Watch video.
In a surprise move, Margate Commissioners agreed to shut down participation in public meetings via Zoom web-conferencing software. This was announced during the Margate Commissioner meeting of Sept. 23, 2021.
Watch video above, or listen to audio here:
Second homeowners, snowbirds, busy moms, the sick or elderly…. prefer to use ZOOM in order to participate in Margate public meetings. Many can’t attend in person.
Some have health concerns related to the pandemic. Why force residents to attend meetings in person?
‘Mask-up and come in’ says Margate officials.
Margate Business Admin Deaney says if taxpayers are serious about a town issue, they must attend the public meetings, in person, to share a 3 minute comment.
Why is Margate Business Admin (Ocean City resident) Richard Deaney making decisions like these?
Those looking to avoid large crowds in tight spaces, have been particularly disappointed. One Margate resident going thru chemo was fearful that her immune system is weakened. Even though vaxxed and masked, she prefers to participate in the Margate meetings via online platform like ZOOM.
Deaney quickly dismissed that concern.
Ventnor uses a hybrid method of meetings to best serve ALL taxpayers. One can attend in person, or via ZOOM. Ventnor even allows public comment via ZOOM chat. Atlantic County Commission meetings are held the same way.
Margate Business Administrator Rich Deaney & Commissioner John Amodeo both said a HYBRID method of public meetings, like Ventnor uses…. is a failure. That’s not true.
What’s Margate leadership trying to hide?
30 yr Margate resident
Mayor Becker, along with Commissioner Amodeo and Blumberg were in agreement.
Some in attendance fear that Margate will make major decisions in the off-season when most taxpayers are either in Florida or other non-Margate residence.
Rumors persist: 12 story high-rise could be erected adjacent to Lucy the Elephant.
Like most other South Jersey shore towns, Margate 2nd homeowners make up approx 75% of local tax base.
Due to tax considerations, most seasonal Margate residents vote elsewhere. ( Florida or Pennsylvania )
My guess: “The 3 Amigos” (City Commissioners) need to cut off public access as much as possible. Preparing to pull another fast one on out-of-town taxpayers who actually own most of Margate these days.
Get ready for return of Beach-block overlay spot zoning idea, specifically designed so owners of Greenhouse can build a hi-rise on that site.
This would end 50 year restriction on building heights in Margate. With this one act, they would be essentially opening Margate up to the many developers salivating to build all types of now forbidden structures in Margate: hi-rises, mid-rises, additional floors on existing structures etc.
Like their promenade, this action would not be voted on by anyone but them and their cronies. Taxes would need to rise in order to upgrade the infrastructure in the southern district of town to accommodate all this new construction and density.
Margate’s taxpayers and voters need to wake up before they’re staring at a South Miami type development zone…. or worse… watch as their neighborhoods are rezoned as well.
The only word with any relevance in your entire rant is “guess”, because that’s all it is.
People who own second homes that are not their primary residence don’t and shouldn’t have a say or vote on Margate City business. You have every right to ask but no right to make demands. Margate is a fine we’ll run City!
As a second homeowner, I should have a say in how my local tax dollars are spent.
Second homeowners contribute to the beauty and desirability of Margate. A little more respect please. Janis Goldstein.
Margate has always been a corrupt “good old boys” town. This is just another example of it. There needs to be a thorough investigation of it’s practices and reasons for them.
People who own property should band together, refuse to remit taxes; instead they can form a coalition to deposit those funds in a special designated account until their voices are allowed to be heard. No voice = no taxes.
It’s a seasonal town. 75% of taxpayers are being denied reasonable rights.
Second homeowners pay a large majority of the total taxes. Often on higher average value properties.
How very cavalier to deny others a vote/say.
Yet some will be the first to whine about those very same second homeowners.
It’s a well run city? Please don’t comment while clearly under the influence.
Wow, we should have all same rights as you since we pay the taxes as you. You sound stupid when you make statements like this. 75% of the taxes come from people that have a second home like me
Mark Howell, The salaries of the elected officials are paid by the taxpayers and the decisions they make involve taxpayer money so they as taxpayers have a right to have a say in how in how the city makes decisions.
