Your Turn

Dominick Rappoccio
Guest Column
Leave Brick’s hot dog vendors alone, and let competition in the marketplace prevail

Will we ever resolve this great hot dog dilemma that has surfaced in Brick Township?

Mr. Richard Gross has now come up with a "basic plan" to rid us of these dastardly hot dog vendors ("Hot dog vendors can be eliminated through attrition," Your Turn, Feb. 5).

The way I understand it, his plan will eventually force all remaining hot dog vendors in Brick Township out of business once and for all. In his mind, he sees these hot dog vendors creating a honky-tonk atmosphere in our pristine community. He envisions seeing many hot dog stands surrounding themselves with sawbuck seats, umbrellas, flags, balloons, etc., that he recollects seeing sometime in the past. That might have happened years ago, but I do not see that type of atmosphere in Brick Township today!

How will his "basic plan" work? First, he would not allow any new hot dog vendor licenses to be issues. He would impose a (kiss of death) moratorium on licenses so they cannot be sold, transferred, inherited or replaced by their current owners. Then, the township would continually go around and strictly enforce all rules and regulations that apply to these hot dog vendors. After that, he wants these hot dog vendors to be heavily taxed so they will eventually have no recourse but to limit the size and quantity of their hot dogs, and this will eventually drive them out of business.

What makes Richard Gross think that everyone in Brick Township feels that his "basic plan" to do away with hot dog vendors is morally right or is at all necessary?

Does anyone really believe closing down a small number of hot dog vendors who provide a service, spend money to establish an honest business, pay their licensing fees, pay their taxes, pay rent to local establishments where they are located, should then be frowned upon and driven out of business? I don’t see hot dog vendors as being sleazy fly-by-night street vendors who move around town and try to avoid paying taxes by locating themselves on town, county, state streets, or trespassing on property they do not own or rent.

Since this dilemma started, I have read that Mayor Scarpelli, who was not in favor of having these hot dog vendors staying in business, expressed the fact that he likes hot dogs; council President Stephen Acropolis says he occasionally stops at hot dog vendors and likes hot dogs; Councilwoman Kathy Russell stated at a council meeting that she likes hot dogs; Mr. Art Sholty (the hot dog connoisseur) just loves eating any kind of hot dogs; I, myself, like hot dogs, and yes, believe it or not, even Richard Gross, who wants to put these wonderful hot dog vendors out of business, said that he "truly likes hot dogs."

Let’s stop beating around the bush and face reality. The real fact is that larger, walk-in eating establishments want to eliminate the smaller competitors. Yes, both pay either rent or property taxes. Richard Gross would like it if the smaller hot dog vendors paid even more taxes. Both should pay their fair share of taxes based upon their capital investment, current market value, business location, and profits.

Let these hard-working hot dog vendors alone and let competition in the marketplace prevail.

Dominick Rappoccio is a resident of Brick