes have wreaked havoc throughout the southern parts of the country.
As New Jersey marks Hurricane Preparedness Month and the peak of hurricane season, it’s important to be prepared as the risks from these storms have increased as a result of climate change, officials said. So, what have we learned from Superstorm Sandy? And is our community prepared to take on another massive storm?
Ocean County Sheriff Michael G. Mastronardy, who is also the County’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Coordinator, reflected on the devastating time. “I was Chief of Police in Toms River when Superstorm Sandy hit, and we certainly learned a lot of lessons from that,” Mastronardy said. “We didn’t expect (Hurricane - See Page 4)
Farm Event Ordinance Under Fire
By Liz Ciocher HOWELL – Farmers and farming advocates have begun speaking up to the Howell Town Council regarding their concerns for their safety and ability to stay afloat. At a recent council meeting, five members of the public addressed the council as far m owners, members of the farmer’s adviso-
ry committee, former farm owners or relatives of farm owners. They expressed concern about certain ordinances that they feel restrict their business. “Suddenly, the town is concerned with overseeing every aspect of the farming business, claiming it for safety reasons,” said RoseMarie Burd, a previ-
ous farm owner and member of the public. “We quest ion what safety issues [caused concern]. There was none reported. All of us carry farm insurance that protects ourselves from any accidents that may occur.” One of the specific ordinances that are a main issue for these residents include a ‘Special
Occasion Event Ordinance,’ which allows the township to limit the number of attendees at certain farming events or provide other limitations. It is currently under mediation. According to the farmers, this ordinance majorly impacts their financial stability. Their public events provide supplemental fi nances
that are used to pay bills during the winter off season. “We do need these [events], whether you consider them special events, workshops, Girl Scout trips, whatever we’re doing, it’s always about supplementing the income,” said Theresa Reed, who filed mediation for the ordinance, (Farm - See Page 3)
November 2, 2024
Hughes Or Leggio? Mayoral Candidates Speak Out
By Liz Ciocher HOWELL – This upcoming election, two Howell residents are running for mayor – John Leggio and John Hughes. Both representing different political parties, The Howell Times gave both gentlemen a chance to advocate for themselves as well as to answer a few questions about their beliefs and how they see themselves in the mayoral position. These questions asked for information about their past as well as how they see Howell’s future. They were also prompted to respond with what they believe are the biggest issues in town, and how they plan to resolve them. Their responses have been condensed and grammatically edited for use in this article. John Hughes (Democrat) Hughes works as a Director of Corporate Compliance and Ethics for a major civil engineering firm based in New York City. Here, he does work investigating fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption for both the government and private sectors. He does not have any experience in public office, but has been active in civic groups as a coach for youth sports as well as a board member on the Howell Democratic Club. Hughes listed a few issues in Howell he feels strongly about, including warehouse development in commercial areas, tax burdens on families, lack of affordable homes for seniors and young families, unregulated rental properties, and a reputation of bad business. To combat these issues, Hughes provided these solutions: Warehouse development: “We need to reopen our Master Plan and use common sense when zoning to avoid heavy commercial traffic on local roads and keep them in the areas that are supported by multi-lane highways. We also need builders concessions on all of these projects so that the developer is contributing to infrastructure changes required and requiring renewable energy be included (Candidates - See Page 3)
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