Nj shore senator to murphy: don't leave our restaurants struggling

NJ Shore Senator to Murphy: Don’t Leave Our Restaurants Struggling

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1 min read
July 1, 2020

OCEAN TOWNSHIP—Senator Vin Gopal issued the following statement following Governor Murphy’s announcement that the reopening of indoor dining in New Jersey restaurants will be indefinitely postponed due to COVID-19 concerns:

“I can understand why the Governor made his decision, even if not every New Jersey resident or business owner agrees,” said Gopal (D-Long Branch). “However, that doesn’t change the fact that thousands of New Jersey restaurants are suffering right now—owners, employees, and contractors alike. Restaurants across New Jersey spent real time, funds, and labor preparing for a safe and responsible indoor reopening, only to find their efforts callously dismissed. We owe it to them—to the livelihoods of their employees and their families, and to the long-term health of these small businesses—to help them through these unprecedented times and make them whole again.

“As it stands today, many of these restaurants will never be able to come back. Many more will lose uncountable revenues from their missed 10-12 weeks of summer operations, especially on the Jersey Shore. Whatever our solution is, we can’t leave our restaurant industry struggling without aid or assistance—doing so would be cruel, wrong, and harmful to our overall economic recovery.”

Phil Stilton

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

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