What is >> say do it's 457. >> So good evening everyone and welcome the January 14th 2026 council meeting of the Long Branch City
Council will now come to order. Roll call please. >> Mr. Rases >> here. >> Mr. Vieier >> here. >> Mrs. Whittis >> here. >> Mr. Dangler >> here. >> Dr. Vote >> here. Um please all stand for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance to the flag of the
United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> I will now read the mission statement for the city council. The Long Branch
mayor, city council, and administration are committed to cultivating an environment of mutual trust and respect that values the diversity of our community. We will strive to enhance the quality of life for all who live here by making Long Branch a desirable place in
which to live and prosper. We will treat all members of the public with respect and expect the same in return. Certification, please. I hereby certify that this meeting has been published in the newspaper in accordance with the open public meeting act and posted as required by law.
>> Okay. Thank you. Uh reading and approval of previous minutes. I need a motion to approve the minutes for the December 23rd, 2025 meeting. >> So moved. Second. >> Roll call, please. >> Mr. Rases? >> Yes. >> Mr. Vieiraa? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Whittis? >> Yes. >> Mr. Dangler?
>> Abstain. >> Dr. Vote. >> Yes. Motion passed. >> Thank you. Consideration of ordinance public hearing and final consideration. Ordinance 022-25,
an ordinance authorizing the purchase of 14 Sloum Place, block 234, lot 6 in the city of Long Branch. This ordinance was introduced on December 23rd, 2025 and is to approve the execution of the contract
for the purchase of the 14 Sloum place on on behalf of the free public library of the city of Long Branch. The library has already appropriated the funds for the purchase. I need a motion to open the public hearing on this ordinance
only. >> So move second. >> All in favor? >> I. If any member of the public has any comments to make on this ordinance only, please come to the podium, state your name and address clearly for the record. You will have five minutes and may only
speak once on ordinance 0-22-25. Seeing no one come forward, I need a motion to close. So move >> second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Uh this is the second reading of ordinance 22-25. I need a motion to adopt on second and final reading and
advertise according to law. >> So moved. Second. >> Roll call, please. >> Mr. Rases, >> yes. >> Mr. Vera, >> yes. >> Mrs. Whittis, >> yes. >> Mr. Dangler, >> yes. >> Dr. Vote, >> yes. >> Motion passed. >> Thank you. Ordinance 0-23-25,
a capital ordinance providing for the purchase of 14 Slogan Place, block 234, lot six by and in the city of Long Branch in the county of Mammoth, state of New Jersey, appropriating $400,000,
therefore, to pay for the cost thereof. This ordinance was introduced on December 23rd, 2025. And this fully funded capital ordinance authorizes the p purchase of the property located at 14
Sloum Place, also known as block 234, lot 6 from 2500 Oak uh Street Enterprises LLC from the library fund. I need a motion to open the public hearing on this ordinance only.
>> So move. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. If any member of the public has any comments to make on this ordinance only, please come to the podium, state your name and address clearly for the record. You will have five minutes and may only
speak on ordinance 0-23-25. Seeing no one come forward, I need a motion to close. >> So move second. >> All in favor? I >> I. This is the second reading of ordinance 23-25. I need a motion to adopt on second and
final reading and advertise according to law. >> So move second. >> Roll call. >> Mr. Rases? >> Yes. >> Mr. Vera? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Whittis? >> Yes. >> Mr. Dangler? >> Yes. >> Dr. Vote? >> Yes. >> Motion passed. >> Thank you. Ordinance for introduction.
There are none. Public participation for resolutions and all general comments. I need a motion to open the public portion of the meeting for all comments. >> So move. Second. >> All in favor? >> I >> I. >> The public portion of the meeting is to
allow you, the public, to state your comments directly to the administration and have a voice in the proceedings of your governing body. There will be no cross dialogue during the public portion of the meeting. After you have spoken, any member of the deis authorized to
speak on the administration's behalf may address your comments, answer your questions, and correct any misleading or erroneous information. If there's anyone in the audience who has a comment to make, please step forward to the podium, state your name and address clearly for
the record. You'll have five minutes to speak and may only speak once. Good evening, madame clerk. Requesting one minute notification. Vincent Laapour, 33 Ocean Terrace Long Branch. Once again, I have a very important
announcement to make. As I did at the last council meeting a week and a half ago, as of Monday, January 5th of this year, 2026, applications were made available at the clerk's office
for the May 12th, 2026 municipal election, where all five council seats and the mayor's position are available to be filled. Citizen residents of Long Branch can obtain an application
to either run for the mayor or council positions. The applications are due back at the clerk's office on February 26th. Any questions, the city clerk's office
will provide the details. This is your opportunity to those of those who are concerned to run for these positions and address the outright unaffordable Palone
government aka taxes, taxes, taxes. to address the dirty, filthy, core corruption of this municipal government, to address crime, and address other issues.
Get your applications. Point of order. Council President, vote. For the last several council meetings, the record shows that you have outright discriminated against me and others during the public portion of their
meetings by deniting questions answered via cross dialogue when in fact you allowed the mayor to have cross dialogue and answer questions to a speaker in the public portion of the
last council meeting that well exceeded the five minute point. All in complete violation of your civility statement. Council president, vote, the mayor is to comply with both your mission statement
and civility statements. And furthermore, council president vote at the October 22nd, 2025 council meeting, you allowed city attorney Reon to debase the legitimacy of this nonpartisan
municipal government when he prevented Councilman Rases from answering a question from me concerning an October 3rd, 2025, $2,500 contribution from the city attorney's law firm, Reown
Cochland Manello. follow to Councilman Ras's election campaign prior to Councilman Ras's voting to appear on a bill payout on October 8th, 2025 via resolution 192 in the amount of
$28,847 in legal services to the city attorney's law firm. Attorney Ray known stated the following quote. As to my law firm's contributions, I have a First Amendment right to make campaign contributions to support
candidates that I like. And by the way, I do that all the time. I support Democratic candidates throughout the state and I am very proud of it." End quote. That was Attorney Reon's response.
