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News 12

By Tom Krosnowski

County officials are now threatening a $1 billion lawsuit for the power outages that took place over the last few months.

Ocean County officials are threatening legal action against Jersey Central Power & Light, their power supplier, unless service improves.

“We have outages on a weekly basis,” said Ocean County Commissioner Frank Sadeghi. “Our message to JCP&L is that electricity and power is a necessity. It’s not just a luxury item anymore.”

News12 has reported on recent mass outages that delayed school openings and disrupted holidays across the region.

Sadeghi says the lack of capacity is even turning away business development.

“It impacts the economy of Ocean County on many levels – the rateables that are not going to occur for five-10 years, the jobs that it creates that are not going to be happening,” Sadeghi said.

County government is now threatening a massive lawsuit if things don’t improve.

“I’m saying $1 billion,” Sadeghi said. “I think maybe the billion dollars is light – I think maybe we should go $1.5 billion. I need to have concrete answers. When is it going to happen, how much money is it going to take, when are you going to complete – when are you going to start the project?”

JCP&L spokesperson Chris Hoenig replied with a statement, saying:

“JCP&L continues to invest in our infrastructure along the Jersey Shore and throughout our service territory to enhance service reliability and meet the current and anticipated future demand for electricity. We look forward to working with our elected officials at the municipal, county and state level now and into the future.”

The county and the power company have been meeting, with the next update set for February.

Asbury Park Press

By Erik Larsen

TOMS RIVER — Citing ongoing service issues, the acting director of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners said at Monday’s organizational meeting that the county must pursue legal action against Jersey Central Power & Light.

“I say that we immediately file a suit against JCP&L in the amount of $1 billion,” said Commissioner Frank Sadeghi, who was appointed deputy director of the board and took over as its chair in the absence of Board Director Jack Kelly.

While some commissioners nodded in the affirmative to Sadeghi’s expanded comments on the issue, the board took no action on Monday. Sadeghi said the county government will find a way to get the attention of the electric company whose corporate parent, FirstEnergy, is headquartered not in New Jersey but in Ohio, he noted.

“JCP&L continues to invest in our infrastructure along the Jersey Shore and throughout our service territory to enhance service reliability and meet the current and anticipated future demand for electricity,” said Chris Hoenig, a spokesman for JCP&L. “We look forward to working with our elected officials at the municipal, county and state level now and into the future.”

Lakewood, New Jersey’s fastest growing town, has seen its population explode by 46% in the last decade, exceeding 133,000 residents with estimates topping 150,000. Sadeghi, a local civil engineer and businessman, argues that JCP&L’s investment in the area has not kept pace with this dramatic growth, resulting in demand exceeding supply.

Sadeghi observed there have been ongoing power outages — most recently in the Manchester and Lakewood areas — and that more than a dozen commercial construction projects planned in Lakewood are on hold because JCP&L is unable to provide electricity to power them.

“They cannot complete these office buildings,” Sadeghi said.

The commissioner complained that the county government arranges meetings with JCP&L executives, they have conversations about what needs to be done but ultimately nothing gets done.

New commissioners sworn in

The organizational meeting also saw the commissioner’s oath of office administered to newly-elected Commissioners Robert Arace and Jennifier Bacchione, both Republicans. Both commissioners had actually been sworn into office on Friday. The five-member board has been all-Republican since 1993.

In his public remarks, Arace said he believed further investment in infrastructure was required to meet the demands of a growing population. He also said protecting open space elsewhere to preserve the county’s natural character and environmental integrity was just as necessary. Additionally, Arace endorsed the expansion of the county’s vocational schools, “to equip students with the skills and opportunities needed to thrive in today’s workforce.”

On the other end of the generational perspective, Arace said he would ensure robust services for the county’s senior citizens to protect “the dignity they deserve in their golden years.” Ocean County is home to more than 200,000 people who are 65 and older.

“I promise we will not let you down,” Bacchione said. “We’ll do everything possible to provide you with government you can respect and the government you deserve. I will work with my fellow commissioners to make county government more responsive and transparent to the needs of our residents, including our seniors and veterans.”

