Three Democratic Names Go to Point Beach Council

When Point Beach Council holds a special meeting Tuesday night, they may choose to vote for a Democratic successor to Councilman Michael Corbally.

If they don't vote on it tonight, they need to vote by July 20, since that is 30 days since Corbally resigned and there is a 30 day time limit to vote to fill seats that have been vacated.

The local Democratic club has chosen Tom Davis, Dave Cavagnaro and Monica Walsh as the three names the council must pick from for Michael Corbally's unexpired council term, according to a source aware of the process.

Davis is already on the ballot as a Democratic candidate in the November general election for two, three-year council seats.

Corbally resigned last Thursday, a day after being called out by Superior Court Judge Vincent Grasso for allegedly having a conflict of interest in his vote on the town's overnight, summertime parking plan in parts of Districts 4 and 3.

Corbally has responded by saying he had voted for the parking plan because he believed it was a positive plan for the town and not because he thought it would help him he make more money as a Realtor in District 4, as the judge inferred.

Ronald Gasiorowski is the attorney representing Purple Jet Fishing Charters t/Queen Mary, in the lawsuit Grasso ruled on, and he is also representing Martell's in a similar lawsuit pending in federal court. John Jackson, the president of the local Republican club, is co-counsel on the Purple Jet lawsuit.

Corbally not only resigned immediately, but he is also no longer running for reelection in the November general election. He had been on the Democratic slate with Davis. 

Republicans Tom Vogel and Tom Toohey will face off with Democrats in the race for the two seats.

On Monday morning, Grasso met with lawyers for both sides in the ongoing parking plan litigation and denied the town's requests for a reconsideration and also for a stay, said Mayor Vincent Barrella.

So the next step is for the town to request a stay from the Appellate Division and then council needs to decide whether to appeal Grasso's decision.

The meeting tonight also features two ordinances for a parking plan. Apparently the idea is to have a new vote on the parking plan now that Grasso found what he claimed was Corbally's conflict of interest, but otherwise said in his opinion that the ordinance was legally sound.

One ordinance is to have the parking plan only in District 4, as it was in the summer of 2012, and the other ordinance is to have the plan in part of District 3 as well as most of District 4, as it is now.

The meeting is at 7 p.m. at Borough Hall on New Jersey Avenue and begins with a closed session.

To see the complete agenda, click here.