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The Asbury Together ticket released its official platform Thursday morning, announcing a campaign kick-off event will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Art 629 Gallery, located at 629 Cookman Avenue.

In a detailed announcement, Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn, Councilwoman Yvonne Clayton and Councilwoman Eileen Chapman go on the record, saying they “believe Asbury Park’s future depends on positive dialogue between engaged citizens, a responsive government, and leadership that works constantly at bringing all parties to the table.”

The incumbents are seeking the three four-year open Asbury Park City Council seats in the Nov 8 election.

Quinn and Clayton were elected in November of 2014 following the change of government.

Chapman was appointed by a unanimous vote in May from a pool of 12 applicants who sought to complete Councilman Joe Woerner’s term.

Woerner stepped down for family reasons.

The trio also launched an official campaign website and Facebook, and Twitter pages Thursday, complete with candidate bios.

Below in their own words:

“I was inspired by the Asbury Together team’s leadership for a year and a half before they afforded me the honor and trust of joining them,” Chapman said. “Together with our dedicated residents and stakeholders, I have great confidence that we can continue their vision of making our city the best place imaginable to live, work, play and create.”

“As a newcomer to local government, the last two years have been an incredible learning experience,” Clayton said. “I’m thrilled that we have made great strides in many areas. In particular, the progress we’ve made toward rebuilding the Springwood Avenue corridor as the thriving hub of our community that I remember from my childhood, that is a project that I wholeheartedly want to see through.”

“I am so excited to run with these two smart, pragmatic, and compassionate women,” Quinn said. “Both bring with them the perspective of long personal histories in Asbury Park, a talent for thinking creatively to solve problems, and a dedication that springs from deep love for this unique community. There’s an old saying that ‘many hands make light work.’ More than anything else, it is Yvonne and Eileen’s willingness to roll up their sleeves and do the hard work that makes me want to give another four years of service to this city that I cherish.”

The trios edict: We listen. We engage. And we take action, according to the news release.

“With your support, we will continue to do the hard work that we started just 19 months ago. Our platform when Asbury Together elected all five of our candidates in November 2014 remains largely the same: Open and Responsive Government, Comprehensive Approach To Crime, A Focus On Jobs, Financial Common Sense, Development That Benefits Everyone.

“We have not solved every problem, but we’ve been working hard at it, and we believe that our actions thus far speak loud and clear about why a vote for Amy Quinn, Yvonne Clayton, and Eileen Chapman on November 8th is a vote for stable, continued progress. Leadership that works.”

Below is a detailed list of campaign points released in the written statement:

• State, local, and federal funding was procured for re-developing the Springwood Avenue corridor, Renaissance Village and Boston Way, which will result in revitalization of the area, more affordable housing, and tens of millions of dollars coming into the city.

• Working with the county and private donors, the City procured the necessary funds and completed the long-stalled Springwood Avenue Park, and waterfront re-development accelerated with major projects including: South Grand, the Monroe, Asbury Hotel, progress on 1101 Ocean.

• New construction has been linked to workforce development, creating a mindset with developers to prioritize local employment and other community benefits as an integral part of development. Negotiation with developers led to the Salt School (Asbury Hotel) and Lakehouse Academy music education program for local youth in exchange for PILOT agreement.

• The train station was upgraded, making it more attractive to visitors. Currently working with the state, DOT, and NJ Transit to obtain Transit Village designation for the Memorial Drive corridor surrounding the train station. And, got the ball rolling with an RFP for turning City Hall and the train station into a modern municipal complex.

• Created a long-term year-by- year plan for repaving of city streets and obtained NJDOT state grants to begin implementing the plan. Paved and numbered parking lots around City Hall and worked with the state to take advantage of the Bangs Avenue garage for downtown parking.

• Worked with iStar to create various short term parking solutions while longer term solutions are in the works. Worked with Interfaith Neighbors to facilitate more home ownership for first time owners and moved forward with the Turf Club project. And, Worked with Asbury Park Community Action Network [CAN] to host free monthly clinics for ex-offenders to expunge records.

• Passed ordinances to regulate vacant and abandoned properties and proceed with foreclosure where appropriate.Started to sell In Rem foreclosures, helping to stabilize taxes. We are reducing the city’s debt and making steady progress toward getting off of transitional aid.

• Worked with the School District to greatly expand the summer recreation program and insure that no child would be turned away thanks to the Mayor’s Rodeo fundraiser. And, worked with the School District to secure summer jobs, participation in the Salt School, and provide transportation to Great Adventure for youth who got jobs there. And, increased local hiring for the beach utility.

• Created ordinance to improve the Small Business Set Aside Program for minorities, women, and veterans, and ordinances to facilitate summer rentals and to guard against “‘animal house’ rentals from becoming a nuisance.

• Supported Clean Ocean Action and other environmental groups against offshore drilling, and increased programs for seniors at the Senior Center.

• Hired a new  City Manager, City Planner, City Clerk, CFO, Treasurer, Tax Collector, Director of Communications, and Superintendent of Public Works.

• Launched a new user-friendly website with forms, meeting minutes, and city calendar. Also created online payment for taxes and sewer, and updated the city code to meet international building standards and made it available online.

• Implemented beach badge purchase with a mobile app, at parking meters, and credit cards at badge ticket booths; adopted Nixle, a less costly and more efficient emergency alert system; and began a project to install a generator at City Hall to power the entire building, so it can used as an OEM center and relief facility for the public during emergencies.

• Started the Police Department accreditation process and approved body cameras for all officers; adopted an ordinance to penalize false alarms, reducing drain on police and fire departments; and installed GPS and gasoline tracking system installed on city vehicles.

• Increased shared services with Deal, Loch Arbor, and Neptune to reduce costs to taxpayers; brought construction and other special application fees in line with neighboring towns, saving taxpayers money; and established an escrow system for construction projects and tax disputes to reduce the burden of legal fees on taxpayers.

• Worked with neighboring towns to obtain funds for the dredging of Deal Lake; 12,000 cubic yards removed.

• Obtained a $1.1 million Green Acres grant for preservation of Bradley Cove; a $1 million dollar grant to upgrade boardwalk lights at zero cost to the city; and a $500,000 federal planning grant to plan for affordable housing, healthcare initiatives, and workforce development. Also obtained a Brownfield grant of $400,000 to help remediation of previously industrial sites that may be contaminated.

• Established the Quality of Life Committee and held city-wide clean ups with students and other citizens, and its Environmental and Shade Tree Commission worked with downtown businesses to restore Merchants Park as an attractive gateway to the city and downtown.

• Established the Business Committee to foster ongoing dialogue between the business community, elected officials, and city departments with the long-term goal of building a business friendly environment; and revived the Parking Committee to plan for short-term and long-term parking issues and the Sunset Lake Committee to address the long-term health of Sunset Lake.

[Photos courtesy of Asbury Together]

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