OPINION: Circus Or Civility? What Will 2019 Bring For Brick

BRICK, NJ — If you have sat through a Brick Township Council meeting anytime in the last six months — or watched the telecast online or at home — chances are there is one word that comes to mind: Circus.

Between the perpetual "gotcha" games and arguments and councilmembers stepping down from the dais to speak their minds, the personal fight over political angst has turned the meetings into a reality show-style train wreck.

You start to wonder if Snooki and the "Jersey Shore" cast are filming in the room.

It's no secret the Councilman Jim Fozman is furious with the Democrats, particularly Mayor John Ducey and Councilwoman Heather deJong. Apparently not getting voted in as the Democratic municipal chair was such an egregious transgression that he's willing to blister innocent bystanders, including township employees, in every effort to embarass Ducey and the others.

Just a reminder: The township has several hundred municipal employees. By and large, they are generally long-serving and come from both parties and really want just one thing: to do their jobs without a bunch of foolishness.

But that doesn't mean Ducey and deJong and some of the others are without fault. Firing back at every comment with a "well, but this is what he did" is the kind of behavior we get from elementary school kids. Being combative is only pouring gasoline on the fire.

Both Victor Fanelli and George Scott said it well at the Dec. 18 council meeting: It sets a bad example for everyone and it's just not a good situation.

It's undignified and unprofessional. And worse, it's being stirred up by some outside agitation. If you think there isn't more at play than just friction over a municipal post, you haven't been paying attention.

If Fozman was so concerned that the township wasn't being transparent with the citizens, why didn't he speak up last year or any of the past five years? When his wife was blistered by the Republicans over being named to the township's Housing Authority back in 2014, the Democrats backed the appointment. Fozman was a proud Democrat for years who actively supported former New Jersey gubernatorial candidate and assemblyman John Wisniewski in his campaign. But his belief that he was personally wronged has suddenly hates all Democrats and paints them as evil. That's unfortunate.

By the same token, if the council wants to tone down the criticism, its members have to set the proper tone. Don't yell over someone speaking because you disagree with what they're saying. And don't publicly correct an immaterial misstatement to simply embarass the speaker. That's like being one of the an annoying grammar police you encounty on Facebook.

Whoever sits in the council president's seat this year should take a lesson from the school board, where Board President Stephanie Wohlrab greets meeting regulars by name — including the ones who are so frequently critical of the district. The school board isn't free of controversy or criticism, but the tone has been less adversarial in the last year — an accomplishment considering how much controversy the district has faced in the last five years.

If the township council wants to quell the conspiracy theories and defang the transparency complaints, consider format changes to the meetings. There are options that can be considered. The Toms River school district, for example, holds open public committee meetings once a month, and its second meeting is the business meeting where action takes place. Or put more extensive information on the agenda and publish the entire thing on the website the Friday before the meeting for the public.

It won't stop all of them. But it might bring down the vitriol a bit.

Some issues will be more difficult to resolve, especially with the incessant "gotcha" game going on right now. There is a concerted effort going on to embarass Ducey in particular. When photos that are supposedly from an invitation-only Democratic celebration are released in an effort to fuel conspiracy theories, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the motivation.

And when those photos are given to a website that sought $1,250 per month to help Brick officials "publish positive and accurate community content that will not only inform the public, enlighten the public, but also reinforce your organization’s brand and integrity" — a website that has repeatedly accused Brick officials of wrongdoing without substantive reporting of its own — the motivation of that publication is questionable at best. Especially when the website repeatedly targets Democrats.

Brick's council members — deJong, Fozman, Paul Mummolo, Art Halloran, Lisa Crate and Andrea Zapcic — need to listen to one of their own, Marianna Pontoriero, who said she wants to find solutions instead of fighting.

People often lament how few people attend council meetings. Who wants to sit through that much toxic anger?

Fight amongst yourselves on your own time. You folks serve the residents. Don't forget that.

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Councilman Jim Fozman addresses the Brick Township Council from the public microphone during the Dec. 4, 2018 meeting. Photo by Karen Wall, Patch staff