OCEAN GATE — The mayor of this borough wasn't for sale — but he did sell off a lot of municipal property to pocket the proceeds, prosecutors say.

Paul Kennedy, 66, of Ocean Gate, is accused of failing to turn over proceeds from the sale of borough assets, sold by way of the government auction website GovDeals.com.

Instead, the Republican mayor of the borough of 1,900 people used those proceeds for his own personal use, Ocean County prosecutors said.

Investigators also said Kennedy failed to deposit borough parking meter funds in the borough's bank account. He also sold borough office furniture through a private Facebook Marketplace account, keeping the proceeds for himself, officials said.

After his arrest, Kennedy was released on a summons pending a future court date. New Jersey 101.5 did not know Friday whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Kennedy has a history of ethics violations. In 2014 he was fined by the state for holding multiple jobs with the municipal government. According to the Asbury Park Press, Kennedy was earning a total of $50,000 holding down the positions of acting borough administrator, acting personnel director, acting insurance administrator and acting coordinator for the Americans With Disabilities Act. He also had a county job.

He was last elected in 2018 with 394 votes against a write-in candidate who earned 312.

This article was published March 18, 2022

Jen Ursillo is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach her at jennifer.ursillo@townsquaremedia.com

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