George Gilmore financed Mayor Amato's campaign last year, and recieved township attorney. Amato chose Ashbritt for clean up & his friend George Gilmore got the commission on the deal. George Gilmore is on the Ashbritt payroll.

I live on the Barrier Island. I watched these folks clean up an absolute mess. They worked 7 days a week, almost non stop for a long time. I agree that a bidding contractor process is normally the way to go. But in this instance, The State and local Governments acted quickly to get this done. If Government officials waited for the normal process, we may not be as far along as we are, which is still disappointing to me. I give the Government and its officials a pass this time on this.

Erroneous flood zone maps, overkill house-raising mandates and exorbitant annual insurance costs... FEMA wants NJ to bail it out of its Katrina debt!

Join our fight -- come to a 1-hour meeting Sat. March 9th, 3 PM, at Silverton First Aid Squad, 86 Maine St., Toms River (all towns welcome).

Info at StopFemaNow.com and
Facebook.com/StopFemaNow.
Save our Shore Communities!

Where there's smoke there's fire... A lot of smoke around Gilmore

Check out his offices on Hooper Ave. He has been a pensioned employee of the county for about 20 years if data universe is correct. Plus over 20k a year for a part time job..You can't miss his office. Just look for his name on the wall. Big gold letters

$100 M~~~~really !

Aren't there companies in NJ who can remove these "massive amounts of debris?

Conflict of interest ? Yes

Brought to you by the ELECTED Gov'mt of Boss Hog and Company, in power for 30 yrs in OC, NJ..Voter turn out by the FEW that re-elect them time & time again. YOU have no one to blame but the person in the mirror , who's says ..next time I'll vote them out !!!!! GRIP......then GRIP again..Don't let any politician HAVE a carreer by your voting them in again @ every election, let someone else serve the people, instead of themselves & there friends, who get the jobs in TR & OC..all the time..Same Fathers , Mothers, Sisters, Sons and Daughters on the Town & County payrolls.....Reads like who's who in NJ...Double & triple pensions , serving as a Judge in seven different towns and collecting BIG bucks on the tax payers dime !!!

The clean up of Sandy could have went out for bids like most projects do when it comes to Township business. You have to advertize in local papers for x amount of time then you open the seal bids and then at the next town meeting the lowest bid gets voted on by the council. Then the companies who did not get the bid could challenge the whole process. This awarding of contracts to do Township business takes months (during normal times). So the process was circumvented to provide a quick response to the home owners affected by Sandy. To tackle this monumental task of cleaning up as soon as possible was the right thing to do.

Gilmore just can't seem to help himself, and muddied an otherwise amazing job by getting involved in this. I agree with the article that hiring Ashbritt under the circumstances showed tremendous leadership. People constantly complain that our elected officials don't get anything done, but want to sit back and pick apart decisions that are made, too. Face it...the entire State was reeling after Sandy, with power outages everywhere, trees down everywhere, and flooding along the coastline and in other parts of the State too. Ashbritt did a great job, and used a large number of NJ contractors. It was sooo depressing to see all of those piles of debris outside of everyone's homes, and it was an essential step towards healing and rebuilding to have those piles removed as quickly as possible.

Nepotism should not be permitted in the work place !

Double & triple pensions should not be permitted !

Serving as a Judge in 7 different towns should not be permitted !

The world is in finanical ruins. Change is needed now.

just look at thr tr school system...everyone is related!

thats probably true nick,... but if they do their job that should be info the judge already has i would think, but i am not an attorney

Hey, you want government contracts in Ocean County, one way or the other Gilmore needs to be paid. Superstorm Sandy was a gift from the heavens for Gilmore and company.

Corzine has his name come up at least twice in this article. He is the poster boy for political and private corruption. Most any other person not so connected to the president would have been indited or in jail by now.
So many of these politicians, turned royalty, abuse the system without fear of prosecution. They protect each other knowing that their turn to get caught will come, so wrist slaps are the only punishment.
When will we the people march on Washington and demand the system be fixed. It appears too many are either feeding from the teet filled by corruption or too busy trying to make ends meet to get involved. Sadly the politicians know this and thrive on it.

