Editing Oceanport, New Jersey (section)

===Local government===
[[File:Oceanport, NJ Municipal Hall, Dec. 2024.jpg|thumb|left|Oceanport Municipal Hall on Fort Monmouth]]
Oceanport is governed under the [[Borough (New Jersey)|borough]] form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey.<ref>[https://njdatabook.rutgers.edu/sites/njdatabook.rutgers.edu/files/documents/inventory_of_municipal_forms_of_government_in_new_jersey.pdf ''Inventory of Municipal Forms of Government in New Jersey''], [[Rutgers University]] Center for Government Studies, July 1, 2011. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref> The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the borough council, with all positions elected [[at-large]] on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle.<ref name=DataBook>''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'', [[Rutgers University]] [[Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy]], March 2013, p. 63.</ref> The borough form of government used by Oceanport is a "[[weak mayor]] / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can [[veto]] ordinances subject to an [[veto override|override]] by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.<ref name=Council/><ref>Cerra, Michael F. [https://www.njlm.org/809/3982/Forms-of-Govt-Magazine-Article "Forms of Government: Everything You've Always Wanted to Know, But Were Afraid to Ask"], [[New Jersey State League of Municipalities]], March 2007. Accessed January 1, 2025.</ref><ref>[https://njdatabook.rutgers.edu/sites/njdatabook.rutgers.edu/files/documents/forms_of_municipal_government_in_new_jersey_9220.pdf#page=6 "Forms of Municipal Government in New Jersey"], p. 6. [[Rutgers University]] Center for Government Studies. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref>

{{As of|2025}}, the [[mayor]] of Oceanport Borough is [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] Thomas J. Tvrdik, whose term of office ends December 31, 2027. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Patricia J. Cooper (R, 2025; elected to serve an unexpired term), William Deerin (R, 2027), Richard A. Gallo Jr. (R, 2026), Bryan Keeshen (R, 2026), Michael O'Brien (R, 2027) and Keith Salnick (R, 2025).<ref name=Council>[https://oceanportboro.com/government/mayor Mayor and Council], Borough of Oceanport. Accessed February 3, 2025. "Oceanport operates under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The Borough form is often referred to as a 'weak mayor-strong council' form.... The Borough Council is comprised of six members, elected by the public in partisan elections for three-year terms of office on a staggered schedule, with two seats coming up for election each year.... The Mayor is elected by the public in partisan elections for a four-year term of office."</ref><ref>[https://oceanportboro.com/forms-documents/forms/financial-documents/budgets/648-2024-adopted-budget-may-16-2024-1/file#page=17 2024 Municipal Data Sheet], Borough of Oceanport. Accessed February 3, 2025.</ref><ref name=Monmouth2024>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Monmouth/122857/web.345435/#/summary November 5, 2024 General Election Official Results], [[Monmouth County, New Jersey]], updated December 16, 2024. Accessed January 1, 2025.</ref><ref name=Monmouth2023>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Monmouth/119047/web.317647/#/summary November 8, 2023 General Election Official Results], [[Monmouth County, New Jersey]], updated January 18, 2024. Accessed January 22, 2024.</ref><ref name=Monmouth2022>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Monmouth/116246/web.307039/#/summary General Election November 8, 2022 Official Results], [[Monmouth County, New Jersey]] Clerk, updated December 27, 2022. Accessed January 1, 2023.</ref>

In January 2020, the borough council selected Bryan Keeshen from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2020 that had been held by Robert F. Proto until he resigned after the November 2019 general election.<ref>Rotolo, Chris. [https://tworivertimes.com/oceanport-puts-contentious-election-in-rearview-mirror/ "Oceanport Puts Contentious Election In Rearview Mirror"], ''The Two River Times'', January 16, 2020. Accessed February 24, 2020. "Coffey also introduced Bryan Keeshen, who in December was approved to fill a one-year unexpired term vacated by former council member and Republican mayoral hopeful Robert Proto. Proto ran on a Republican ticket with Joseph Irace and Steven Solan. Following the finalization of general election results, Proto resigned his post, and Keeshen, alongside fellow registered Republicans James Murphy and Keith Salnick were nominated as possible replacements. Keeshen was ultimately selected by the borough council and Coffey said his expertise in law enforcement and public safety will be valuable."</ref>

In the 2015 election, John F. "Jay" Coffey II was elected as a [[write-in candidate]].<ref>Napoliello, Alex. [http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2015/11/how_a_write-in_candidate_ousted_the_incumbent_mayo.html "How a write-in candidate ousted an incumbent mayor"], NJ Advance Media for [[NJ.com]], November 4, 2015. Accessed January 13, 2016. "So after a large group of people, chief among them Irace and Councilman Christopher Paglia, appeared on Coffey's doorstep in September asking him to run, he did — as a write-in candidate. And on Tuesday, Coffey defeated Mahon, receiving 949 votes to Mahon's 721, according to unofficial results from the Monmouth County Clerk's Office."</ref>