How many time has this hotel idea been brought up and not passed. Residents were told it will never be brought up again. In the words of Ozzie Myers: $ talks. BS walks.
I can’t believe they’re willing to disenfranchise people because only a few would use zoom. Those few are interested residents who want a say in how their town is run.
This board is unwilling to engage with voters so they are making it as difficult as possible for them to be involved.
This board needs to embrace whatever technology is available to get the most people they can to be engaged in government not to close the door on them
Not surprised by Margate Commissioners not wanting transparency. We have a Mayor who’s not healthy and appears to be losing his cognitive skills.
Why listen to the taxpayers if you don’t care? Our Mayor equates respect to agreeing with him on everything he says and does.
We must have Zoom access in todays world. Zoom only costs $149.00 per year.
If our Margate commissioners can spend a few million of tax dollars for a promenade with out asking us, then they will do all they can to run secret off-season deals to get what they want.
Oh my if there is Zoom access then we can all watch, listen and voice a concern and opinion.
These three men could care less about the taxpayer whether you live here full time or seasonal.
This has nothing to do with a concerned property owner being a voter or not. It has to do with being honest and transparent.
I fully believe our three Margate commissioners will push through the ‘beach overlay ordinance’ when no one will be there to speak out against it.
The owner of the townhouse properties contiguous to the Greenhouse that was part of the Greenhouse hi rise proposal may be owned by someone that was friendly with mobster Nicky Scarfo.
Union Local 825 has been influenced by organized crime over the years. They would benefit from the construction of a hi-rise. Commissioner Amodeo has been affiliated with this Union for many years.
The father of Lucy the Elephant director Richard Helfant, was an Atlantic County Superior Court Judge. He was murdered by the Mob while eating dinner in Atlantic City back in the 1960s.
There was also a concrete contractor that had questionable connections. They were murdered in a Margate Condo in 1978.
Maybe the FBI should be looking into what is going on in Margate with these corrupt politicians.
Maybe Hollywood can come in and make a Godfather Part 3 movie.
Fire Rich Deaney and send him back to Ocean City. He’s a disgrace.
Every meeting conducted under NJ’s Open Public Meetings Act requires public comment to be included. No question.
So is the Margate Solicitor opining that he can limit the topics? I think he should render his opinion in writing to the public.
Your article about bocca was a complete lie. They had 9 on 9 wiffle ball games all summer long on Essex ave with the street closed, and every neighbor was extremely happy to have parking.
You only write about Marty Small during election season, and you protect Ventnor politicians and the police chief who continue to do wrong and cover things up
EVERY neighbor? So you verified this with each of them? Apparently they must be different ones than those that registered significant concerns and threats of legal action on this site.
And having the wiffle ball games once they lost the battle over street closures doesn’t equate to happiness about risks for no emergency vehicles, noise, etc.
So if a huge sinkhole opened on Essex while blocked due to Bocca tents, and filled with water after a storm, you’d claim people who lived on that street were happy they now had a big pool?
Either the “locals” keep voting these folks into office or they use Dominion voting machines (not sure which) but it is definitely time for some fresh government with fresh ideas. Margate needs term limits, especially when 25% of the home owners are year round and 75% are 2nd home owners. The Margate senior citizen crowd ( no disrespect intended) just go in and pull lever #1 and the same people get voted back in. The Mayor looks old and tired and needs to ride off into that beautiful sunset you can see from the new promenade. It’s time for change but it won’t happen unless the “locals” vote for it, and I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
Margate excludes public from online meetings. Margate commissioners agreed to shut down participation in public meetings via Zoom web-conferencing software, as announced at Margate Commission meeting of Sept. 23.
Other shore towns including Ocean City proudly include homeowners via Zoom into town meetings.
The question is why the Margate commissioners are not allowing homeowners to be included in the meetings, so they can know what the commissioners are up to.
Donald Spivack, Margate