No stopping that Corzine history of corruption. I especially like, "Gilmore confirmed to the newspaper that he was hired by AshBritt, but declined to say whether he has a conflict of interest because of his role as attorney for towns, such as Seaside Heights and Jackson, that hired the company." These people will spit in your face and tell you it's raining.

Bob Armstrong
The Ocean County "Shotcallers" have no shame....The Ol'Boy R machine at it's best.
Bob Armstrong will lend his expertise in corruption investigations to the Feds in their fight against political corruption in Ocean County.
"Bob" Armstrong for OC Sheriff in 2013 <WWW.ARMSTRONG4SHERIFF.COM>

It seems to me that both Governor Christie and Ocean County Prosecutor Ford stated quite clearly that anyone taking unjust advantage of Hurricane Sandy victims would be prosecuted under the most severe charges allowed by law. Obviously, those two statements were designed to fulfill the Ocean County political belly-laugh of the day requirement (the Vicari factor), at least in regards to Gilmore. I'm so glad Gilmore and Christie were able to contract the services of AshBritt so we could obtain an immediate no-bid contract to pay $100M in debris removal for $40M to $50M in legitimate removal costs. No wonder to Governor has built such an impressive reelection campaign fund. One might think Happy Gilmore would simply be satisfied with the hundreds of thousands of dollars in Ocean County and local property taxes he doesn’t pay each year on the numerous properties he controls throughout the county that often result in more politically profitable windfalls. But I guess if I had the weak-kneed local elected officials in each Ocean County community forgiving my taxes and passing them onto the unconnected community taxpayers, I’d smile and say okay too. It fascinates me that the FBI has been unable to find any political corruption in Ocean County since Christie was the US Prosecutor. Perhaps we should offer the FBI a new challenge. Can they find anything in Ocean County that isn’t politically corrupt?

There is no more town with a greater conflict than Belmar.

Maggie Moron married to the Mayor , of course with a different last name , then Belmar raises the price of the boardwalk over 1 million.

Corruption is everywhere in NJ. Both gang of thiefs ate grabbing everything they can now and not even hiding it , as they know a financial collapse is coming.

Aren't the rest of you so happy that 56 billion was passed by congress. How much have each of you received in exchange for putting your children and grandchildren into debt slavery.

Jersey strong means taking from the weak.

Bob Armstrong for OC Sheriff in 2013

Does the Bear S- - - in the woods?

This is not about politics it's about getting the job done. No company in New Jersey could have handle how big this clean up was. I worked municipal government for 35 years and did you ever hear the saying you get what you pay for. Low bidders do not always work

Hey Bays overflowing again, sweet

Yes they did a great job Yes they hired some locals But now this same company has been handed the Bay clean Up . That in fact is moving at a snails pace . None offered Local Bay-men or local knowledgable people Jobs to get this huge task done . These guys are doing destroy whats left of the Bay floor because one they dont know the area .Second thing ive been told Dredging isn't happing not in this summer time . Go buy two props for your boats and forget jet skis there far to much debris in the water for it to be safe .

Ive had extreme high water last four days untill we get a west wind for at least two days its not going anywhere the dredging need to start now .. and raise all the sedge islands with the spoils it will stop the Main land flooding

Inlets to deep

http://www.app.com/article/20130115/NJNEWS/301150095/Experts-urge-caution-before-dredging-Barnegat-Bay

carolannie thats funny! anyway the republicans better come up with a good choice or mr armstrong will be sherriff...being a republican myself i will vote for him if the choice is mastro

Thank god for the Governor's quick action. Our street, which is close to the open bay on the main land, looked like a war zone and on some streets, still does. If you were not affected directly by Sandy, come on down and talk to anyone who was flooded. While your here, help with the clean up of the homes that are still waiting for their flood insurance money and can't afford any remediation.

doesnt the judge get a pension from each town?

I see most of you forgot the 2 big Dem's that are listed in this article, Maggie Moran, a former top aide to Gov. Jon Corzine whose husband is the mayor of Belmar A DEM; and Kris Kolluri, a New Jersey lobbyist and former head of the state Department of Transportation under Corzine, So try not to be TO partisan in your comments. It does state 2 Dems and 1 R....

