Tag Archives: tax collector

Missing You: Fair Haven’s Former Tax Collector, Court Administrator’s Journey

By Elaine Van Develde

As Ben Franklin said, “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.” Yet, if he lived in Fair Haven, he may have added “… and seeing Dale Connor when you hand over the check.”

Not too long ago, it was tax time in Fair Haven. And, for some, what can be a daunting trip to Borough Hall was not met this time with what they’ve come to know as a soothingly familiar face. For the first time in 38 years, Connor, whom residents have long known as the borough’s tax collector and court administrator, wasn’t there on the other side of the plexi-glassed drop-off spot.

It was the first time since she retired in May that the latest quarterly trek didn’t end with her and, perhaps, some sort of simpatico.

Continue reading Missing You: Fair Haven’s Former Tax Collector, Court Administrator’s Journey

Dale Connor’s Last Day

By Elaine Van Develde

Well, Thursday was 38-year Fair Haven Tax Collector Dale Connor’s last day.

The milestone was a little bittersweet for Connor, who spent her last hour or so at work happy, yet holding back tears about leaving the office and co-workers that represented a true home away from home (a few blocks away) for so many years.

Rumson-Fair Haven Retrospect stopped in at the lifetime Fair Havenite’s office home base to catch a glimpse of her last day.

We asked for a smile. Connor responded, “How can I smile when I feel so sad? I am really going to miss everyone — residents and people I have worked with for so long.”

Recreation Director D.J. Breckenridge stopped by to say goodbye. And Administrator and Assistant Administrator/Borough Clerk Allyson Cinquegrana stopped in from their next door office.

However, Rumson-Fair Haven Retrospect failed to capture that moment, as the camera battery died as the photo was being snapped.

Oops!

Connor’s official last day is May 1. However, her last day in the office was Thursday. A new borough tax collector, Denise Jawidzik, was hired with a start date of April 2.

Best of luck, Dale Connor! This little photo montage will be followed up with a fun feature on her time working for the borough. Stay tuned next week for that.

Funds Being Raised for Monmouth Beach Fire Victim

On principal, all the cash that was asked for was $1. Now, only a few days after a devastating fire that destroyed longtime Monmouth Beach resident and former CFO/Tax collector Jim Fuller’s home, roughly $14,000 has been raised on a Go Fund Me page.

Knowing her uncle — a 53-year borough resident who is paraplegic — would be pridefully resistant to charity or anything that evoked pity, Fuller’s niece Laurie Escalante-Hernandez decided to set the funding goal at a symbolic $1, according to her narrative on the Go Fund Me page.

Why? Because she felt, knowing her uncle, that the cause is far from being one about about material possession. It’s about paying it forward — plain and simple, as she explained it.

“He has no idea I am writing this and when he finds out he is going to be very upset with me,” Escalante-Hernandez said on the Go Fund Me page. “The last thing he wants is anyone to pity him.”

And when Fuller found out about the page his niece set up, his reaction was as she had anticipated — “initially embarrassed and a bit upset.”

But, he explained in his own post, he was so overwhelmed with gratitude that “after a long cry, I realize(d) that it would be an insult to turn away any of the incredibly generous contributions or offers of help that I have received in person or seen on this site. I am humbled and honored beyond my ability to articulate it. Indeed, as I type this, I am weeping with gratitude and am just overwhelmed by all the love and support I am feeling.”

In keeping with her original intent to honor her uncle and abide by his modest wish to hang on to his pride, Escalante-Hernandes made it clear that the decision of how and what to give is priceless in itself.

“… Whether you donate money, clothes, your time and or services, a shoulder to cry on or simply an ear to listen, believe me it appreciated more than I can begin to explain,” Escalante-Hernandez said on the Go Fund Me page. “The sad fact is my uncle had no homeowners (stet) insurance and the house is a total loss. I would love for him to be able to rebuild his home but even if that’s not in the cards, I want you all to know that my family and especially my uncle will be forever grateful for everything that every one of you have done.”

She went on to explain what her uncle means to her and the community in which he has lived and served most of his life.

Fuller, she said, is 56 and has lived at 13 River Ave. in Monmouth Beach since the age of 3.

He is a 1974 graduate of Shore Regional High School; and, in his freshman year at Rutgers University, he was in a serious accident that ended up rendering him quadriplegic, Escalante-Hernandez’s post said.

After teaching himself to drive again, in 1979, Fuller began to work for the borough of Monmouth Beach, she added. He eventually became the borough’s tax collector and CFO.

He retired in 2012 after 33 years.

Fuller was rescued from the third floor during the early morning Jan. 28 fire, which was ruled accidental.

“I will be thanking everyone individually as I have the time, but I just wanted to express a public and deeply heartfelt thank you, to all who have reached out during this difficult time,” Fuller said on the Go Fund Me page. “You have turned despair into something beautiful. Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart. Bless you all.”

Click here for a direct link to the page where you may donate.