Bacchione said the county government needed to find a solution to its homeless issue, which she said “has gotten worse over the past few years.” She also criticized Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration for turning New Jersey into what she said is a “sanctuary state,” which she opined had burdened school districts with tens of millions of dollars in additional costs and increased the cost of living for everyone.

Arace was assigned a portfolio that includes parks and recreation, culture and heritage preservation, senior services, veterans services and Ocean Ride (the county’s modest public transit system).

Bacchione’s portfolio includes public health, the county clerk’s office and county election board, business development and tourism, the county’s public library system, the Ocean County College Board of Trustees and County Connection.

Sadeghi said that Kelly, 73, — appointed director of the Board of Commissioners for 2025 at the meeting — had been unable to travel to the county seat from his home in Eagleswood due to Monday’s snowstorm.

Asbury Park Press

By Frank Sadeghi

With all the noise and rancor of the presidential campaign consuming everyone’s attention and energy, a critical rule change being made by the Murphy Administration — which could have a potentially calamitous impact on Ocean County and the entire Jersey Shore — went almost completely unnoticed. I am talking about the 1,044-page, so-called Resilient Environments and Landscape Rule Proposal, otherwise known as REAL.

Most of you are probably asking yourselves: What the heck is that? Therein lies the problem. Most residents I have spoken to during my travels around my home County of Ocean know nothing about these proposed state regulations, nor do they have any sense of the potentially grave economic and financial impact on their lives it could cause.

Unfortunately, despite the efforts of several elected officials, business leaders, and other stakeholders, Gov. Phil Murphy and the NJDEP recently closed public comment on the proposal and are preparing to move forward.

I think this is a huge mistake and urge them to reconsider. I am also urging Jersey Shore residents to make their voices heard — public comment timeframe be damned!

As an Ocean County Commissioner — but also as a Certified Municipal & Professional Engineer who owns an Engineering business and a building company on the Jersey Shore, and who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Land Surveying from the NJ Institute of Technology and a Master’s degree in City & Regional Planning from Rutgers University — let me quickly summarize what we are all facing.

In short, the proposed REAL Rule will render a growing number of development and redevelopment projects as surefire financial losers, effectively creating “No Build Zones” on the barrier islands and coastal communities of Ocean County and elsewhere. Further, should another Superstorm Sandy or similarly damaging storm hit our county, the REAL Rule will adversely impact the ability of people to rebuild, should they so choose.

The REAL Rule will severely reduce property values, starve shore communities of local tax revenue, and mandate expensive flood insurance, even in areas that have never flooded and likely will never flood. Our friends in Cape May County have pointed out that these proposal rules are based on projected sea-level rise for the year 2100 that has less than a 1-in-5 chance of occurring. Make no mistake, this is radical ideology masked as science to frighten people, and it is wrong.

Perhaps most alarming of all, is that the proposed rule calls for a “managed retreat” (that is really what it says!) for residents and business owners on the Jersey Shore and even in urban river communities like Hoboken. A “managed retreat” is what the NJDEP refers to as a “climate adaptation strategy,” which they hope leads to government buyouts of at-risk properties in coastal areas.

The proposed new regulations are so absurd and extreme that they would even seek to impose mandates on things like the construction and storage of lifeguard stands, as well as force new rules governing the location and capacity of beach badge sheds, which local towns use as a base of operation for not only distributing badges, but where many house equipment used to keep people safe and maintain the beach.

While the REAL Rule is being presented as a way to protect residents, what it does in reality is make it harder to live, work, and develop along the coast. That is why I stand with The League of Municipalities and others across the state who believe that more time is needed for these regulations to be refined in a manner where we can find common ground, and where the public has the opportunity to weigh-in more fully on something that will have significant consequences for generations to come.

Frank Sadeghi is a member of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners, where he serves as liaison to the Ocean County Division of Business Development and Tourism. He is the principal owner of Morgan Engineering and Ayra Properties and is Certified Municipal Engineer and Professional Engineer in the state of New Jersey.

Shore News Network

TOMS RIVER, NJ – Ocean County Commissioner Frank Sadeghi paid a visit to Luke, an 11-year-old entrepreneur and founder of the up-and-coming startup “Luke’s Firewood,” to discuss the challenges of running a small business and the dedication required to succeed.

