Letters
No ‘liberty and justice for all’ in Long Branch

The “dog and pony show” continues. On Tuesday, Sept. 13, the Long Branch City Council (aka Schneider’s City Council) voted 4 to 1 to continue with the plan to destroy the MTOTSA neighborhood. The lone-opposing vote belonged to John “Fazz” Zambrano to which I am not surprised.

At a recent council meeting, I asked each council member a question: “Do you believe in the American ideology, do you believe in liberty and freedom for all?”

Councilman DeStefano refused to answer. I repeated the question and still no response (odd, it is a simple question, maybe he does not believe in those things). Councilman Giordano also decided the question was one which he could not answer (strange for a person of government not to believe in the fundamentals of government in which he is serving).

Then there was John “Fazz” Zambrano. Before I could repeat the question, he stopped me and stated, “Yes, I believe in all the things you are speaking of.”

How refreshing, a person in government who believes in the ideology of our government; you don’t get that every day, especially in Long Branch. Moreover, Councilman Zambrano went one step further and proved his belief in the American way and the protection of liberty and freedom with his no vote against the resolution.

Councilman Brown, however, severely disappointed me. When I asked him the question he unequivocally stated, “Freedom, I believe in freedom, always have and always will.” But on Tuesday night, Mr. Brown took away my liberty and freedom along with all my friends and neighbors. I guess Councilman Brown believes in freedom for himself. Shame on you Mr. Brown. You had me fooled with your prayers of serenity and your mocking belief in freedom. Councilwoman Dr. Mary Jane Celli, no one ever really knows what she is thinking. She never says anything at all until it is time to vote and then it is always yes.

This 4 to 1 vote came after two hours of testimony against the resolution from residents of MTOTSA, other Long Branch residents and friends of MTOTSA. Our testimony had no effect on the final vote, which is no surprise as we have been providing testimony for over two-years.

During the two-plus hour address to the Council, one man did speak in favor of the resolution; this gentleman spoke of “quality of life.” I was shocked to hear someone speak of “quality of life” being completely oblivious to the fact that the 50 or 60 people standing around him were having their lives completely destroyed. Quality of life? Having families, parents and children kicked out of their homes for someone else to occupy; eliminating neighborhood friendships that span over a half-century. Who’s quality of life are we speaking of? Was this man insensitive, absolutely, but more than that he was completely detached from the reality of the situation much in the same way the City Council and Mayor Schneider are.

In Long Branch, it’s no longer “Liberty and justice for all.” It is “Liberty, justice and quality of life for whomever the council decides.”

William Giordano

Long Branch

Student housing a quality-of-life issue

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Hughes: Welcome to our world! Our quality of life in Elberon has been disrupted on and off for the past five years due to college students, and I believe the last time I looked, the college was in your town, not mine.

I have lived in my home, like my neighbors, for over 25 years. You want to talk about quality of life? You need to come over here and see what these landlords and some college students have done to my community.

College students belong in dorms, not in residential neighborhoods with small children, senior citizens, and people who need to get up and go to work every day.

So, I cannot sympathize with you.

But I will blame all of us who did not pay attention when the college was becoming a university. We should have found out exactly what that meant to us.

Also, the university [officials] should be ashamed of themselves, because they knew exactly what they were doing to us.

Patty Chavez

Elberon

section of Long Branch

Agency extends thanks to donors of school supplies

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Monmouth County sends our sincerest thanks to all who made the start of school happy for more than 100 children this year.

Monmouth Mall collected and donated school supplies, and hosted our “I’m Committed to My Education” pizza party at which kids participated in an educational program and received a backpack filled with notebooks, pens, pencils and much more.

We would like to acknowledge Monmouth Mall and all of the individuals, organizations, and businesses who made this event possible, including the Colts Neck High School National Honor Society, Freehold Noontime Optimists, Illiano’s Italian Restaurant, Meridian Health, Mon-Oc Federal Credit Union, Monmouth County Division of Social Services, United Way of Monmouth County, and 106.3 WHTG, as well as all who donated supplies at the mall.

Thanks to so much support from the community, our children got off to school on the right foot.

