By R.J. LIBERATORE Jr.

Staff Writer

The approach of Hurricane Irene combined with Saturday’s new moon presents a potential “worst-case scenario,” said Vincent Jones, director of the Atlantic County Office of Emergency Preparedness. As a result, officials are urging all South Jersey residents to closely monitor the progress of Hurricane Irene as it moves up the Atlantic Coast toward New England.

“This is a scary one,” he said. “Everybody needs to watch out for this one.”

Preliminary rainfall forecasts are anywhere from 4-8 inches to 6-10 inches, Jones said.

By MICHAEL FEELY

Staff Writer

City Council this past Wednesday evening met with Jersey Professional Management (JPM) to review résumés submitted by individuals interested in the vacant Brigantine city manager position. Dan Mason of JPM told council that 25 résumés had been received and there were indications that the city would receive two to three more.

By MICHAEL FEELY

Staff Writer

Rams head coach Mike Morgan was preparing for football practice this past Wednesday, Aug. 24 and was optimistic about the coming season.

“We have very good numbers this year,” he said. “We have 30 varsity players, low 20s in JV and 25 in Pee Wee. It should be an interesting season.”

By MICHAEL FEELY

Staff Writer

Lifelong resident and local attorney Rick DeLucry has accepted the challenge of running against “New Republican” Tom Milhous in the upcoming November election for the 4th Ward council position that will be vacated by incumbent Ken Schaffer.

Schaffer had chosen not to run last week as business pressures had restricted his ability to campaign effectively in the upcoming months.

DeLucry is an attorney with Hill Wallack LLP in Atlantic City. He has been involved in political activities on the island for many years. He served as counsel to the Brigantine Democratic Club for several years. DeLucry was vocal in challenging former City Manager Jim Barber’s handling of the settlement agreement with former Police Chief Jim Frugoli.

DeLucry, and his wife, Bobbi, have two teenage sons, Mickey and Steven, and are actively involved in local organizations and charities.

“For literally the first time in memory, thanks to the efforts of Tony Pullella, Frank Kern and Ken Schaffer, Brigantine’s city government is starting to free itself from the destructive effects of decades of partisan self-interest,” said DeLucry in a press release. “I don’t want to risk losing the momentum that he (Schaffer) has helped build for cost-effective, impartial and transparent government; and the only way I know to be sure council will keep moving in the right direction is to continue Ken’s work from the inside.

submitted by the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office

A former Brigantine police officer was charged last week with theft as a result of an investigation conducted by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Official Corruption Unit.

Gary Means, 51, of Blackwood, was charged Aug. 18 with third-degree theft by failure to make required disposition. Means formerly served as the treasurer of the Brigantine Policemen’s Benevolent Association Local No. 204. From May 2010 until June 2011, Means allegedly stole funds from the PBA and converted them to personal use.

By MICHAEL FEELY

Staff Writer

Wednesday morning, the Brigantine Police Department held a staff meeting focused on the possibility of Hurricane Irene striking the island this weekend, with most reports indicating a 2 a.m. Sunday landfall. By Thursday afternoon, the department had a clear message for residents: It’s time to leave.

“If we get a Category 2 within 100 miles of Brigantine, we will be flooded,” said Lt. Jim Bennett, the city’s director of emergency management. “We should have tropical-force winds by Saturday night.”

By MICHAEL FEELY

Staff Writer

Councilman Ken Schaffer announced Aug. 10 that he will not run as an incumbent for the 4th Ward City Council seat in November.

Schaffer, who is a Democrat, was appointed to the 4th Ward seat in December after it was vacated by Tony Pullella, who was elected to a councilman-at-large position.

The announcement has caught many residents by surprise. “New Republican” 4th Ward candidate Tom Milhous was still digesting the news while drinking his morning coffee when The Beachcomber contacted him.

“I am taken aback, especially after they (Democrats) had a fundraiser for Ken just two weeks ago,” said Milhous. “I am still absorbing the ramifications. The obvious open-ended question is ‘Why now?’”

By MICHAEL FEELY

Staff Writer

The island held the 24th edition of the Brigantine Island Triathlon on Saturday, Aug. 6. More than 600 finishers from 16 states and one from London, England, competed in South Jersey’s oldest triathlon.