Luke, who started his business providing firewood to local residents, spoke with Sadeghi about pricing strategies and the hard work involved in growing his venture. Despite his young age, Luke is already earning praise for his business acumen and strong work ethic.

“I believe by the time he finishes his education, he’s going to be well-versed in business acumen,” said Sadeghi, reflecting on Luke’s efforts and determination.

The commissioner noted that young entrepreneurs like Luke are a sign of a thriving local economy, emphasizing the importance of supporting innovation and ambition among the county’s youth.

Ocean County officials and residents see a promising future in the energy and drive of young entrepreneurs, predicting the region will continue to grow as a hub of economic activity.

Jersey Shore Online

By Stephanie A. Faughnan

OCEAN COUNTY – Despite concerns about the future of a Code Blue shelter in Toms River’s Riverwood Park Recreation Center, homeless individuals in Ocean County will continue to have access to warm shelter during freezing temperatures.

Ocean County is required by state law to implement and fund Code Blue emergency warming centers. However, the shelters may be operated by non-profit organizations that have experience serving homeless individuals.

The Code Blue activation period runs from November 1 to March 31, with the highest risk of personal harm occurring from December to February.

Last year, the list of Code Blue warming centers included the one facilitated by Just Believe in Riverview Park, and others run by Refuge House of Prayer in Toms River, True Vine Community Service in Bayville and Forked River, and Greater Bethel Church-Faith Fellowship in Lakewood.

Reliable sources have indicated that the county intends to use one of its buildings in the Pleasant Plains section of Toms River to ensure there are enough beds to protect the homeless from extreme cold weather this season.

Authorities have not yet named the non-profit that will facilitate the dedicated county-owned warming center operations. The facility is expected to accommodate between 30 to 50 people.

Ocean County’s budget for Code Blue funding is nearly $400,000 this season. This includes $225,000 from the Board of Commissioners and $130,000 from the New Jersey Division of Family Development. An additional $35,815 represents the first disbursement from the Ocean County Homelessness Trust Fund.

“When we created this trust fund in 2023, one of the key uses for the money was to help fund the Code Blue program which provides overnight warming centers for the homeless when temperatures fall below freezing,” said Director of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners Barbara Jo Crea in a press release. “These centers also provide resources and services needed to put our residents back on the road to self-sufficiency. This is an important step by the Trust Fund’s Task Force that will help our residents.”

Commissioner Frank Sadeghi, liaison to the Department of Human Services, expressed confidence that everyone needing help during the Code Blue season will find it. He said the county expects to have at least 150 Code Blue beds available this season across five warming centers, including the new one which would be owned by the county.

Last season, the highest number of beds used in a single night was 85, which was 55 percent of the county’s total capacity. With a projected 30 percent increase in demand for the upcoming season, the county plans to provide at least 110 beds at peak times.

NJCounts is New Jersey’s annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Conducted in the last ten days of January, it tracks individuals and families experiencing homelessness, including those in emergency shelters, transitional housing, safe havens, or living on the streets. 

While the final numbers for the January 2024 PIT Count are not yet available, 2023 data reveals that Ocean County had 302 households, comprising 434 people, experiencing homelessness. Notably, 108 of the total number of households cited domestic violence as a significant factor contributing to their homelessness. Toms River reported the highest number, with 48 percent of the county’s homeless population, followed by Lakewood at 15.1 percent.

Toms River Mayor Daniel Rodrick has said that he does not believe that all of the homeless individuals within the community are Toms River natives, and that this town shouldn’t bear the burden for the region.

“Toms River will no longer be a depository for the county’s homeless,” he told The Toms River Times. “The prior administration allowed a homeless camp to grow and fester. My administration is working with the (State Department of Community Affairs) on a plan to clear out the camp. Just Believe brought nearly 300 homeless people into Toms River from all over Monmouth and Ocean County last year. If the liberal do-gooders on the County Board of Commissioners move forward on this, we will take legal action against them and Just Believe. We will not let them turn Toms River into San Francisco!”

The County Commissioners are all Republican.

