Why Did D.C. Come To Berkeley?

Photo by Chris Lundy

BERKELEY – The Bayville Volunteer Fire Company hosted a tax discussion by Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-3rd), Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin, and Ivanka Trump on Nov. 13, but how did they get there? The event was invite only, but who got the invites?

A spokeswoman with MacArthur’s office said that the White House chose the location and sent out the invites. Local and elected officials were allotted a number, and they chose who was on the guest list.

MacArthur referred to towns like Berkeley as “the heart and soul of this great state.”

At one point, when discussing how many senior citizens are in his district, he said the crowd was “a pretty good picture of what our district is all about.”

Gov. Chris Christie also said that this was the “heart of New Jersey…where people come to work and raise families.”

Antonio Nieves, president of the Bayville Volunteer Fire Company, said the Mayor’s office contacted him to see if the hall was available. “After that, everything fell into place.”

Photo by Chris Lundy

The company was very excited to host these players on the national and international stages, he said.

The Bayville Fire Company flag was part of the backdrop behind the guest speakers, in full view of the cameras that would broadcast that image worldwide.

Sheriff Michael Mastronardy said the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department had their bomb-sniffing dogs patrolling the building, and were supporting efforts headed by Berkeley’s Chief Karin DiMichele.

Berkeley Mayor Carmen Amato did not respond to requests for comment by press time.