Sponsored by the CER, the triathlon benefited from support from the Brigantine Police Department, Fire Department, Public Works and more than 250 volunteers. Island residents and visitors were, for the most part, patient as this nationally known event was staged on the city’s streets.

Team Brigantine will be holding a coin drop from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 14 at the intersection of 14th Street South and West Brigantine Avenue. This is Team Brigantine's first fundraiser in support of the Ride to Washington, D.C. May 9-12, 2012 to raise money for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. The team has grown this year and support is necessary in raising the funds needed to participate in the ride.  There will also be a limited supply of 2011 Ride T-shirts available at a discounted price. 

Lucy’s Dugout

By Lucy Moran

Best road trip in franchise history

The Phillies' 9-1 West Coast road trip ended this past Wednesday, and was acclaimed the best road trip in franchise history. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week were more fine examples of the excellence our Phillies have been showing all season long in the offense, defense and pitching abilities, along with their determination never to give up until the 27th out. Having been the National League Eastern Division leaders since day one of the 2011 season, the Pinstripers are 77-40, eight and a half games in front of second-place Atlanta Braves, with a winning percentage of .658.

On Monday, behind Halladay, the Phils defeated the L.A. Dodgers 5-3. With that win under his belt, Halladay became the first starting pitcher to earn his 15th victory in the National League—ERA 2.22. Simply amazing!! On Tuesday, the 2-1 Phils' victory belonged to Cliff Lee. Not only did he pitch eight shutout innings, had 10 strikeouts and scattered four hits, he won his own ballgame with his second career home run. Just remarkable!!

Wednesday night's game did not start out so well under the pitching direction of Vance Worley ... but, oh, what an ending! Down 6-0 after three innings, the Phillies rallied and scored four times in the sixth inning for a 9-7 lead. Ryan Howard's homer was his 25th. With two outs, this two-run homer was the tiebreaking run. Earlier, in the second inning, Raul Ibanez had an RBI ground out, that cut Los Angeles lead to 6-5. I can go on and on about Wednesday's game, but then there would be no room for Jerry's Take. Hope you did not miss that game, or any for that matter.

Please catch our champs Friday at Citizens Bank Park 7 p.m. on CSN, Saturday 7 p.m. on CSN and Sunday 1:30 p.m. on WPHL. We will be playing the Washington Nationals.

Jerry's Take

By Jerry Moliver

For my "Take" each week, I ask myself what happened that was unusual, controversial, critical or amusing. Last week, I wrote about the acquisition of Hunter Pence, and the small part I played in the deal (truthfully, no part). So, now that we have closure on filling that need, there should be no excuse for not winning the World Series. We have the best chance.

So, let me look for something controversial. What precipitated the suspension of Shane Victorino? It is an unwritten "law" that a player should not steal a base when his team has a six-run lead, late in the game. Jimmy Rollins stole second on Friday against the Giants, and Victorino was the victim of the retaliation for the steal. Victorino ran to the pitcher, a scuffle broke out and, as a result, Victorino was suspended. The pitcher denied that hitting Victorino was intentional. So, Victorino appealed, got to play all three games against the Dodgers, and will probably drop the appeal, but not play against the Washington Nationals this weekend.

For the rest of my Take, here are some amusing and unusual one-liners. Did you know the Houston Astros are paying the Phillies $11 million of Roy Oswalt's contract and $2 million of Hunter Pence's. Look for Santa Claus (Ed Wade) to be fired soon.  Did you know that Ryan Howard has the rights to buy eight tickets to home games? I know he gives them to under-privileged kids, so I am okay with it. Did you know Ryan Madson gets one $150,000 for finishing 30, 35, 40 or 45 games?  

Did you know that there are 54 National League players on the disabled list at this time? With this information, you can impress your friends and sound like you are an expert at Phillies facts.

To the editor:

The search has begun to hire the most powerful person in Brigantine government, the city manager. And instead of casting a wide net to find a pool of candidates, a wading pool has been set on Brigantine Beach.

At the Aug. 3 council meeting, the mayor and some council members pushed for candidates to have "New Jersey experience." How absurd. Casino executives move from state to state with different regulations. The police chief of Philadelphia came from Washington, D.C., two cities with different laws, but he has a city attorney, like us, to advise him until he completes his learning curve. It happens all the time in all levels of corporations and government.

