The Margate Commissioners lead by Mayor Micheal Becker are not yet ready to ask taxpayers about re-building the Margate boardwalk. Maybe they’re afraid of what Margate homeowners really want?
Compare that to Sea Isle City. Down in that shore town, elected leadership sees value in public forums and online surveys.
Mayor Becker punted the thorny Margate Boardwalk issue to City Administrator Richard Deaney.
Deaney, who lives in Ocean City, failed to answer the question: will the City of Margate conduct a public survey about rebuilding the boardwalk?
Instead of answering the question, Deaney threw together a long-winded list of fear-mongering. Wild accusations including: a boardwalk would create a fire hazard and a pathway for criminals to infiltrate the town.
Margate City Hall is ducking their responsibility to survey taxpayers.
Margate Boardwalk Committee Chairman Glenn Klotz
Margate Boardwalk Committee leader, Glenn Klotz, is just looking for the city to take the public temperature….just like Sea Isle City.
On Oct. 25, Klotz again asked City Commissioners to take a public poll. Mr. Deaney and Margate City Commissioners believe a poll is not necessary or even helpful.
If the City of Margate keeps dragging their feet, Klotz is prepared to take the next step. He’s not giving up.
Do Margatians want a boardwalk or not? The only way to know… is to ask.
Captain Obvious
Margate vs Sea Isle City
Margate is similar to Sea Isle City in many ways. But one way in particular stands out: Both are losing full-time residents at a faster pace. Each year, fewer Sea Isle & Margate homeowners actually vote in those towns. This leaves very little oversight of elected officials.
Sea Isle City leadership recently surveyed taxpayers. Should they invest in a public swimming pool…or not? Sea Isle City government wanted more taxpayer feedback, before they made a move.
Sea Isle City Taxpayer Survey
Sea Isle City held a town hall. Sea Isle’s City Council then hired a research company for $900 to conduct a survey of property owners. They created a website where taxpayers took the survey.
Sea Isle City SWIMMING POOL SURVEY: Created to help City officials determine whether or not to build a municipal swimming pool at 4501 Park Road (the former public school property). The survey was available to Sea Isle City property owners for two weeks from 9:00 a.m. on October 23 through 8:00 p.m. on November 5.
From Sea Isle City website:
Protecting Entitled & Privileged Few in Margate
A growing group of residents want to consider rebuilding the Margate Boardwalk. It could extend from all the way from the border of Ventnor to the border of Longport. Some believe a good baby step would be to extend the boardwalk from Ventnor to the Margate fishing pier.
Feedback: Becker, Amodeo & Blumberg have taken the side of a few, wealthy property owners.
Individuals who believe they’re entitled to keeping the public beach in front of their Margate beachfront homes… empty.
Some hate that Margate taxpayers are funding an Amherst boardwalk and land-giveaway….. for a privileged few. Public comment: Water parks and high rises are just two more examples of misguided decisions by Becker, Amodeo and Blumberg.
Pro-boardwalk residents see Deaney, Abbott and the 3 Margate commissioners as obstructionists. Not motivated to address taxpayer requests. They only care about those who actually vote in Margate.
Shameful. ‘Deaney is an overpaid, public employee that doesn’t even live here’, said one resident. ‘Why is he shutting down the boardwalk conversation? Deaney lives in Ocean City.’
FACT: In the past, Commissioner John Amodeo openly suggested that Margate taxpayers be polled.
Public comment: Is Amodeo speaking out of both sides of his mouth again?
Did Margate Commissioners instruct Deaney to slow-walk the Boardwalk discussion?
Even Maury Blumberg signed the Boardwalk petition. Blumberg was the only commissioner to attend the public, Margate Boardwalk Committee presentation meeting, this past Summer of 2019.
The bottom line is the Margate BW Committee finds the Commission’s position extremely condescending regarding its refusal to consider a poll / survey of the town’s residents. Instead, they’ve concocted a bureaucratic barricade and are hiding behind it claiming the people might like a BW therefore they can’t be allowed to express their opinion about it. Pure hypocrisy here. Contrast the way they’ve handled this project with THEIR BW project on Amherst Ave. No bureaucratic barricade there and also no public say one way or another. With their BW however they are just going to spend millions in taxes to build it. We in contrast want the PUBLIC to decide whether or not they want a BW on the beach.
Glenn, just figure out a way how to make a “donation” that benefits the corrupt 3 Amigos and watch how quickly your project is approved. Get it done and let’s move forward. But remember, any government controlled project will cost 2X and take 2X time to complete! Eyes wide open!!
“Crime” pathway? He does know there’s a public sidewalk 100 feet away on Atlantic Ave, right? I have a map he can borrow if he needs it. ????????