CAPE MAY – After little over an hour, the Sept. 20 Cape May City Council meeting was near the end of its agenda when its tone changed dramatically.
Just before public comments, the agenda routinely includes time for each council member to make comments on anything they choose. That night City Solicitor Anthony Monzo used his opportunity to scold an elected official, Council member Shane Meier.
The unusual nature of this public dressing down was just one more example of the conflict that remains over issues related to police department management.
Prefacing his comments that he had “no anger or disrespect to anyone,” Monzo said that he “felt compelled and even obligated” to address remarks by Meier quoted in a newspaper article.
In those quotes, Meier alleged that he was verbally assaulted and bullied by Monzo and Mayor Edward Mahaney during a closed session dealing with the removal of Robert Sheehan as police chief. As Monzo spoke, Meier confirmed those statements.
Monzo called on any other of the officials who attended the closed session to “raise your hand if you agree he was bullied.”
When no one reacted, Monzo took that as evidence of non-agreement and said bluntly to Meier “It is clear that you are not telling the truth.” Throughout the exchange, Mahaney, the other individual accused of the verbal assault, said nothing.
Members of the public called out from their seats after Roger Furlin spoke in support of Monzo’s rendition of the closed session. Furlin said to Meier that any unpleasant exchanges at the meeting “were instigated by you.”
He went on to claim that Meier’s actions that day were “unethical.” At that point, some members of the public called out that the bullying had begun anew. “You are doing it again,” shouted Jerry Inderwies Jr., a council member in 2015 who resigned over the controversies surrounding the removal of Sheehan as chief of police.
The exchange accomplished little.
Monzo had included in his remarks that he had attempted to contact Meier by text before making public comments. Meier spent much of the time during the exchange checking his phone for the text which he later said he did not receive because Monzo used an incorrect phone number.
Meier then included Deputy Mayor Bea Pessagno among those whom he claimed tried to “coerce” his vote. Pessagno expressed shock at the accusation. So it went to no positive end.
Inderwies and retired police chief Robert Boyd castigated council, but some of those in attendance chose not to speak, including candidates for election Nov. 8.
A number of the public later expressed dismay at the scene.
Inderwies raised an issue that two members of council were seen having dinner with a candidate for the chief of police position the day before the interview.
Pessagno admitted that it happened but said it was “perfectly innocent” and a result of the establishment’s “arranged seating” process.
Meier’s attempts to discern if the candidate at that dinner was Marino, the newly-appointed chief, were not given a response.
It was all an exchange, heated at times, to no end regarding a resolution.
Just another example of the divisive nature of the issues surrounding the removal of Sheehan as chief in March 2015 and the actions that emanated from that decision.
Mahaney may say that “the city has moved on” with the appointment of Marino but the council meeting did not provide evidence of that claim.
Draft Settlement with Ex-Officer
Council went into closed session after the public portion of the meeting. The subject was a potential settlement of a case brought by Steven Pascal who accused the city of discrimination based on his sexual orientation.
Pascal was a police officer. Reports say the draft settlement called for $369,000 paid to Pascal.
Sheehan was a command officer in the department throughout the period when Pascal was employed. Sheehan had originally been named as part of the suit.
An attorney for Sheehan issued a statement saying that “Capt. Sheehan is not part of the settlement as he was voluntarily dismissed from the litigation weeks ago.”
The statement continued “Steven Pascal testified through his deposition that Capt. Sheehan did not discriminate nor retaliate against Pascal.” Any settlement agreement would be for claims against the city only.
When the council returned after its closed session, no action was taken, so the settlement remains unaccepted at this time.
Beach Safety
City Manager Bruce MacLeod gave a brief presentation on the city’s efforts to fill in tidal ponds that have raised safety issues at Cove Beach. The permit which the city was able to obtain from state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) did not allow for enough sand to fill in the most dangerous of the ponds, but the actions did result in a larger but shallower pond which may allow for faster evaporation.
Council also discussed a recent conference call which marks the beginning of a process for measuring and collecting data on beach injuries through a relationship with Cape Regional Medical Center.
A recent meeting with the Army Corps of Engineers and the DEP made clear that the government agencies that control the templates used for beach maintenance and replenishment will not make the safety issue for beach goers a significant factor in their analysis without better proof of a relationship between beach contours and injury patterns.
The study by Cape Regional may provide the kind of information needed.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.
Cape May – Governor Murphy says he doesn't know anything about the drones and doesn't know what they are doing but he does know that they are not dangerous. Does anyone feel better now?
