Change the Bradley Beach Form of Government to Council Manger? Vote NO!

  • Keep our Nonpartisan Small Municipality Form of Government

  • Keep Bradley Beach Leadership Local

  • Keep Accountability with the People

  • Keep and Protect our Small-Town Values

September 25, 2025

Letter to the Editor

The Coast Star/The Coaster

Jane DeNoble

I invite you to vote no on the proposed change of government in Bradley Beach. The foundation of our success in Bradley Beach is teamwork. Now more than ever.

Currently our government requires a majority of elected officials — your neighbors — to deliberate and agree on the best path forward. This essential collaboration ensures accountability and refl ects the diverse voices of our small municipality.

The proposed change would replace this vital team structure with the authority of one voice — a hired city manager.

We simply cannot aff ord to lose the system of checks and balances that keeps our Borough responsive to its residents. We need engaged, locally accountable leadership, not a lone appointed employee.

Let’s protect our small municipality government that works for us and keep the decision-making process in the hands of the people you elect.

I strongly encourage you to vote no and safeguard the future of our beloved borough of Bradley Beach.

JANE DENOBLE

Bradley Beach Council President

Third Avenue, Bradley Beach  

October 1, 2025

Letter to the Editor

The Coast Star/The Coaster

Mitch Karp

Bradley Beach is a special place, and I believe we should be very cautious about changing something as important as our form of government. The proposed switch to a Council Manager form of government system sounds appealing on paper until you dive into the facts; it’s a risky experiment our town doesn’t need.

Nearby towns that use the manager system, like Ocean and Howell, have faced lawsuits, costly settlements, and frequent turnover. Instead of creating stability, the system has produced chaos — with taxpayers left to pay the price.

Even more concerning is the loss of accountability. A mayor is one of us: a neighbor who lives here, walks our streets, and is directly answerable to voters. A manager, no matter how professional, will never have that same stake in our community. And managers rarely stay long. In just two mayoral cycles, Bradley Beach has had two mayors but eight administrators. That isn’t stability.

The truth is, we don’t need a new structure. We need good leaders. And we already have the best accountability tool available — the ballot box. If a mayor isn’t doing the job, we can vote them out. That’s simple, democratic, and far more reliable than hoping a hired manager will put Bradley Beach first.

This proposal isn’t progress. It’s change for the sake of change — and it risks giving our town’s future to outsiders who may not be here for the long haul.

Let’s keep our government close to the people who actually call Bradley Beach home. Vote NO in November to keep our proven form of government in place.

Mitch Karp

Third Avenue, Bradley Beach

October 11, 2025

Letter to the Editor

The Coast Star/The Coaster

Shana Greenblatt

Keep Bradley Beach Local - Vote NO on the Municipal Referendum

This election, Bradley Beach residents will vote to either keep our current Small Municipality form of government or change to a Council-Manager format. A Charter Study Commission, approved last year, examined the limited options available and is recommending the change. As an incumbent Councilperson, I encourage a NO vote.

Some members of the Commission recently asserted that our team opposed the change because it would require us to run again. This is offensive and not true; I will explain my reasoning here. The three of us currently serving on Council have a perspective of how this government functions and we genuinely believe no change is in the best interest for Bradley Beach. We support a directly elected mayor who resides among us, will stand up for our issues and concerns and work in tandem with a Business Administrator to manage operations.

Last year I voted in favor of the Charter Study to evaluate available alternatives. We had dysfunction in our government with no progress on several critical issues. It was an opportunity to examine what other options were available to us.

So why am I not supporting the recommendation to change to a Council-Manager system? It would leave us with a lame-duck mayor. We would hire a Municipal Manager to serve as the borough’s CEO who oversees all hiring and operations. This is fraught with risk. A professional Municipal Manager who does not live in town may have an agenda or political or career objectives that could undermine the fabric of our community. In this new administration we have found a rhythm with mayor and council functioning effectively with a professional who reports to the mayor. A change in government now would thwart the many advancements made and interfere in our progress. Is the change worth the tradeoff of risk? I think not.

