Margate Commissioners voted to finalize purchase of the gas station at 7901 Ventnor Ave., with a 2-1 vote on Thursday, March 6.
Commissioner Maury Blumberg and most residents vehemently opposed the measure.
Mayor Collins and Margate City Attorney Scott Abbott want to finalize transaction on March 14.
Exxon still responsible for removing two underground storage tanks and continuing site clean-up as per NJDEP regulations.
$300k from sale will be placed in escrow in case Exxon doesn’t live up to proposed agreement.
Margate residents and local business fought against this taxpayer-funded gas station purchase.
“Seems to only benefit Mayor’s business”
Last summer, Margate Commission approved $3 million bond to acquire contaminated gas station and convert it to parking around corner from Mayor Collin’s hardware store on Essex Ave.
Parking lot will take approx 3 months to build if deal becomes official and there are no substantial delays.
What is left to say? This gang of self serving greedy politicians has hijacked the voters ignoring their constituents. I hope that Margate voters rally against these pickpockets and remember why their taxes went up. This parking lot is a costly boondoggle.
Unbelievable!!!!!
Yet another in the list of exceptions that have resulted in Margate. NO longer is the charming place it was!!!! Multitudes of HUGE houses , often with permit exceptions, right up to property lines, etc.
Time for change….and soon!
There is only one Commissioner that I trust. It is Maury Blumberg
I hope that he finds it within himself to run for Mayor.
The current Mayor is evil, and should be investigated for criminal activities.
There are obvious answers:
Leadership you don’t like isn’t a crime. Decisions you don’t agree with aren’t a crime. Bad decisions aren’t a crime.
Mayor Collins has his strings pulled by his father-in-law, John Amodeo, who’s still running the show.
This past week he was seen at City Hall and was reaming out a city official.
This was witnessed by other city employees.
Margate is a dirty town.
Collins and Horn are running fundraising events. Blumberg not included.
You voted for this mess.
It needs to stop.
It is corrupt for the mayor to be able to use city funds (i.e., tax dollars) to buy a property that seems to have little use beyond being a second parking lot for his business. I imagine one could argue that other businesses in the area could use the lot, but that remains to be seen. But a conflict of interest here is apparent. Why shouldn’t the mayor be forced to buy the property from his personal funds?
I hope that the lot will be considered public property and anyone could use it to frequent any establishment. Then at least there is a (somewhat) plausible argument for using tax funds.
Margate is my wife’s and my second home. Therefore, we are not residents of Margate/NJ and cannot vote (as far as I know) on any issues. But we pay taxes on our home. It’s too bad my wife and I are not in a position to vote on any Margate political issues.
Please someone tell me why this is not reported to the state of New Jersey as a misuse of funds
When will the lot be completed? I hope they install a few electric car charging stations in the lot.
Nice guy Maury Blumberg finally stood up and voted against this unpopular parking lot. How many years did he just sit there and let this Amodeo/Collins/Becker crew run Margate?
Now Blumberg wants us to believe he cares? He ran with Mike Collins and Kathy Horn!
Maury only wants to be Mayor for his own ego and not for the benefit of Margate citizens.
Assembly’s Claire Swift screwed Maury. Swift instructed Horn to vote for Collins for Mayor.
They all need to go! Bad leaders give you bad policy.
Enjoy your parking lot at a cost more expensive than a parking spot purchase in NYC.
I’m boycotting the Hardware Store.
How much longer will the Collin’s / Horn criminal enterprise continue. We need an outside law enforcement department to investigate this run away government body. The only person with integrity and honesty is Commissioner Blumberg. Collin’s, Horn and Abbott need to be given matching wrist bracelets , AKA Hand Cuffs!
Typical politicians. Don’t give a damn what their constituents think or how they’re impacted. Only looking out for themselves. Shame on them. Everyone needs to vote them out next election.
Purchasing Bud Taylor’s auto repair property by the city is a ridiculous waste of taxpayer money. We don’t need a parking lot there.
Would you rather have another business or homes on the property making summer parking problem worse?
Margate should have bought the failed burger joint and the large parcel at Washington and Monmouth for parking also.
You got that right ….
There should be incentives to add businesses. A parking lot will NOT do that. It is ridiculous. It will cost money, not bring it in.
Parking lot: NO curb appeal, unnecessary. Cars pulling in and out when there are walkers, bikers and kids in the summer.
There is NO parking problem in Margate near Douglas Ave – except for a few holiday weekends in summer. NOT enough to justify this use of taxpayer money.
People walk and bike in the summer. A parking lot is not going to alleviate beach traffic. Nor is it going to attract people to spend more money in Starbucks or Knitwit or Colmars or Downbeach etc.
No one’s not shopping on those three blocks in Margate because they can’t find parking! So who are we attracting or helping?
Part-time homeowners have zero voice. The locals call the shots. Many locals work for the city and/or connected in some way.
Please spare me the ‘poor Maury Blumberg’ comments. Did Maury properly oversee RX Cream scandal?
Maury raised money and supported Horn/Collins thinking he would be the next Mayor of Margate. Guess that ship has sailed.
With increased ratables from the past five years or longer, Margate should have had huge tax decreases, and no one has asked where is the money.
Elections have consequences, and you live with the results.
You people voted them in, so you deserve what you got.
I would bet the owner of the gas station are friends of Collins family .
More Corrupt Bullshit. They need to be stopped.
It’s easy spending taxpayer money in Margate. We pay for Mayor Collins new parking lot!
But it’s much worse. Collins gave his wife a school funded job. How many other relatives have or had city, school, library jobs?
How many pensions do these families receive?
Does John Amodeo have a no-show job at the SJ Transportation Authority? Your tax dollars in action.
Just buy these locals a round of drinks for your vote again and again and again. And the money merry go round in Margate goes on and on.
Just keep paying your taxes so they can keep their machine running!
See you at the Sunrise Tequila Bar! It will be open til 4am.
LOL.
How can you tell if local council, commission, planning board or school boards are hiding stuff from taxpayers? Those towns block live ZOOM video access to their public meetings. Towns like Margate and Brigantine are the worst when it comes to transparency. Both block access to planning and school board meetings. Margate’s Mayor Collins and Brigantine’s Mayor Sera don’t want you see how the ‘sausage is made’. Both are hiding bad fiscal behavior and municipal mismanagement.
Does anyone know that Maury Blumberg’s sister-in-law is a teacher at the Margate Public School
Nepotism?
Influence?
She was a teacher here long before Blumberg was a commissioner. By the way, she is awesome.
Mrs. Cuevas and the new hire by the mayor can’t be compared. Cuevas is Margates best teacher.