In a special meeting held in August 2015, the borough council selected Stuart Briskey from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2016 that had been held by Council President Robert Lynch until his resignation from office the previous month.<ref>Sheldon, Chris. [http://wordontheshore.com/new-oceanport-councilman-sworn-in-to-office-cms-4330 "New Oceanport Councilman Sworn In To Office"], Words on the Shore, August 7, 2015. Accessed July 18, 2016. "Stuart Briskey has been named as former Council President Robert Lynch's replacement on the borough council. Briskey was one of three names submitted by the local Republican Municipal Committee, along with Richard Firrito and Paul Hester."</ref> Briskey served on an interim basis until the November 2015 general election, when he was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.<ref name=Monmouth2015>[http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Monmouth/57843/157800/Web01/en/summary.html November 3, 2015 General Election Official Results], [[Monmouth County, New Jersey]], updated January 27, 2016. Accessed July 14, 2016.</ref>

In March 2015, councilmember Jerry Bertekap resigned from office, leaving a vacancy in the term expiring December 2015.<ref>Sheldon, Chris. [http://wordontheshore.com/oceanport-councilman-resigns--cms-3911 "Oceanport Councilman Resigns"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150322173244/http://www.wordontheshore.com/oceanport-councilman-resigns--cms-3911 |date=March 22, 2015 }}, Word on the Shore, March 28, 2015. Accessed July 21, 2015. "Borough Councilman Jerry Bertekap has resigned from his position on the governing body.</ref> The borough council selected John Patti the following month to fill Bertekap's vacant seat.<ref>Sheldon, Chris. [http://wordontheshore.com/new-councilman-sworn-in-to-oceanport-governing-body-cms-4008 "New Councilman Sworn In To Oceanport Governing Body"], Word on the Shore, April 21, 2015. Accessed July 21, 2015. "John Patti was sworn in to fill the vacancy on the Oceanport Council created when Jerry Bertekap resigned due to 'career commitments' that did not allow him to remain as a member of the governing body."</ref>

In November 2013, Christopher Paglia was selected by the borough council from among three candidates offered by the Republican committee and appointed to fill the vacant seat of William Johnson, who had resigned to take a position with Monmouth County.<ref>Walter, Kenny. [http://hub.gmnews.com/news/2013-12-05/Front_Page/New_councilman_appointed_in_Oceanport.html "New councilman appointed in Oceanport "] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20141103023106/http://hub.gmnews.com/news/2013-12-05/Front_Page/New_councilman_appointed_in_Oceanport.html |date=2014-11-03 }}, ''The Hub'', December 5, 2013. Accessed November 2, 2014. "The Borough Council has appointed Christopher Paglia as the newest council member, replacing William Johnson... Johnson resigned from the council on Nov. 1 after taking a position as the Monmouth County recycling coordinator."</ref>

The borough hall completed in 1965 at the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and Monmouth Boulevard was flooded out during [[Hurricane Sandy]] in 2012. Following the storm, council meetings were held at the Maple Place Middle School library and other departments were scattered throughout [[Fort Monmouth]] and the borough's senior center. A new municipal hall opened in Fort Monmouth in January 2021 consolidating the borough's departments to one site.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.app.com/story/news/local/communitychange/2021/01/27/superstorm-sandy-oceanport-gets-new-municipal-complex-8-years-after-destruction/6669675002/ |title=Oceanport finally gets new municipal complex, 8 years after Sandy destruction |newspaper=[[Asbury Park Press]] |last=Radel |first=Dan |date=January 27, 2021 |access-date=December 17, 2024}}</ref> After being vacant for five years, the 1965 borough hall was demolished in 2017.<ref>{{cite news |last=Radel |first=Dan |url=https://www.app.com/story/news/local/2017/12/19/oceanport-knocks-down-its-shuttered-town-hall/961671001/ |title=Oceanport knocks down its shuttered town hall" |newspaper=Asbury Park Press |date=December 19, 2017 |access-date=August 29, 2019}}</ref>

Oceanport is a participating municipality in an initiative to study regionalization of their municipal police force with one or more municipalities. The borough received a grant from the [[New Jersey Department of Community Affairs]] in the amount of $40,950 along with the Boroughs of [[Fair Haven, New Jersey|Fair Haven]], [[Little Silver, New Jersey|Little Silver]], [[Shrewsbury, New Jersey|Shrewsbury]] and [[Rumson, New Jersey|Rumson]] to hire professional consultants to conduct the study on their behalf. A report delivered in July 2008 recommended that Fair Haven, Little Silver and Rumson should consider a network of shared police services, with consideration of inclusion of Oceanport and Shrewsbury deferred to a second phase.<ref>O'Donnell, Jenna. [http://hub.gmnews.com/news/2008-07-17/front_page/002.html "Study recommends towns share police services; Consultants: Law enforcement can be regionalized"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130124091528/http://hub.gmnews.com/news/2008-07-17/front_page/002.html |date=2013-01-24 }}, ''The Hub'', July 17, 2008. Accessed July 31, 2012. "A feasibility study of shared police services among Rumson, Fair Haven and Little Silver suggests that the three towns pool resources in six areas, including criminal investigation and communications. The findings of the Two River Regional Police Study Group by Eatontown-based Patriot Consulting Group were presented to officials and residents of the three boroughs during a meeting held at Little Silver Borough Hall on July 9.... The group was founded by the elected officials of the three towns, along with the boroughs of Oceanport and Shrewsbury, in 2007 for the purpose of assessing the feasibility of sharing and possibly regionalizing their five municipal police departments into on regional department, the release states.... O'Scanlon, a Little Silver councilman at the time, said then that the study would proceed with only Little Silver, Fair Haven and Rumson, but that Oceanport and Shrewsbury might join at a later date."</ref>