Council President vote Ray known remarks deserve equal time from other political organizations whether they're independents, unaffiliated, Republicans,
etc. in response to the partiality of attorney reown >> as a public official of this city. >> One minute notification. >> Thank you, madame clerk.
Attorney Ray known was wrong and this council allowed that in violation of a nonpartisan government. In order to restore the legitimacy of this city's nonpartisan government, equal time should be afforded to other organizations
so as to prevent what we continue to seek from this day, junk government. Thank you, Mr. Leapour. Is there anyone else? Anyone in the public who wants to further discuss any other comments or
concerns, please call the city clerk's office at 732-571 5686 to schedule a time at the public council hours that are held the first Wednesday of every month.
I now need a motion to close the public participation portion of the meeting. >> So move second. >> All in favor? I >> I I'll now ask madame clerk if there are any changes to the list of resolutions. >> No changes have been made. >> Okay. Thank you. We can take the listed
resolutions as a cons consent agenda. I need a motion. >> So move. Second. >> Roll call, please. >> Mr. Rases? >> Yes. >> Mr. Vieiraa? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Whittis? >> Yes. >> Mr. Dangler? >> Yes. >> Dr. Vote? >> Yes. >> Motion passed. >> Thank you. Um, applications. I need a
motion to approve the listed applications. Approval of the transfer of taxi medallion number 31. I'm going to need some help on these names. From Jed Wajid to Maund
Mohammed E Mohammed. I need a motion. >> So move. Second. >> Roll call. >> Mr. Ras. >> Yes. >> Mr. Vera. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Whittis. >> Yes. >> Mr. Dangler. >> Yes. >> Dr. Vote. Yes. >> Motion passed. >> Thank you. I need a motion to appoint
the following members of the Long Branch Fire Department. Yanv na >> nha. Um the oceanic company. Um and the status is fire and police. I need a
motion. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Roll call, please. Mr. Ras, >> yes. >> Mr. Vera, >> yes. >> Mrs. Whittis, >> yes. >> Mr. Dangler, >> yes. >> Dr. Vote, >> yes. Motion passed. Thank you. Um, miscellaneous business for the good of
the order. And Councilman Rasis, you're going to start us off. >> Thank you, Council President. I'd like to thank everyone for coming out this evening and wish everyone a happy new year. Also, I'd like to congratulate in attendance tonight is our new fire chief, Arthur Green. Uh, best of luck
with everything. uh you do a tremendous job with our museum, the fire museum, and uh all the best and uh just want to wish everyone uh please stay safe and um want to thank you. >> Thank you, Councilman Ras and Councilman
Vieiraa. >> Thanks for coming out tonight. It's nice to see uh people in the audience. Also want to echo what Councilman Raza says about Mr. Arthur Green over there with all the work he does for us and he's going to fill that role and look good. And with that, I want to say good night to everyone.
>> Thank you, Councilman Vieira, and Councilwoman Whittis. >> Well, I also want to thank you all for coming out this evening and Arthur, congratulations, and you know, we're here to support you in any way we can. And uh happy new year to everyone. Have
a happy and healthy 2026. Thank you. >> Thank you, Councilwoman Whittis and Councilman Dangler. >> Yes. Congratulations, Chief, and uh thank the residents that came out tonight and those that are even listening. Um I just would like to continue to be blessed and uh have a
good evening and be safe. Thank you. >> Thank you, Councilman Dangler and Mayor Palone. >> Thank you, Council President Chief. Congratulations. Uh thank you all for coming this evening. Happy New Year to you and your families. Uh there's a couple events that we have upcoming, including tomorrow night, uh is the
grand opening of um the Branchport Galleries, which was a new wing of our new um Long Branch Arts and Cultural Center uptown at um Broadway and uh at Branchport. Um it's a new gallery space. It's beautiful. There's four new galleries that will have even more
classes, programs, and art. Uh there's also a reception night for the opening of the exhibit which is for the sake of art, local artists. Um and we're going to have a ribbon cutting, cake, and refreshments. Uh so please if you can join us tomorrow, that's between 6 and
8:00. So um holiday beach badges are still on on sale uh only until January 21st. Uh please contact the recreation department with any questions. And uh just so you know, in other words, you can still get that discounted rate of
$45 as opposed to um $70 after January th 31st. And uh student rate is $25 instead of uh $35. And finally, at the senior center, our next history in motion lecture um or series is on
January 29th at 6 p.m. That's at the senior center. And the topics uh the topic will be shipwrecks of the Jersey Shore and will be presented by Dan Rayell, a local historian. So this is a free event and those things are um uh those events are very interesting and
and a lot of people come to them and they're they're very enjoyable. So um if you're free, that's the 29th of January. Thank you all again for coming out this evening. >> Thank you, Mayor. Um Chief, all the best. Congratulations. Thank you for all
that you do. Uh and good luck with this new adventure. So, you know, you know, you have our support. Congratulations. Um and um you're going to you've heard this a few times now. Happy New Year. All the best for making this a great new
year and thank you so much for coming out and hopefully we will see you in two weeks. And now I need a motion to adjurnn. So move. >> Second. >> Second. Second. >> All in favor? Good night everyone.