BRADLEY BEACH — As the new year arrives, former Bradley Beach Mayor Larry Fox has officially left office after four years at the helm of the borough. Assuming the office in the midst of a global pandemic was but the first of a series of issues that Fox had to face in his eventful tenure.
In August, Fox announced he would not seek reelection after his first term was complete due to a close family member battling a serious illness. Councilman Al Gubitosi won the 2024 November general election and was expected to be sworn in on New Years Day at the council reorganization meeting, after the publication of this paper.
Fox took office in 2021 after beating Gubitosi in the 2020 election, assuming the post virtually amid the COVID-19 pandemic. For the first six months of his tenure, council meetings were held online via Zoom, which Fox called “a real challenge.” During the pandemic the silver lining of Fox’s experience in office was the relationships he was able to make with Bradley Beach’s business owners on Main Street to continue to maintain traffic during the shutdown.
Looking back, Fox is proud of several accomplishments and achievements over the course of his time in office. When Fox sought office in 2020, he ran on a platform of affordability, the improvement of Main Street and independent leadership, something he said was used as an “underpinning” throughout his time in office.
In an interview with The Coast Star Fox said he is proud of the millions of dollars in grants secured by the borough. He looks forward to seeing many potential projects come to fruition, notably, the extension of the Ocean Avenue Promenade, which he said would “provide a safety net to residents on the South end of town.”
Fox told The Coast Star, “Getting $10 million in grants, that’s money that’s coming back to us from a county, state and federal perspective that we paid taxes on, so we’re getting a return. So I hope in the future we’re very judicious with that.”
Additionally, Fox said he is proud of improvements on the beachfront, including more lockers and handicap access points and the installation of a new playground. Fox looked back on a series of general infrastructure improvements including the completion of phase two of the sewer project, the renovation of borough offices and extension development of Second and Third avenues.
Throughout the better portion of his term, bi-monthly council meetings were riddled with division on the dais and clashes with resident critics that made headlines on numerous occasions, something in hindsight Fox views as unfortunate.
“Am I disappointed that there wasn’t better alignment with the council? Yes, I am. My focus was on service and progress,” Fox said.
Fox added that elements of factionalism caused a climate of division and attempts at power-grabbing hampered progress in the borough.
In Fox’s tenure the national spotlight was on Bradley Beach for the caught-on-camera altercation between Police Chief Leonard Guida and a subordinate officer, which has since garnered millions of views. Members of the council reprimanded Fox for the handling of the situation which he referred to as a “very unfortunate situation for all.” In hindsight, Fox said he believes the borough managed the situation appropriately and in accordance with borough statute.
“It was a drain on the town and our community’s ethos, nobody wanted to see this happen, but once we were aware of the situation, we acted on it immediately,” Fox said.
Looking back on some aspects and issues that weren’t resolved, Fox emphasized the 319 LaReine Church property, something he said he hopes the new governing body moves forward with in 2025.
“There’s good government and there’s petty politics, the politics of this thing have been ridiculous, but here we are four years later,” Fox said of the lack of action on the LaReine Church property.
While Bradley Beach made national news for the wrong reasons during Fox’s tenure, it doesn’t take away from the vibrant annual community events that highlight the borough’s beachfront and downtown. Whether it was the annual tree lighting ceremony, songwriters on the beach or bands in Riley Park, Fox looked back at the further development and establishment of events, which he said benefited all of Bradley Beach.
“We really have enhanced Bradley Beach as a destination which helps the local economy, the restaurants have been thriving. We have 25 restaurants in town that you can sit down in, I don’t know if people realize that, and by and large they’re all doing pretty well,” Fox said.
Looking to the future, Fox wished his successor well and hoped to see Gubitosi and the council move forward and hit the ground running with the potential projects on hand, notably through secured grant funds for the promenade extension, the improvements to Main Street and Sylvan Lake.
“If we get those things to the next level, with the work we’ve done for the last four years, Bradley Beach is going to continue to thrive,” Fox said of the future.
For now, Fox looks forward to spending time with family and said he will continue to remain involved in the Bradley Beach community to the extent he is able.
“I’m not going anywhere, so I plan on being active in the community. I think a public elected official is a different deal, it requires a lot more time and a tremendous commitment. I’m not one to not give 110% to anything I’m involved in so I’ve got to be a bit conscious so I don’t over commit. Part of what makes Bradley Beach so unique is the level of volunteerism and engagement, so it’s definitely something I want to stay involved in.”
When asked how he would like to be remembered as the mayor of Bradley Beach, Fox said, “I think I’d like to be thought of as somebody who listened to the community, looked at our opportunities, tried to work towards improving the community through service and progress and laid a foundation for future improvements.”
This is an excerpt of the print article. For more on this story, read The Coast Star—on newsstands Thursday or online in our e-Edition.
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