The idea that the City of Long Branch would allow the Renaissance Condo-miniums to operate the beach at the former "Pit" in West End first appeared in a town notes column in a local weekly newspaper. It was described as something proposed by the Renaissance to City Hall. Some observers saw it as a trial balloon floated by City Hall to test the waters of public opinion. In conversations Mayor Schneider had with me, he was clearly strongly in favor of the condominium association operating this beach.

The mayor also spoke with our attorney Ariana Vugrek, and with a key member of our coast alliance, Dr. William Rosenblatt, the mayor of Loch Arbour and a beach activist in his own right. We all have the same recollection of the mayor’s description of how Renaissance Condominiums would operate this beach.

He carefully defined the word "public beach" as broad enough to include a beach essentially operated by a private condominium association, much like the Harbour Mansions beach next door to the south, where a private condominium association collects fees and provides a lifeguard. The mayor also was absolutely clear that the former "Pit" surfing and fishing beach would now be designated for swimmers (presumably many of them condo residents).

Moreover, the Renaissance beach would still technically be "public," he said, because any member of the public who paid the condo a fee would be eligible to come on the beach, as would anyone who had purchased a regular city beach badge.

Harbour Mansions has put up a beach fee notice in the formerly unrestricted public access lane alongside its property. In a unanimous 5-0 vote last May 22 (Resolution R176-01), the City Council voted to give the condos permission to do this.

Unfortunately, the resolution passed by the City Council would include both citizens who just want to walk down the easement to arrive on public trust lands commonly referred to as "the beach," as well as those who "wish to use that portion of the beach owned and controlled by Harbour Mansion Condominium Association."

To me that’s awfully close to a private entity managing or controlling access to a public beach, and I wonder just what the Harbour Mansion portion of beach is, and if it really is a portion they own? How much of this beach was created with our public tax dollars?

Maybe there was a vigorous democratic debate about this in the City Council before the 5-0 vote came down. I don’t really know. But granting control or supervision of beach access to private condominiums, in my opinion, is bad public policy that could create a slippery slope to even more privatization down the road as in the Pt. Pleasant Beach situation.

There are values and ideals worth any amount of controversy, and broad public access to the ocean is an important ideal. Unfortunately, Mayor Schneider seems to take debate or policy confrontation on this as a personal affront to his authority rather than as simply what it is — a healthy and necessary democratic exchange. Our role is important — to point out these policy issues and let public opinion decide.

Brian Unger is a member of the Surfers’ Environmental Alliance and a resident of Long Branch.