@john Eric, where did you go to school? Dredging the bay will have NO EFFECT on the flooding. Dredging the bay to make it deeper will not allow it to hold more water.

COPS & REPUBLICANBS ARE THE MOST CORRUPT IN JERSEY COPS RETIRE THEN GET TOWHSHIP JOBS WITH PENSIONS AGAIN SO TELL US WHO'S CORRUPT IF IT WEREN'T FOR OBAMA COMING HERE SO QUICK IT WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE NEW ORLEANS I THANK HIM THE PRESIDENT FOR MOVING SO FAST GOT CHRISTIE GOING.

Unfortunately that picture of OBO and Christie along with people voting 6 times got that POS reelected

ken the waxwork dummy you guys ran for president lost. get over it already. it was republican leadership that ran this country into the ground under that roy rodgers president from texas we had. america is sick of it just as much as we are sick of you ken.

Ferry, your right about that, the waxwork dummy the repucks ran was a POS too!

Gerry
They all suck in politics. This country is screwed

The report by the General Accountability Office said the firm co-mingled toxins and
chemicals with other non -poisonous debris, resulting in two new superfund sites in
Louisiana.
"We don't want that here, but there is no sign of the state overseeing this process"
Jeff Tittell stated ... "There been a failure of oversight and accountability."
Hurrican Sandy produced millions of tons of debris, some stacked as high as the
length of a football field on makeshift disposal sites created to handle the mess.
At one point there were more than 260 sites scattered across the state, although
the number has dwindled to 132 Tittel said.
"We have tried to get the inspection reports, but have had no luck" he said.
Acknowledged, however the lack of evidence, We've tried to get the inspection reports, but have had no luck ...
WHERE ARE THE INSPECTION REPORTS ... CHRISTIE-DEP ... MARTIN?

The Star Ledger has been doing an excellent job of reporting
on AshBritt and FEMA ... SANDY $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

@spooner I didn't say that I said the opposite . Read what im replying to . I totally agree with every word you wrote ..

As far as all the debate going on about Republicans and Democrats No one in Washington is doing a good job And I mean No one. Its a democrate that ended the Flood subsites its A democrate bailed out the Criminal Banks and Insurance companies . Its a democrate leaves us in war that no one can win . Its A democrate that leaves fema to dictate policy . And it republican Wall-street That profits off us all . Ever Ask your Self why it is Banks are allowed to Pay almost no intrest on savings CD etc. And yet a market system that is in its self now a completely corrupt .
Finds falls guys to protect the bigger picture everyday . And that same Banking System was opened up by who? There is no such thing as JUst and fair Government any more for the people by the people .Those days are well behind us and what gets me and makes me laugh is the locality to partys that Folks They dont care one red dime about you . Its get reelected it keep there Jobs and its keep my donors Happy Period .ie Corporate Global an last American . Wake up sit back enjoy the rest of your lives fighting these people get us nowhere , Only lawyers richer middle class poorer and Billionaires more Billionaires And as far as the 1 percent rule goes here that the biggest keep secret going . That number is much higher . And Much More Powerfull than we can even imagine ..

I have been living on a lagoon in Waretown for the last 10 years and what I have noticed Is the water level has risen about 2 inches . So the oceans are rising and dredging the bays will not help the water levels

Spooner Again I ve read all these maps Im a living map I know all this try to wake these people up to thou . Good luck . You know what you do next election Just dont Vote ,For any party . Grab the first College gradates out of law school or returning Vet and give them the job . Just say no to Vote.

Like I said about insurance reform you want insurance reform dont sell your homes just list them for one million dollars every home effected by The new flood maps
List your house for one million dollars . Thats will get things answered and in a hurry when the Realtors cant sell a house to save there lives . See how fast the mighty board of New Jersey Realtors get insurance reform lobbyist to act .. Simple plan just have have the strength to do it ..

If thats true then the bottoms coming up with it , because the bay is shallower now than its ever been

Witch hunt? I think not. We need to question when so much money is involved. Everyone knows when there is such big money involved, everyone has their hands in the till. We have the right to question the motives of all who are involved.
It seems they protest too much. What are the Republicans so afraid of...the truth?

