It’s a fact. Most towns across the US now utilize live ZOOM video to easily keep residents informed and engaged.
This is not always the case along the Jersey shore where non-voting second homeowners make up 75% of the tax base.
Today’s tech is simple and affordable. YouTube is free. So why do local officials hate ZOOM so much?
City Hall insiders say Margate officials would prefer you NOT know how the sausage is made.
Audio from OCT. 17, 2024 Margate Mtg. Lack of ZOOM.
Margate Advisory: 75% of Margate’s non-voting tax base wants to see how their money is being spent and how their town is managed. Live ZOOM video of municipal meetings should be state or county mandated.
All 3 mayors, Collins of Margate, Kriebel of Ventnor and Sera of Brigantine should borrow best practices from Stone Harbor City Council. Pronto.
Stone Harbor does municipal transparency right.
See Stone Harbor Council website here.
Stone Harbor has excellent LIVE video set-up for municipal meetings. Watch:
Poor transparency in off-season allows Margate to accomplish stuff like this:
Margate’s planned purchase of contaminated gas station in order to convert to parking lot. Over $3 million in taxpayer funds to purchase dirty property that hopefully EXXON cleans up quickly.
Margate Commissioner Maury Blumberg: Will Solicitor Scott Abbott battle EXXON lawyers for years? Will that lot sit vacant forever?
Mayor Collins claims contaminated gas station property will become revenue producing asset for Margate. Financial experts quickly fact-checked and debunked Collins. Gas station buy will be long term money loser for taxpayers. Critics claim planned parking lot will only benefit few adjacent businesses including Mayor’s hardware store.
Another embarrassing reason why Margate blocks live ZOOM video:
REPORT: Since 2019, residents regularly stonewalled by Margate Mayors; Collins and Becker. To be fair, this behavior is common in both Brigantine and Ventnor as well. Audio quality is disturbingly poor in both beach towns.
DID YOU KNOW? Important public comment never makes it to written ‘meeting minutes’.
If you were Mayor of Margate, would YOU want non-voting taxpayers to know exactly how you were spending their money?
Public Comment
- Atlantic City provides live ZOOM video with remote public comment.
- Ventnor provides live ZOOM video with remote public comment.
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Totally unacceptable!!
If it walks like a duck…
Curious… how come turnout doesn’t increase at the summer meetings if it’s so important to the part timers? Let’s not waste tax payer money on technology that isn’t necessary.
$200.00 a year is not a waste of money nor is it expensive for zoom.
Empty campaign promises are expensive.
Has this been fact checked? Does turnout indeed not increase in the summer months or are you just saying that?
Of course it’s fact checked. This website doesn’t just make up unsubstantiated claims to drive it’s own agenda.