Why Marianne Brewer Started Filming Ocean City Meetings

Thirteen months ago, long-time Ocean City resident Marianne Brewer noticed a problem: While many people were interested in local Council and Planning Board meetings, not everyone was able to attend in person.

Her response: She started filming Ocean City Council meetings and sharing them online.

Her private Facebook group, Ocean City NJ Meetings & Important Issues, now has about 1.5K members. That’s a significant number for a private group focused on often technical City Hall procedures in a town as seasonal as Ocean City. It also suggests something revealing: more people want to follow local government than city officials sometimes assume.

We sat down with Marianne to ask why she started filming meetings, what she has learned from the experience, and why she keeps doing the work.

OC 2050: What made you decide to personally film Council meetings?

Marianne: I started filming when the whole Wonderland debate started, as a lot of people couldn’t always get to the meetings. So I started going and first just started listening to what was being said. But for me, it’s also very interesting to see each member’s expressions as they speak, and this is an important part of transparency.

When the City posts onto YouTube the next day, all you see is whoever goes up to the podium. You do not see all the Council members, and you do not always see the mayor or the city solicitor. But seeing the room is important; you’d be surprised.  

I saw one city Council member who was on his phone quite often at each and every city Council meeting. Not the whole meeting, but enough. I started filming this particular person so that others were also aware.

The Planning and Zoning board are also, to me, very important to see each member and how they speak and what they vote on and facial expressions. It’s disappointing that they won't let me film and that they also refuse to post videos after their meetings. I’m hoping this can change, and maybe if enough people speak up, it will.

OC 2050: Why do you think filming at the time of the meeting matters for people who cannot attend in person?

Marianne: Council meetings are now at 6 p.m. There used to be one at 10am and one at 6pm, twice a month. But people work, and everybody works different hours, and they can’t always get to the meetings.

Also, a lot of the meetings are a good two to three hours long. And I don’t feel that everybody wants to watch a two or three hour meeting. I know I don’t! So I like to do little mini videos of what I feel is important in these meetings.

OC 2050: Can you tell us more about your process?

Marianne: Somebody asked me, Marianne, can’t you just post on Facebook Live? I could, but my arm tires from sitting with my phone and holding it for half an hour, an hour, two hours... And so, no, I’d like to do little mini videos.

Also, one other obstacle that I’ve come across in the last year, because I am not computer savvy, is sharing direct links to the meetings. Some people have asked, can you send a direct link to the city Council meeting? Unfortunately, I don’t know how to do that. I’m doing my best!

OC 2050: Who do you think benefits from your videos?

Marianne: I think everybody; residents, second homeowners, and vacationers … they’re all in the group.

You’d be surprised, a lot of people do not know what’s going on. To me, almost every application before the Planning and Zoning board is important. The one that got it started last year was the one with the doggy daycare. I mean, the room was packed, packed, and it was a three-hour meeting. The Glen Cove Marina, another biggie. That kind of got the ball rolling. All these people started showing up.

OC 2050: What have you learned from filming these meetings?

Marianne: I’ve learned some things about how applications are put through. A lot of things coming in now with the applications are all mixed-use. And some go through and some don’t. But I would say 90% of the applications go through.

OC 2050: How much unpaid time and effort do you think this actually takes you in a week?

Marianne: It’s almost, I’d say, two hours a day. To post it and then to look at the comments because I like to have a fair group, so I’m always checking the comments. But, it’s a labor of love. There are some people on Facebook who, I have to say, are very cruel, and will do things like post tax returns, home addresses, or how much money a person makes. I try not to let things like this get me down. I love Ocean City and I’m just trying to help make it even better.

OC 2050: Is this about controversy or good government?

Marianne: I don’t like confrontation, I don’t like controversy. I do this more for good government because I really believe transparency is important. And right now, sadly, that’s not happening with the Planning and Zoning board, still.

OC 2050: What do you think proper transparency would look like?

Marianne: I’ll be honest with you, I think just what city Council is doing. They’re videotaping it and putting it on YouTube the next day. I honestly feel that holding via Zoom would be a little tricky, because people would constantly be calling in with questions and then the meetings could go on another two or three hours. I do have a little bit of a soft spot for the Planning and Zoning board because they’re volunteers. They’re very important applications, but they’re also volunteers. I appreciate what that means.