Avalon Mayor Takes Beach Funding Fight to Washington

WASHINGTON, D.C – Avalon Mayor Martin Pagliughi met with Vice President Joe Biden’s office and other officials on Wednesday, April 22 to get questions answered about the future of beach nourishment programs throughout the United States.
“The time to act on behalf of our beaches is now”, Pagliughi said. “I am very grateful to the office of Vice President Joe Biden for listening to our concerns of not only Avalon residents, but coastal residents along the entire Jersey Shore and the rest of the United States. This country cannot afford to ignore its beaches, which fuels the economic engine of tourism in Avalon, New Jersey, and many coastal states.”
According to a release, Pagliughi met with Ms. Evan Ryan, the Assistant to the Vice President for Intergovernmental Affairs at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next to the White House. He expressed deep concerns about the constant fight for federal beach nourishment dollars, and about the federal Office of Management and Budget’s plans of providing zero dollars for beach projects in the United States.
“Ms. Ryan listened and understands the problems associated with ignoring funding for beach projects”, Pagliughi said. “I have asked for another meeting with the Vice President and with OMB to engage discussion about why we need to invest in our beaches. Avalon has successfully put the issue in front of the Vice President’s staff, and hopefully another meeting could change federal policy for the benefit of millions of coastal residents, homeowners, and people who depend on beaches for their livelihoods.”
Pagliughi said shore communities struggle to develop long range goals and strategies for beach maintenance programs due to an annual battle for funding on the state and federal levels. During this economic downtown, the federal government is focusing its efforts on job creation and economic stimulus. According to a new state report, over 443,000 jobs in New Jersey in 2008 were directly related to tourism, which also generated $7.7 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenue. Cape May County’s tourism is second in the state in generating tourism expenditures, at $5.06 billion last year.
“This is not about suntans”, Pagliughi said. “Beaches are proven to very important to coastal communities like Avalon on two fronts. First, beaches generate jobs and are connected to virtually every single segment of our economy in Cape May County. Second, beaches are always the first line of defense in the event of a coastal storm. It’s not ‘if’ we will get a major storm, the question is ‘when’. Hopefully the federal government learned lessons from Gulf hurricanes earlier this decade. It’s better to invest in beaches now to save lives and property.”
Pagliughi also met with Kristen Michaels, Projects Director for Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Keith Rochford, Special Projects Director for Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), and with Congressman Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) during separate meetings during the day on Wednesday.
“Our senators and congressman know the importance of the beaches in the state of New Jersey, and I value their time and efforts”, Pagliughi said. “And I know our Vice President, Mr. Biden, comes from the coastal state of Delaware which is scheduled to receive at least three beach renourishments in the next year and a half. I’m hopeful all parties can engage in a productive conversation to protect the millions of lives and homes along our nation’s beaches”.
Avalon will continue the discussion on the economic threats to beach nourishment and tourism promotion funding from the state of New Jersey during a town hall meeting on Tuesday, April 28th, at 6pm at the Avalon Community Center, 30th and the beach, Avalon. Pagliughi has invited elected, tourism, chamber, and business leaders to this meeting to discuss Governor Jon Corzine’s intentions of stripping millions of dollars away from beach and tourism projects in the 2009 state budget.
“The governor’s budget is reckless and irresponsible”, Pagliughi said. “I assumed that the elected governor of the state of New Jersey would know the importance of beaches and tourism to his state’s economy. I assumed wrong. Mr. Corzine will soon learn that his Wall Street-mentality does not apply to the state of New Jersey, and will not be tolerated by coastal leaders from the southern part of the state”.