Post by JerseyDigger29 on Mar 8, 2006 2:46:44 GMT -5
Hello, everyone. Big news tonight on the subject of alcohol at the Morey's Raging Waters. Basically, the tiki bar was the victim of extremely poor timing and was shot down.
Tonight, North Wildwood City Council held it's regularly scheduled twice-a-month meeting. Normally, the meeting would be held at city hall, 20 or 30 concerned citizens would show up, voice their opinions on various city issues, and everything would progress more or less normally.
Tonight, however, City Council was forced by current events (the JCOW "scandal," and the horrible reval that is plaguing just about everyone in town) to hold a special meeting at the North Wildwood Recreation Center due to the expected size of the crowd.
Trust me, it was a madhouse. Out of town residents from Philly and even North Jersey came to town to voice their displeasure with the revals. All the Philly and AC news channels had their satellite trucks outside to broadcast the meeting back home. A large group of people was even bussed in.
And these people were so angry they were all "loaded for bear," so to speak. It's been a very long time since I've seen such an angry crowd at a NW meeting.
The bottom line: The question of allowing alcohol at the water park had been approved unanimously by the Planning Board, it had also been approved by City Council on First Reading. But tonight, upon Second Reading, it came up for final approval....
Believe me, this huge crowd wouldn't allow Council to calmly discuss the issue with them. Many people kept screamiing and interrupting, refusing to be quiet when it wasn't their turn to speak, and effectively shouted down the City Council.
Keep in mind that many of these people were from out of town and hadn't even heard about alcohol at the water park before tonight. But when a mob gets something on its one-track-mind, and refuses to listen to rational discussion, nothing gets done.
Council introduced the ordinance to allow alcohol at the waterpark, but when a "Second" was required to authorize the vote, Council was effectively shouted down.
No one on council - even though the planning board had already approved the issue and they themselves had also approved the issue on first reading - had the nerve to second the motion for final approval. So the ordinance officially died a quick death, the victim of being included in the wrong meeting, at the wrong time.
I think if the question came up at any normal meeting with the normal 20 or 30 usual residents who show up at meetings, it would have passed easilly, but not tonight!
I asked Mayor Henfey if the issue was now dead forever. He said it was dead "for now," because legally the ordinance was shot down because of no "second motion."
It wasn't approved. It can, however, be brought up again in the form of a completely new city ordinance which will have to go through the complete process of first reading, second reading, and passage. And that, I guess, depends on if the Morey organization wants to ask for approval again.
My advice: they should hope for a quieter, and less emotional meeting with no other major issues.
Thom
TheWildwoodsReporter.com
Tonight, North Wildwood City Council held it's regularly scheduled twice-a-month meeting. Normally, the meeting would be held at city hall, 20 or 30 concerned citizens would show up, voice their opinions on various city issues, and everything would progress more or less normally.
Tonight, however, City Council was forced by current events (the JCOW "scandal," and the horrible reval that is plaguing just about everyone in town) to hold a special meeting at the North Wildwood Recreation Center due to the expected size of the crowd.
Trust me, it was a madhouse. Out of town residents from Philly and even North Jersey came to town to voice their displeasure with the revals. All the Philly and AC news channels had their satellite trucks outside to broadcast the meeting back home. A large group of people was even bussed in.
And these people were so angry they were all "loaded for bear," so to speak. It's been a very long time since I've seen such an angry crowd at a NW meeting.
The bottom line: The question of allowing alcohol at the water park had been approved unanimously by the Planning Board, it had also been approved by City Council on First Reading. But tonight, upon Second Reading, it came up for final approval....
Believe me, this huge crowd wouldn't allow Council to calmly discuss the issue with them. Many people kept screamiing and interrupting, refusing to be quiet when it wasn't their turn to speak, and effectively shouted down the City Council.
Keep in mind that many of these people were from out of town and hadn't even heard about alcohol at the water park before tonight. But when a mob gets something on its one-track-mind, and refuses to listen to rational discussion, nothing gets done.
Council introduced the ordinance to allow alcohol at the waterpark, but when a "Second" was required to authorize the vote, Council was effectively shouted down.
No one on council - even though the planning board had already approved the issue and they themselves had also approved the issue on first reading - had the nerve to second the motion for final approval. So the ordinance officially died a quick death, the victim of being included in the wrong meeting, at the wrong time.
I think if the question came up at any normal meeting with the normal 20 or 30 usual residents who show up at meetings, it would have passed easilly, but not tonight!
I asked Mayor Henfey if the issue was now dead forever. He said it was dead "for now," because legally the ordinance was shot down because of no "second motion."
It wasn't approved. It can, however, be brought up again in the form of a completely new city ordinance which will have to go through the complete process of first reading, second reading, and passage. And that, I guess, depends on if the Morey organization wants to ask for approval again.
My advice: they should hope for a quieter, and less emotional meeting with no other major issues.
Thom
TheWildwoodsReporter.com