This wording of the Referendum ballot question is meticulously crafted to compel a vote in favor of change. The ballot reads: Shall the COUNCIL-MANAGER PLAN of the Optional Municipal Charter Law, providing for FIVE (5) council members to be ELECTED AT-LARGE for STAGGERED terms at NON-PARTISAN elections to be held in NOVEMBER, with the MAYOR ELECTED DIRECTLY BY THE VOTERS, be adopted by the Borough of Bradley Beach?

What the Referendum question does not articulate is that Bradley Beach currently HAS NON-PARTISAN elections, with a council of four plus one mayor who also votes as a council member. THE RESIDENTS DIRECTLY VOTE FOR ALL FIVE POSITIONS. The difference is that the role of mayor in the Council-Manager format is but a figure head, with no real authority. The Municipal Manager wields all the power of borough operations. It is a major disruption when a Municipal Manager leaves and often takes staff with them.

Supporters of the Council-Manager format feel we avert risk because we can fire the manager -- but it is not so simple. It’s a process that requires documented cause and leaves the borough vulnerable to lawsuits. It creates a vacuum and requires a current municipal employee to fill in while still functioning in their current role amidst a time-consuming search for a replacement. As a small borough, Bradley cannot compete financially with other towns for a career Municipal Manager, a position which commands a higher pay scale than our current Business Administrator. We will struggle to keep a competent manager who can earn more elsewhere.

I see value in staggering the terms of Council and, if the referendum fails, will advocate for this change. Further, while the Small Municipality structure regards a Business Administrator as “optional,” I would advocate for a required Business Administrator with requisite credentials. The relationship between strong mayor (as CEO) and BA (as COO) which we currently have is functional and accommodates a necessary check-and-balance between governance and operations.

I am grateful for the dedicated work of the Charter Study Commission, but I do NOT agree with their recommendation. The current system succeeds with committed elected residents working together to solve problems and make progress. It’s the people, not the form of government. I encourage a NO vote on the Referendum. Let’s preserve our small town and protect its future.

Shana Greenblatt

Bradley Beach Council

October 16, 2025

Letter to the Editor

The Coast Star/The Coaster

Paul Nowicki

Does Bradley Beach Need Change?

On Election Day, the citizens of Bradley Beach will vote on a referendum to change our form of government from the Small Municipality to the Council Manager form.  I encourage you to Vote No on the referendum for the following reasons:

In our current form of government, the elected Mayor is the singular point of accountability directly to the people. The Mayor is elected by the people of Bradley Beach and is a resident of our town.

The proposed council manager form gives executive power to an outside hired manager who is not an elected official. The Manager enacts legislation by a majority council vote, and is empowered to be the chief executive decision maker. The Manager is not directly accountable to the voters.

In our current form of small municipality government, the nonpartisan Mayor and nonpartisan Council Members are Bradley Beach residents elected by our neighbors based on values, experience and willingness to work together for the best interests of Bradley Beach. A hired Manager most likely will not live, nor be vested, in our small community and is not directly accountable to our residents.

The hired Council Manager form has been demonstrated to be a more expensive form of government. Not only is the salary higher, surrounding towns have had significant lawsuits when this form fails.  It does not ensure successful governing nor prevent political in-fighting and poor leadership.

Adjustments to our existing small municipality form of government can be addressed directly, such as Council staggered terms and the establishing of Business Administrator credentials. This would address concerns identified by the Commission without changing our form of government.

I commend the Commission for their effort in evaluating the available forms of government.

However, I believe that the residents of Bradley Beach should keep our current small municipality form of government by voting NO to change to Council Manager.  A “No vote” keeps our current government and the people retain the accountability over the governing executive directly, not through the council to a hired third party.

Paul Nowicki

Bradley Beach Resident