SEASIDE HEIGHTS -- He didn't get his way in stopping pro-Trump supporters from coming to his town for a Make America Great Again march on Saturday, so now Seaside Heights Mayor Anthony Vaz says he hopes it rains on their parade.
Vaz, a Republican who voted for Trump, said he didn't object to the march for any political reasons - in fact he agrees with the president's policies. He said he's more concerned with the potential for violence in a town that is still struggling to recover from Hurricane Sandy.
"I hope it rains so there's no damage, no mischief, no violence," Vaz said Friday.
His concerns, he said, grew from footage of pro-Trump rallies in other parts of the country that turned violent in clashes with protesters.
Scattered showers are in the forecast for Saturday, but if that doesn't wash out the march, Vaz said, he'll pray for a peaceful event.
As it is, he said, the march will have heavy police presence that the borough can't afford.
The destruction from Hurricane Sandy in 2012 created a $200 million shortfall in the borough's tax ratables, leaving it so financially strapped that its expenditures have to be approved by the state, Vaz said. Even several thousand dollars in police overtime for one event can be difficult for the borough's $15 million budget, he said.
In addition to its local police officers and special officers - most of which Seaside will pay as overtime - there will be officers from the Ocean County Sheriff's Office, New Jersey State Police and neighboring police departments. They'll be paid by their respective departments.
"Sandy destroyed our town. We're just coming around now," Vaz said. "I don't need this. We don't have the money."
After being advised by the township attorney that he'd be violating the First Amendment guaranteeing free speech if he denied a permit for the march, Vaz reluctantly agreed to host the event. But the town imposed conditions, including keeping the march between Franklin and Grant avenues, keeping it to the east side of the boardwalk and keeping it between the hours of 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Vaz, who is on vacation in Florida, said he was willing to return early for the march, but police Chief Thomas Boyd assured him there was no need. So instead, he said, he plans to monitor the event by phone.
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