We thank you, and the children of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Monmouth County thank you.

Marybeth Bull

Kid’s Club coordinator

Big Brothers Big Sisters

of Monmouth County

Eatontown

Eating dinner together fosters strong families

Last year, President George W. Bush, along with 42 states and more than 400 cities and counties across the nation, proclaimed the fourth Monday in September as Family Day — A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children. This year, I urge all families to make a concerted effort to commemorate Sept. 26 as Family Day — a day that serves as a symbol to remind parents and caregivers to eat dinner regularly with their children.

Research by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University has consistently found that the more often children eat dinner with their parents, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use illegal drugs. Other research shows that teens who eat dinner with their families are more likely to do well in school, be emotionally content, have positive peer relationships and healthier eating habits, and be at lower risk for thoughts of suicide.

This year, many more families will celebrate Family Day and recognize the importance of eating dinner together regularly and the parental engagement it fosters. CASA and Prevention First suggests the following in an effort to open the lines of communication among your children:

Start the pattern of family dinners when children are young.

Encourage your children to create menu ideas and participate in meal preparation.

Turn off the TV and let your answering machine answer calls during dinnertime.

Talk about what happened in everyone’s day, school, work, extracurricular activities or current events.

Establish a routine to start and end each meal. Light candles, say grace or tell a story.

After dinner play a board game or serve dessert to encourage the family to continue the conversation.

Keep conversation positive and make sure everyone gets a chance to speak.

For more information on Family Day or to receive our Family Resource Guide, call Prevention First at (732).663.1800, ext. 216.

Mary Pat Angelini

executive director

Prevention First

Ocean Township

Volunteerism: The power to help children

As a singer, a songwriter and a musician, whenever I write a song, sing a lyric, or play a chord — I want you to listen. Everyone needs someone to listen to them whenever they have something to say — especially children and teenagers.

In the world in which we live, we are surrounded by messages — television, movie screens, radio, Internet, all talking at us, not to us — to the point that it all becomes noise.

Sometimes we want to listen, and sometimes we want to be heard. People need to be heard and need to know that when times are rough, there’s someone willing to listen to them. If you have a place you can turn to, a shoulder to lean on or even to cry on, someone to unburden yourself upon and get something off your chest, someone to offer comfort or advice, you are blessed.

For too many children and adolescents however, it can sometimes feel as if there is no one anywhere in the world ready to listen to their concerns, whether the problems are big or small. Finding a way to listen to these young voices is critical for them and for us.

The 2nd Floor youth helpline addresses this need. The helpline has grown from a pilot project to a very successful service which has received thousands of calls from kids in need since its Monmouth County unveiling a year ago.

Through my role as co-owner of the Philadelphia Soul, our extensive community service efforts and my relationship with Samsung’s Four Seasons of Hope, I was able to introduce 2nd Floor to parts of Philadelphia. Working with the Police Athletic League centers throughout the city, we’ve expanded 2nd Floor’s reach in Philadelphia and are now heading into Mercer County as well.

I am a father and like you, I don’t want to see any child suffer, to be hurt or feel ignored. I also know that sometimes, kids don’t come to their parents first with their concerns. 2nd Floor through the Soul sponsorship offers professionals and trained volunteers who are available to listen and provide a caring, understanding and nonjudgmental response.

The outstanding volunteers help ease children’s worries, encourage kids to make decisions that promote their safety and well-being and even help them role play ways to speak with their parents and peers about whatever is on their minds.

Volunteers make this project possible. People want to volunteer and want to lend their time and energy to causes that make this world a better place. I want to spread the word. I want people to know that volunteerism is hip. Call it “the new black!” When you volunteer yourself, you feel good, you make a difference and you lead by example.

I cannot think of a better feeling than volunteering. To listen to the youth — our future — about their hopes, fears, dreams and desires just might move you too.

I ask that you consider volunteering for the 2nd Floor helpline. By lending your ear and your time to our kids, we can help change our world – one soul at a time.

Please call the 2nd Floor at (732) 787-6503.) And take a moment to listen.

Jon Bon Jovi

Navesink