The Homelessness Trust Fund is supported by a $5 surcharge on most recorded documents with the Ocean County Clerk’s Office. This money is used to fund local programs, with $2 of each surcharge specifically allocated for the Code Blue program.

Crea pointed out that state guidelines restrict the use of these funds from being used to build a homeless shelter. Ocean County has faced criticism for not having a county-run shelter. Earlier this year, the Board of Commissioners allocated $12.5 million from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to non-profits to help prevent homelessness and support the unhoused. The funds include provisions for transitional housing.  

In today’s GSI on the Road, Shore Edition,” clip we discuss the impact Trenton policies have on New Jersey small businesses with Ocean County Commissioner Frank Sadeghi.

Shore News Network

OCEAN COUNTY, NJ — With the summer heat pushing temperatures above 100 degrees, Ocean County Commissioners are voicing concerns over recurring power outages impacting residents, particularly the vulnerable senior community. Commissioner Frank Sadeghi highlighted an increase in complaints regarding blackouts and brownouts, noting that the assurances from Jersey Central Power & Light Company (JCP&L) have not been met.

According to Commissioner Sadeghi, despite the utility’s promises, their performance has fallen short, especially during critical high-demand periods. Ocean County, which sees its population more than double during the summer months due to tourism, is home to over 200,000 seniors, many of whom rely on electrically powered medical devices such as oxygen tanks and dialysis machines.

Sadeghi has proposed a meeting with the new president of JCP&L to address these persistent issues and to discuss proactive measures to prevent future service disruptions. Commissioner Virginia E. Haines also suggested that discussions should extend to JCP&L’s parent company, First Energy, to explore long-term solutions to the county’s power reliability problems.

Ocean County leaders expressed their determination to ensure that the utility company fulfills its responsibilities to residents, emphasizing that the recurring power issues are unacceptable and must be resolved promptly.

WJRZ

By Megan Moritz

On Wednesday, May 22, the Ocean County Board of Commissioners with its Division of Business Development and Tourism hosted their inaugural “Unlock the Ocean” ceremony in Lavallette. The event was organized as an honorary start to the summer tourism season.

Lavallette Mayor, Walter LaCicero, opened the event by thanking the Ocean County Board of Commissioners for choosing Lavallette as the first location for this inaugural event. He then gave the microphone to Commissioner Frank Sadeghi, who noted the perfect sunny weather for a morning at the beach, hoping that it’s a good omen for the rest of the season.

The US Navy had representatives at the event with 12 sailors looking on the add to the festivities.

The Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem were both performed before students from Lavallette Elementary School took the spotlight. They sang the song “How Far I’ll Go” from the Disney movie Moana, as well as signed the lyrics in American Sign Language. I thought this was a fantastic song choice being that the movie is based around the beach and ocean (in Hawaii).

After their performance, the Mayor and Commissioner brought the large “Ocean County Key” to the entrance of the beach to officially unlock the ocean.

Jersey Shore BlueClaws’s mascot, Buster, also aided in the ceremonial “unlocking”. The elementary students were excited to see Buster, as you could hear the gasps and chants for his name over the microphone as he arrived. The students gathered for a group photo with him.

Guests were welcome to take some gifts and refreshments available at the event’s end. These items included Ocean County Tourism frisbees and sand buckets, crumb cake from the local coffee shop, Lava Java, and also some nautical themed cookies made by students of the culinary arts program at the Ocean County Vocational Technical School.

Additional event photos can be found here!

You couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful morning in Lavallette to “unlock the ocean” and officially start the summer season at the Jersey Shore ahead of Memorial Day Weekend!

Ocean County News

In 2016, New Jersey’s gas tax stood at 14.5 cents per gallon – one of the nation’s lowest – a welcome anomaly in our otherwise punishing state tax code.

Within a year, a bipartisan gas tax increase raised the tax to over 37-cents per gallon, with an allowance for automatic increases baked into the law. We were told then that this increase – in exchange for the lowering of several other taxes – would sustain the state’s Transportation Trust Fund (TTF) for years to come.

We were sold a bill of goods.