What is new. The republicans are ruining our state, county and towns. They are all thieves especially our freeloaders, Gilmore, Acrapolis and the list never ends. They should all go to jail and loose everything. "WE THE PEOPLE" as our constitution starts out HAVE SCREWED UP BY ELECTING THESE THIEVES. Lets stop now!

Its only a matter of time before Gilmore lands himself in jail. Just like his friend Ritacco a leopard can never change his spots. Its so sad how corrupt this state is and it just keeps going on and on and the taxpayers get screwed and these guys laugh all the way to the bank.... When will people finally wise up?? probably when there is nothing left for them all to steal..

There has been no change in the Bay water levels usgs maps going back to 2009. Dredging the bay will let the bay hold a larger volume (Cubic Feet ) due to the fact that it will be deeper. However the sea level elevation will remain the same
elevation. when a NorEaster approaches the wind blows out of the southeast, then east and as it passes northeast to out of the north. When the wind blows towards the land for an extended period of time it pushes the water in. With this over a couple of tide changes the water does not leave the bay, so with each tide change it only get higher in elevation.
So, dredging the bay may help the boaters like me, But it will not stop the flooding.

What

. I understand how bidding on government jobs is a long process. But just like they can call a emergency meeting to approve the money to pay them. So why couldn't something like that happen to seal a proper bids. The only reason i can see that they didn't do that is because they had been informed to use ashbritt. I have read articles that they didn't get into town until week or more after the storm. But was getting jobs and hiring other companies to do the work until they arrived to do some themselves. And then they become they hero of the clean up, which the people actually did the clean up and put it to the curb. If you wanted to be a true hero and help to the people of New Jersey. Then stop ripping us off. 100 million dollars to drive around with trucks that have claws to pick up the garbage. Maybe if you did manual labor and actually help people one on one then maybe you would deserve the money. And what happened to all the money from the metal, plastic, and any other thing that can be recycled. I am sure it had to add up to a very large amount of money.(maybe its in the vacation fund).

This looks like another cover up. This is the second article that i have read today about ocean county trying to cover things up. I think an investigation should be done on how ocean county does business. But as usual it will be ignored and forgotten.

By the way the other article was about the Injured Worker that was fired after getting hurt on the job. Read it on Barnegat- Manahawkin patch.

We the people have been taught that politicians lie and we expect it They do underhanded things and we expect it Some people in this town are just no good for the town itself. As long as they get what they want its ok if its at every ones expense.

Rem and John Smith,

Could not agree more.... Corruption is rampant in ocean county and just wait for the health care reform to kick in. I am a person in the service industry and you should see all the Drs that are sleeping with lawyers/judges in Toms River (Actually sleeping and living with each other) SOCH and Barnabas (Now I know why they had to take the saint out of there name) being the largest employers I feel sorry for the elderly they are gonna get screwed. Wait till the lawyers start taking there homes away for non payment of medical bills. Did you know there is a lawyer/judge that owns over 75 homes in NJ as rental properties in which he got those homes in one way or another directly or indirectly from lawsuits and or there settlements from the elderly... Old people better wake up and use the internet (Including the PATCH and other resources) to share information about the foreign doctors that are buying up everything in ocean county as well (after they marry american nurses to stay in the country). You not only will be broke but homeless... Please wake up elderly before it is too late for yourselves and your families

Follow the trail... Ritacco and cronies (Alleged millions in school fraud ) Gamba and cronies (Alleged 150 million stolen in medicare funds at then Saint Barnabas/Community Med Center) ... See they are COWARDS taking advantage of Old, Sick, Displaced and Young... follow the trail and see where the money comes from (The middle/lower class) and goes to (The 1%ers and the rich).

Hey old and middle class of the shore.... Why did the Governor allow the unregistered and unlicensed contractors that got caught providing SANDY relief off Scott free with out having to pay any fines... I am a small business owner that pays taxes, registration fees, insurance premiums and workers comp for my employees. I got screwed because I could not compete. Dept of consumer affairs you should be ashamed of yourselves. Oh wait look at what attorneys work for the Dept of consumer affairs and where there houses are located so they could get free labor slaves to do work on there homes so they could maximize there Fema and Sba claims... Middle class and poor Screwed again