Posted on 12/18/2006 3:59:24 PM PST by Kimmers
December 8, 2006 - It's a new twist on foreign aid... money coming from the Middle East to help a small community in Monmouth County, New Jersey.
It's the idea of one local mayor, and it's getting mixed results and raising some eyebrows.
"You mean Kuwait the other country? Why would we go to another country and ask for money," asked Allison Link of Manasquan, New Jersey.
That's the question a lot of people in this area are asking after word got out that 81-year-old Larry Chiaravallo, the Mayor of Lake Como, has been negotiating with the government of Kuwait to pay for a 3.7 million dollar police and fire headquarters in the tiny town, 2/10ths of a mile square.
Mayor Larry Chiaravallo explained by saying, "We give millions and millions and millions of dollars every year to foreign countries. So I figure if we can do it for them, why can't they do it for us?"
Chiaravallo has met twice with Shaykh Salem Al-Sabah, the Kuwaiti ambassador, at that country's embassy in Washington.
A local builder and chiropractor was there for one of the meetings. "The kuwaiti ambassador said the only thing, if the request was granted, is that we would put, the mayor would have a plaque or township of Lake Como have a plaque put in, 'donated by the Kuwaiti Government,'" said Dr. Joseph Louro of Lake Como.
People are just finding out about the mayor's dealings with Kuwait. Chiaravallo went public at his last council meeting earlier this week. He's stepping down next month after being defeated in his bid for reelection.
Council President Michael Ryan said, "He was thinking outside the box but we didn't know really how far outside the box he was thinking."
The idea of asking a foreign country for financial aid has certainly stirred controversy.
Charlene Krabec says, "He's out of his jurisdiction. He's not the Secretary of State."
In his defense, the Mayor said, "Legal or no legal I did it and that's it. They can do what they want."
Chiaravallo, who showed us around the cramped police department, makes no apologies. He says he's always done what's best for the town.
The mayor sounds a tad senile.
Here in the United States, when we needed a new police station we voted to pay for it with our tax dollars. If we had voted against it they would have gone without.
Agreed, my favorite quote...
"He was thinking outside the box but we didn't know really how far outside the box he was thinking."
Maybe the mayor was not aware of any boxes....
Are building costs higher in Jersey? /sarc
Well thats good, Lake Como was always part of Spring Lake from what I remember. I think they left Spring Lake within the last few years. I don't see that its working very well if they have to ask other countries for money or if they have senile mayors.
A small correction; Lake Como was formerly South Belmar and has been since my youth. It may have been part of Spring Lake near the turn of the century (to 1900, not 2000) but it has been a separate town ever since.
They voted yes on renaming the town after the lake a couple of years ago and changed it last year.
It would make more sense to combine the police force with Belmar and use the old HQ as a substation, but everyone wants to keep his own "turf".
Thanks for the update on Lake Como. It is a beautiful lake. I love that whole strip along the ocean. Do you remember the horse carriage rides from in front of a big hotel in Spring Lake? I have so many good memories of Belmar and Asbury Park when I was younger and wilder.
They can even use Kuwaiti concrete produced by the Hillal Cement Company. Hlllal has some of the finest cement in the region. No reason why they couldn't import it to Jersey.
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