The Coaster
Friday, June 2, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Browse News by Town
    • Allenhurst
    • Asbury Park
    • Avon
    • Bradley Beach
    • Deal
    • Interlaken
    • Loch Arbour
    • Long Branch
    • Neptune
    • Neptune City
    • Ocean Grove
    • Ocean Township
    • Tinton Falls
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
Subscribe / Renew
  • Browse News by Town
    • Allenhurst
    • Asbury Park
    • Avon
    • Bradley Beach
    • Deal
    • Interlaken
    • Loch Arbour
    • Long Branch
    • Neptune
    • Neptune City
    • Ocean Grove
    • Ocean Township
    • Tinton Falls
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
The Coaster
No Result
View All Result
Home Bradley Beach

Bradley Beach Man Sues Borough

by The Coaster Editorial Staff
March 9, 2018
in Bradley Beach
63
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare via EmailShare on Twitter

 

lobsterBy PETE WALTON

A Bradley Beach resident is suing the Borough Council, the mayor and the borough itself, asking that approval of dates for the popular Lobster Fest be overturned.

Thomas J. Coan wants a judge in state Superior Court in Freehold to reverse the vote to set June 23 through 25 as the dates for this year’s event. Lobster Fest attracts thousands to the borough beachfront each year. Some residents, including Coan, said they would rather see the event moved to the off season. Council members also have supported moving it to the off season.

“The resolution should be voided because one of the members of council who participated in the deliberations and voted in favor of the resolution has a conflict of interest,” the suit alleges.

The event is sponsored by the Bradley Beach Chamber of Commerce. Chamber President Beth Cotler is the wife of Council President Harold Cotler.

At the council’s Jan. 23 meeting, Coan objected to Cotler’s participation in the vote to set the dates for Lobster Fest because of his wife’s role as head of the chamber.

Borough Attorney Michael DuPont said that because Beth Cotler is not paid for her work as chamber president and no proceeds from the event would be directed to her or her family, there was no conflict of interest.

Cotler subsequently voted in favor of the resolution, which was approved by a unanimous vote.

In his suit, Coan, a former Manasquan councilman, challenges the interpretation of state law by DuPont, a former councilman in Red Bank.

“The test for participation is not pecuniary benefit,” Coan asserts in the suit.

He cites a New Jersey statute which says that no “local government officer or employee shall act in his official capacity in any matter where he, a member of his immediate family, or a business organization in which he has an interest, has a direct or indirect financial or personal involvement that might reasonably be expcted to impair his objectivity [or] judgment.”

Coan claims that because Beth Cotler is the chamber president, she has a “personal involvement” in the matter that “might reasonably be expected to impair” her husband’s judgment.

“The entire process, deliberation and vote was tainted and should be declared void,” Coan says in the suit, which was prepared by attorney Walter M. Luers of Clinton.

“Dr. Hal Cotler and his wife Beth maintain the highest ethical standards,” said Mayor Gary Engelstad. “Both Dr. Cotler and his wife and his entire family for that matter have an unmatched record of committment and volunteerism to Bradley Beach. For anyone to suggest otherwise demonstrates a stunning lack of basic human decency.”

Related Posts

Bradley Beach to Interview Candidates for Administrator

Bradley Beach Gearing Up to Celebrate 130th Anniversary

May 23, 2023

Bradley Beach Police Blotter

May 10, 2023
Bradley Beach to Interview Candidates for Administrator

Bradley Beach to Interview Candidates for Administrator

May 3, 2023
Dine Out in Bradley Beach, Support Pantry

Dine Out in Bradley Beach, Support Pantry

May 1, 2023

Bradley Beach Police Blotter

April 26, 2023
Collecting Photographs and Stories of Bradley Beach’s Past

Collecting Photographs and Stories of Bradley Beach’s Past

April 17, 2023

Trending This Week

Ocean Grove Burglar Arrested

May 31, 2023
2 Lawsuits Filed Over Neptune City’s Marijuana Ordinance

In Neptune Another Cannabis Business OK’d

May 31, 2023
In Asbury Park School Budget Features Substantial Tax Boost

In Asbury Park School Officials Discuss Resurrecting Alternate School

May 31, 2023
$500,000 Grant For Fitness Path

Ocean Grove Residents Complain About Beach Badges Featuring a Cross

May 31, 2023

Advertisement

Advertise Online with The Coaster

Advertise on The Coaster to reach countless new customers for your local business.

START ADVERTISING TODAY

E-mail Newsletter

Sign up to get a free weekly newsletter to your inbox.

Subscribe

Contact Us

The Coaster
1011 Main St
Asbury Park, NJ 07712
Phone: 732-775-3010
FAX: 732-775-8345
editor@thecoaster.net

Email Newsletter »

All Articles

Search Our Site

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 The New Coaster, LLC. All rights reserved. • Privacy Policy

No Result
View All Result
  • Browse News by Town
    • Allenhurst
    • Asbury Park
    • Avon
    • Bradley Beach
    • Deal
    • Interlaken
    • Loch Arbour
    • Long Branch
    • Neptune
    • Neptune City
    • Ocean Grove
    • Ocean Township
    • Tinton Falls
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
Subscribe / Renew

© 2023 The New Coaster, LLC. All rights reserved. • Privacy Policy