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The Asbury Park City Council and members of the community paid special tribute Gerald ‘Jerry’ Scarano this week, just hours after learning the regular attendee, who often challenged procedure and practices, had died.

Scarano, 63, and his roomate Harold Kelly, 48, were found dead inside the former’s Ocean Boulevard home, Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Spokesman Christopher Swendeman said Friday afternoon.

Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn said Scarano had been attending the Asbury Park City Council meetings since she’s been on the dias [2013] if not before.

“We want to give our condolences to the family and friends of Jerry Scarano,” Quinn said. “We deeply want to offer our condolences, specifically to Rita [Morano] and Louise [Murphy] who often attend our meetings together.”

Councilman Jesse Kendle asked the meeting room to stand for a moment of silence in honor of the Scarano.

Mayor John Moor, who has called Scarano a friend, described the real estate broker as ‘one of a kind.’

“You never left a conversation with Jerry, even if you fought, without laughing,” Moor said.

City Historian Werner Baumgartner said Scarano was once an Asbury Park resident.

“I feel obligated to give a little bit of history, Baumgartner said. “Years ago, Rita Morano owned the Kingsley Deli on Kingsley Street, right smack in the middle of the waterfront redevelopment area. It was a breeding ground of various characters, malcontents, activists, local people around Asbury Park, and that is where I met Jerry for the first time.

“Jerry had just come to town as an investor,” he said. “He started buying cheap property, which were on the condemnation block, so to speak, and flipping those properties. From what I understand, he did very well for himself. I spoke to him many times. We disagreed about things many times. But, we always remained friends. He was quite a character [and] quite proficient in real estate. He moved on to Long Branch and to his credit, he still came here, every single Council meeting; not just to bring Rita but to actually be concerned about what happens to Asbury Park.

“Many people from that period are no longer here with us physically or intrest wise…but those are the true ‘Asburyites’ that everyone here should have known or seek to emulate to some degree; questioning government, doing things that are out of the norm, and challenging the city to do better than we can at times.

“So, my hats off to Jerry, I will miss him, he was a great character,” he said.

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