OAKLAND, NJ – There’s a new knucklehead in town, according to Governor Phil Murphy and that is Portobello in Oakland. It’s where Daniel Bryan who now serves as Governor Murphy’s Senior Advisor for Strategic Communications had his junior prom, but today it’s on the Governor’s naughty list and can no longer serve outdoor services at night.
“This is the outdoor bar at Portobello in the Bergen County borough of Oakland last Wednesday evening,” Murphy said looking at a photo shared at the bar. “Now, I’m trying hard, can you help me out here? I’m trying hard to find a mask anywhere in that crowd, and there certainly isn’t any effort to socially distance, and the entire concept of personal responsibility is completely absent.”
According to Murphy the violations were reported by the local police chief on Wednesday and Saturday night last week. Now, the bar
“The police chief to his credit also said, Pat, that this happened not just Wednesday, but – I believe you’re going to verify this is in a few minutes – it happened again on Saturday,” Murphy said. “They have cited the bar’s owners for noncompliance as well as charges for maintaining a nuisance. Oakland mayor and friend Linda Schwager and the members of the borough council and other municipal officials worked quickly to send a message by revoking Portobello’s outdoor dining permits after 4 pm for the next 30 days so a scene like this won’t be easily repeated. This comes at great pain to Dan Bryan who had his junior prom there many years ago. Good work by all. I reached out to Linda this morning to thank her for that swift action.”