Barely Human: That Guy who...no, Wildwood's Mayor Ernie Troiano

 

Jimmy Georginis of Wildood, NJ was recently arrested for theft by deception, accused of scamming teenagers out of $75,000 in summer rentals at the popular Jersey Shore destination. One group of teens alone lost $21,000 on a rental they claimed was filled with other's clothing and even a couple kittens. Wildwood's prosecutor has even said that one of Georginis' rental properties is owned by the bank. Another claimant stated one of his rentals was double booked.

Sadly this is the kind of scum bag that comes with life. Shit happens. Georginis will likely be tried, foreclosed upon, and the kids will get some of their money back. But being a Jersey Douchebag doesn't make you Barely Human.

What does? Blaming the victims for criminal activity, and opening admitting you just don't want to do your job. Enter Mayor Ernie Troiano, apparently perturbed with the amount of angry complaints revoked Georginis' license, but then turned on the tourists that pay his salary.

"The parents need to wake up." - Mayor Ernie Troiano

Trioano's city granted Georginis his license for the sole purpose of entrusting tourists to Georginis. What more can parents do? He went further, citing that underage drinking and cramped housing has gotten out of control. He went as far as singling out Catholic high school students as the biggest offenders.

If Troiano wants to blame his tourists on criminals existing, he needs to recognize that his city exists because of his tourists. Do your job.

It's not surprising that Troiano is out of touch with his spring breakers. After all, he not only tried to ban baggy pants, but also proposed requiring shoes and shirts after 8pm...in a beach town. That's right, in most major progressive cities including Philadelphia, it's perfectly kosher for men and women to go topless, but at Wildwood, you better cover up. I'm almost two decades removed from my childhood and I still go bare chested at the beach. It's a %&$#ing beach.

The Jersey Shore struggles with a unique quagmire. It's affordable and extremely close to the most populated metropolitan areas in the country. However a nostalgia for the small beach towns they once were is still a predominant theme. While Los Angeles, San Diego, and Miami Beach administer their own wildly popular spring break destinations, they're administered by their own extremely large governments.

At the Jersey Shore however, you have a provincial government on par with an Outer Banks town administering a town that sees the same hoards of teenagers and tourists as Venice Beach. Basically, Mayberry is trying to run Los Angeles.

If Troiano wants to continue managing his city, he needs to manage his city. His "Wildwood Days" are over, and if his tourists are pissing him off, he either needs to do something about it or recognize that this is their time to enjoy a Wildwood youth.

Whatever the case, he can't blame the victims for a situation he created. It's very rare that any vacation renter knows their landlord and parents can only do so much. If a tourist is renting a house from a landlord that you're administration licensed, you played a role. Deal with it and do your job.