ORTLEY BEACH, NJ – Jack Ciattarelli is no friend to the Jersey Shore. When Superstorm Sandy struck New Jersey, Ocean County was ground zero. Countless homes were destroyed, pushed into the Barnegat Bay, removed from their foundations and severely damaged. Portions of Ocean County resembled a warzone. The boardwalks, the area’s main source of annual income were destroyed and the county essentially had to rebuild and start all over again.
In the New Jersey Assembly in 2015, the legislature introduced and passed a bill to provide financial relief to towns hit extremely hard by the storm. It passed, but not without dissent from certain charlatans who felt the Jersey Shore didn’t need any additional help in the rebuilding process.
We called it “Restore the Shore”. New Jersey Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli called it “Ignore the Shore”.
In 2016, the assembly passed the Disaster Victims Protection Act.
That act requires the Governor to allocate federal and state disaster aid to municipalities in proportion to the amount of catastrophic physical damage sustained within each municipality after natural disasters such as Superstorm Sandy.
Jack Ciattarelli voted no. Ocean County residents are already upset with Ciattarelli over his being a “Never Trumper”. Trump received over 60% of the vote in Ocean County in 2020. Now, Ciattarelli is asking the voters of the Jersey Shore and Ocean County to put both issues aside and to vote for him in the 2021 Republican primary election.
This week, Ocean County Republican Chairman Frank B. Holman officially endorsed Jack Ciattarelli for Governor of the State of New Jersey to succeed Phil Murphy. His endorsement sent shockwaves throughout the political establishment here at the Jersey Shore. They remember the day Ciattarelli voted no to crucial recovery money to help people get back into their homes and for businesses to get back on their feet.
It doesn’t end there. After Superstorm Sandy, many people were forced from their homes. Many rented or bought second homes to stay in New Jersey, eventually leading to a foreclosure and eviction crisis.
Once again the legislature in Trenton stepped in to help the people of the Jersey Shore. Once again, Jack Ciattarelli said no.
Assembly Bill a4139, passed in 2015 gave Jersey Shore residents affected by Superstorm Sandy a three-year break on evictions and foreclosures as they rebuilt their lives. The bill passed by a commanding 56-14 majority but Ciattarelli played partisan politics voting against the bill proposed by Democrats. For politics, he decided residents of the Jersey Shore should suffer.
The Jersey Shore eventually recovered and in 2017, Ciattarelli ran for Governor against Kim Guadagno and lost in the Republican Primary. Ocean and Monmouth Counties voted overwhelmingly for Guadagno.
Now, Ciattarelli is hoping the Jersey Shore voters forget that when they needed him most, he played partisan politics and voted against the “Restore the Shore” movement. Just yesterday, Ciattarelli, aided by Ocean County GOP Chairman Frank B. Holman was out and about here in Ocean County, pictured here yesterday at Luigi’s restaurant in Lakehurst.