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Court of public opinion is open, and politicians could face the music
BY LARRY HIGGS AND BOB JORDAN
STAFF WRITERS
The cars and sport-utility vehicles pulled into empty motor vehicle agency and inspection station parking lots in Eatontown at the rate of one every few minutes. The reaction from drivers to the closed buildings was the same — surprise and frustration and one question.
Now what?
People who needed to renew licenses, launch boats, go to court or collect disability checks all had the same question Wednesday as they felt the effects of the first business day of the state government shutdown.
"This is a necessity. People need to get around in their cars," said Mike DeFeo of Edison, who came to the Eatontown inspection station on Route 36 to get his girlfriend's car inspected. "Try getting around without a car in New Jersey."
"I'm here to renew my license.
I'm just shocked," said Lee Sitt of Long Branch. "Usually, this place is packed."
The scene was repeated at the agency in the Manahawkin section of Stafford.
Franco Zauli, 35, came to get a state ID, which he needs for an upcoming nursing certification test.
"If I don't have any ID, I can't take the test, and I'm out $200. They need to get this situation resolved," said Zauli, who recently moved to Barnegat Light from Vermont.
Drivers who went to the Freehold Township agency on Thoreau Drive also found locked doors.
"It's ridiculous," said Anthony Muscarella of Jackson. "I'm trying to get a renewal for a car registration that just expired."
Nicola Romeo, owner of the nearby Il Monacone restaurant, said the lack of MVC customers and employees was apparent.
"It's dead in here," Romeo said. "That office is my bread and butter. I'm going to do less than half my regular business today."
Some drivers at Eatontown criticized the state and the media for not defining what is an essential service and what is not.
Pat Griffin of Neptune said he knew about the shutdown but came to the agency to see what information he could get.
"They're not being specific about what's nonessential. There is no list. This (MVC) could be either," Griffin said.
The shutdown is more dire for people such as Anton Langdon of Lakewood, who can't find out if his disability check will arrive on Friday.
"I've called the governor's office seven times since Friday and state Senator Robert Singer's office twice and nobody knows," said Langdon, 63, who has heart and back problems. "What annoys me is I'm not asking for anything that's difficult."
At the Leonardo State Marina in Middletown, the office, which collects fees for boat launching, and the restrooms were closed, but the boat launching ramp was open. Norman Von Schmidt of the New Egypt section of Plumsted arrived Wednesday and said he called a few days earlier to check.
"They said I'd have no trouble launching a boat. The bathrooms are locked, and that's it," he said. "I'm on vacation and trying to get some fishing in."
Von Schmidt was the only customer at Joe G's Bait Food and Tackle Shop, where owner Joe Golembowski of Middletown tried to be optimistic.
"Normally, this would be one of my busier days," Golembowski said. "It should pick up once people find out the (boat launching) ramp is free."
At Island Beach State Park, bicyclists were turned away at the park gate, and sales at nearby bait shops barely got a nibble.
"Business is absolute nothing. . . . The only bait I'm selling is for boat fishermen going after fluke, and crab bait and crabbing equipment," said a glum-looking Brian Pasch, sitting behind the counter at Betty and Nick's, a landmark Seaside Park bait-and-tackle shop.
At Forked River State Marina on Route 9 in Lacey, only the flags and pennants were moving on boats in most of the 125 berths.
"A lot of people were here this morning, but they cleared out," said Mike Hurse of New Egypt, who also was heading home. The shutdown affected him because marina bathrooms were closed and his boat's holding tank was full.
"We paid for a slip rental from April 1 to Oct. 31," Hurse said. "They (the state) are not providing services paid for in our contract."
Courts in Freehold and Toms River were closed, but some people still showed up.
On Wednesday morning, Jennifer Bland came to the Monmouth County Courthouse in Freehold, seeking a seven-day extension of her removal notice from her apartment, only to be told by sheriff's officers that court was closed because of the state shutdown.
"I don't know what I'm going to do now," said the Long Branch resident, who is being evicted Friday because she can no longer afford to pay the rent.
Ocean County Sheriff William Polhemus said people showed up at the courthouse for various reasons, only to be turned away.
The few racing fans who came to Monmouth Park in Oceanport and Freehold Raceway found locked gates, cancellation signs and no racing.
"It's screwed up. I expected Monmouth Park and the Meadowlands to be closed, and I thought only the state-owned tracks would be affected," said East Brunswick resident Frank Marks, noting that Freehold Raceway is privately owned.
Monmouth Park security guard Joe Sheeran said he also turned away a few race fans Wednesday.
"We'd probably have 4,000 to 6,000 people here normally," he said. "Most of us are optimistic. The Legislature has to enact something."
The shutdown has a happy ending for one couple who state officials will allow to exchange vows at Allaire State Park this weekend, even if the grounds are still closed to the public.
A representative from Allaire Village Inc. called state parks officials and successfully asked for an exemption in the rules governing the shutdown, said John Curtis, executive director of the village. Curtis would not provide any details about the couple.
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