Politics, both being an elected official and running for office, is more than a part-time commitment. 

During the past year, I have given 100 percent of my efforts toward making sound decisions for the preservation and betterment of Brigantine. I’ve personally devoted as much time to my political responsibilities as my own business endeavors and I have absolutely no regrets. In fact, I’m very proud of what Dr. Kern, Tony Pullella and I have accomplished and what we have done is simply the beginning of a more open, fair, transparent, fiscally responsible and inclusive government in Brigantine.  

To the editor:

In response to the Aug. 5, 2011 Brigantine New Republican Club point of view:

Definition of hypocrite: Somebody who pretends to have admirable principles, beliefs or feelings, but behaves otherwise.

For over 100 years the Brigantine Republican Party has ruled Brigantine politics (think “Boardwalk Empire”). We have all heard of new residents moving to the island being advised by neighbors to "Join the Republican Club" if you want anything done for your property, business or personal agenda. The Republican Machine ruled with impunity and did so through fear and intimidation.

To the editor:                                   

This is to thank City Council for implementing my request for more transparency of closed executive sessions. As I stated during the July 20 council meeting, the public deserves the opportunity to comment on results of a closed executive session prior to a council vote. In the past, the public never knew if a closed executive session would result in a council vote and, therefore, would depart after the open public session.

To the editor:   

It was with great interest that I found out Republican Councilmen Steve Bonnani and Bob Solari had attended the fundraiser for appointed 4th Ward Democrat Ken Schaffer and were supporting Mr. Schaffer’s candidacy in November’s general election over the more qualified New Republican candidate, Tom Milhous. Particularly significant is the fact that Councilmen Bonnani and Solari voted to appoint Mr. Schaffer to City Council in the first place to fill the then vacant 4th Ward seat and now they are publicly backing Mr. Schaffer in the general election.

By JORDAN WOMPIERSKI

Staff Writer

When part-time author Kathy Davis and her husband were traveling south on Route 9 to Woodbine one day, they came across an old, abandoned farmhouse. Intrigued, they decided to get out of their car and check it out.

“All around the yard were these trash bags that said ‘Danger’ on them,” Davis recalled.

Davis – a Brigantine resident formerly of Ocean City and Egg Harbor Township – had stumbled across the idea for her second full-length novel, “Murderous Portrayal.”

By MICHAEL FEELY

Staff Writer

For the last five years, the island has been visited by a mysterious one-legged celebrity. Known as “Nubz” (as the 4^th Street South lifeguards call him) and also “Stumps” (as the 7th Street guards insist), a one-legged seagull has adopted the Brigantine City Beach Patrol. Or is it the other way around?

“He visits practically every day and has a special understanding with the guards,” said BCBP lifeguard Dan Weiler, who works the 4^th Street South stand. “He knows not to run or fly away when a guard chases away other gulls that might interrupt his meal. He uses his nub for scratching and has a very unique footprint.”

This article is in reference to the old Republican régime members who were observed making political contributions to the Brigantine Democratic party at their recent Jimmy Buffett night held at the Laguna Grill on Wednesday, July 27.

With great astonishment we are amazed at Democratic Councilmen Schaffer, Kern and Pullella publicly embracing members of the old Republican régime (Councilmen Solari and Bonanni) who have helped create the animosity, the friction, the bad decisions and the contempt of politics that have decimated the trust of the people of our beautiful island.

The Brigantine Beach Cultural Arts Commission announces Phylis Pollins as the August artist of the month. Her work will be on display this month in the City Hall showcase, located to the right as you enter the building.

As far back as Pollins can remember she was always interested in art.  As a young girl in Delaware County, Pa. her talent was evident in her fourth-grade teacher’s appreciation of her drawings and the painting awards she won in sixth grade.  Good art requires a combination of technical skills and creativity and Pollins honed her technical skills working for Boeing Corporation as a technical illustrator for 20 years.  “I drew helicopter parts for the Osprey and Chinook.  They had to be perfect, no room for error,” she said. 

The Brigantine Board of Education requires all students to reregister with the Admissions Office. You will need to bring the student’s original birth certificate and proof of residency (see below for residency documents requested).

At the time of this registration, you will pick up the student’s class schedule, bus pass and bus route sheet.