Because on top of…

A new 15% fare hike for riders on NJ Transit trains and buses;

A three percent toll increase for drivers on the Parkway and Turnpike;

The largest annual increase in our property tax bills in the last six years;

And the Democrats breaking their promise not to raise taxes on businesses;

Now we are about to endure another increase in the state gas tax – pushing this regressive tax to over 50 cents per gallon by the end of this decade.

How much more pain can the working-class families, seniors, and small businesses in this state take?

Barring Governor Murphy coming to his senses, Trenton politicians will increase the gas tax by nearly 10-cents a gallon – and charge a fee on electric vehicles – over the next five years.

The move will increase taxes by roughly $2 billion dollars per year, putting our state’s gas tax on course to be one of the Top 5 highest gas taxes in the country.

My message to all the state legislators representing Ocean County in Trenton is simple: Enough! Do everything in your power to stop enabling these tax and spending policies!

Not only is it abusive to our residents but given the utter lack of investment in Ocean County’s critical infrastructure needs – like the widening of Route 9 – the people in our county shouldn’t be forced to pay one more penny in gas taxes to fund transportation and infrastructure improvements that largely don’t benefit us one bit.

Asbury Park Press

By Erik Larsen

TOMS RIVER – Ocean County Commissioner Frank Sadeghi is calling for “sweeping ethics reforms” in the county government and at Ocean County College, in the wake of an Asbury Park Press investigation into former OCC President Jon H. Larson’s extensive travel to the Middle East in the final years of his tenure.

“Former President Larson’s abuse of county resources is beyond embarrassing and we as a Board of Commissioners need to ensure it never happens again,” Sadeghi said. “Moreover, we expect the Board of Trustees at the college to be held accountable for failing to police the president and all other faculty and staff who joined these trips.”

The Press reported in January that the Larson administration spent more than $300,000 on lavish travel to the Middle East between 2016 and 2023, related to its now-failed bid to break into the online education market in Egypt, according to internal billing records obtained by the Press.

In response, Larson has said the accommodations were not extravagant and that the trips were necessary as part of his administration’s plan to focus on enrollment growth that shifted to new markets that he contends are in scarce supply in Ocean County alone.

Sadeghi said better safeguards are needed in county government and at the college to prevent future abuses in official travel. He has proposed a ban on first class or business travel by employees of the county college or county government when on official business; a cap on nightly lodging costs and per diem spending on meals and entertainment that aligned with U.S. State Department guidelines on official foreign travel and the U.S. General Services Administration guidelines on domestic travel.

“While I am open to discussion with my colleagues on the Board of Commissioners, the new college president and the Board of Trustees about my ideas, I have no intention of stopping at just talk,” Sadeghi said. “I am committed to enacting new reforms at the county college and in county government that protect taxpayers and tuition payers from having their dollars abused like this ever again.”

Larson’s successor, OCC President Pamela J. Monaco, who took office in July, has since ended the Middle East program.

While the county Board of Commissioners has no jurisdiction over the operation of the community college as Commissioner Virginia E. Haines pointed out at a recent board meeting, the commissioners do appoint almost all of its trustees and this year expect to appropriate $18 million in taxpayer aid to the college.

“Ocean County College appreciates the opportunity to work with the Commissioners on ways the college can align with all other county organizations in serving the public interest,” Monaco said in response to a request for comment for this story.

Monaco said the college has been extremely fortunate over the years to have strong working relationships with the county commissioners and its liaisons, particularly Freeholder John C. Bartlett Jr., who died in 2018 (and for whom an academic building on campus is named) and now Haines.

Monaco said she would reach out to her fellow college presidents to learn what travel policies their institutions have in place, “and we will certainly begin discussions with our Board of Trustees and college community.”

Sadeghi, who took office in January, said he also wants to enact term limits for the college Board of Trustees and form a special committee made up of representatives from the county administration, the Board of Commissioners, the county general counsel and the county director of the Department of Employee Relations.

“In my research, it appears many of our ethics policies in the county haven’t been updated in years —and in some cases decades — and that lack of attention is preventing alignment with the best policies and practices across the state and in other states,” Sadeghi said. “By initiating a full review, we can give county taxpayers confidence that we are serious about not only running fiscally efficient government, but also government that adheres to the highest ethical standards.”