STONE HARBOR – A small vase with a single rose marked the vacant seat of Stone Harbor Councilman Albert Carusi, Dec. 15.
Carusi, 74, passed away suddenly Dec. 8 leaving a vacancy on Borough Council. The borough governing body is comprised of a mayor and six council members. Carusi played a special role on the council as chair of the Public Safety Committee.
Stone Harbor is governed under the borough form of government with a “weak mayor/strong council” system. Members of council are elected at-large on a partisan basis.
Carusi’s term runs until Dec. 31, 2016. Given that Carusi was elected as a Republican, Mayor Walters explained that the Republican Committee takes the first step on any potential replacement for Carusi.
The committee has until Dec. 23, 15 days from the date of the vacancy, to propose a slate of three potential appointees to council. Within the next 15 days, council will act on the committee’s proposal.
Any individual appointed to the seat would serve only until the end of 2016. The seat would be up for election on next year’s November ballot.
Another change in the faces at the council dais was a new borough solicitor.
Michael Donohue, who had served as borough solicitor, was recently nominated as a Superior Court judge. Donohue was also county Republican chairman.
Marcus Karavan, solicitor for Middle Township Committee, sat at dais with a handmade sign but no announcement of the change made by the mayor.
Karavan has been solicitor in Middle Township since 2012 when the governing body came under Republican control with the election of Timothy Donohue, the current mayor.
Karavan replaced James Pickering Jr., who had been solicitor for Middle Township Committee, and was also the county Democratic Party chairman. Pickering was also recently nominated as a Superior Court judge. In the past, Karavan has also served as solicitor for Wildwood.
Atlantic City Electric
The Atlantic City Electric plan to refurbish the power grid on Seven Mile Island has dominated discussion at council meetings. The plan, among other things, calls for the use of large galvanized steel poles to carry transmission lines to and from a substation in Avalon.
A significant number of property owners have opposed the use of those poles. This meeting saw almost no discussion of the issue.
Following the last council meeting, an agreement was reached to have the attorney from a citizens’ group formed to oppose Atlantic City Electric’s plans meet with borough officials.
The non-profit group created by a body of individuals opposed to the utility’s use of the poles, Property Owners Against Peermont, also usually has a representative speaking at council meetings but did not have one for this meeting.
Discussions appear to have moved from the public setting. Council did hold a closed session on the issue, but Walters declined to give any update when council returned into public session.
Walters did say that Atlantic City Electric was close to beginning the process to pass its transmission lines under the bay and that she expected the drilling would actually begin in January.
The project, which originally called for the utility to be working in Stone Harbor in October, is behind its initial schedule.
Meetings with company officials at earlier stages in the project had indicated that a failure to get the new transmission lines in place by Memorial Day would require the utility to use portable generators at the old Stone Harbor substation to meet peak demand times during the summer season.
Frank Dallahan, a resident of 95th Street, updated council on his efforts to enlist the support of Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-1st). After asking Van Drew for support, Dallahan said that the senator reported that the BPU had not set a specific date for the completion of the work in Stone Harbor.
Residents believe that they were told by Atlantic City Electric that work had to be completed by Memorial Day because of a mandate from the Board of Public Utilities.
For Dallahan that was good news. He explained that it gave the utility “time to develop a plan for putting the transmission lines underground,” the preferred approach for those opposed to poles.
It also gives time “For the borough to develop its financing plan,” he said.
The expectation is that any final agreement to bury the lines for the 17 blocks they will travel in Stone Harbor would be at borough expense.
Walters indicated that an update on the issue from the council might be possible at the first meeting in January.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.
Wildwood Crest – Regarding transparency in CMC; they need to look to Atlantic County a few miles up the road. Their meetings start at 4pm and citizens can remote in from the County website and listen or even raise an…
