On Labor Day weekend, Dave and I spent hours running through the rain to deliver 1,500 flyers advertising the Asbury Park Construction Training Forum, sponsored by the city (with special thanks to City Manager Terry Weldon and Department Head Tony Nuccio), the dedicated members of the STARS CDC, and Brookdale Community College.

Weekend No. 2 found us helping to organize the Convention Hall forum, which familiarized over 100 local residents with Monmouth County groups offering union and non-union construction training. (Residents who missed the September 7 forum can attend the city's expanded job and training fair on October 24. Watch the Coaster for details, or call Tony Nuccio at 732-502-5757.)

Weekend No. 3 found us back at the Paramount Theatre for the Asbury Park Roadshow, which attracted 700 antique-toting visitors from several states, and netted roughly $20,000 for our city's recreation fund. Celebrities from the PBS hit program "Antiques Roadshow" spent seven hectic hours on-stage, appraising everything from puppets to paintings, and Family & Children's Service of Oakhurst generously provided us with 80 volunteers and weeks of organizational assistance.

And this coming Saturday, Dave and I will join dozens of local residents hosting benefit dinner parties for the Boys & Girls Club's "Night of 100 Parties". (Okay, so our idea of haute cuisine is a "Roll Your Own" tortilla party, but I'm the only cook I know who can set potholders on fire while baking pizza.) Better at eating than cooking? Call the Boys & Girls Club at 732-775-7862 for tickets to the gala dessert party scheduled for 9 p.m. that night at the Paramount Theatre.

In between this month's events, our city team spent long hours debating 200-page drafts of the beachfront Redeveloper's Agreement (I can now say "hereto" and "thereof" with the best of them), and discussing the proposed downtown redevelopment plan. (And, yes, you'll be able to comment on both of these proposals at future meetings.)

And somewhere in between, Dave and I spent five days having the inside of our house painted (hopefully, everyone will be too busy admiring our sparkling walls on Saturday night to notice my I-Love-Lucy cooking style), and I survived a mild form of West Nile virus. (Ever try to find an aspirin - or even a bed - under five rooms of drop cloths?)

Of course, just about the time I decided I'd taken the first steps to sainthood, it only took a glance at the local newspapers to set me straight.

On one hand, I read that I'm personally responsible for the downfall of the Stone Pony, after I knocked on the door of the owner, a personal friend, at 8:30 on the morning of the construction training forum. And, as someone who has done everything from hang photos there at midnight to speak out at "Save the Pony" rallies, I cheerfully admit that I'm guilty as charged.

When I arrived on the beachfront that Saturday morning and saw broken windows on the Howard Johnson's; graffiti covering every structure (including two full sides of Convention Hall); water, graffiti, toilet paper and furniture scattered around a city hotel; and dozens of colorful punk fans sleeping in cars on trash-strewn Second Avenue or under the boardwalk, with nothing to occupy them until the evening's concert -- while city employees worked overtime to clean up the mess - I told Domenic I expected help.

And, to taxpayers who've begged us to keep costs down and the city clean, I'm pleased to report that Domenic speedily responded. Given the ensuing media flap, however, I can only conclude that I should have at least brought donuts -- or maybe one of my famous flaming-potholder pizzas.

Of far more concern is the battle raging over the number of tax-exempt properties in our already tax-strapped city.

Two things have bought this issue into the limelight. One was our third-quarter tax bills. (And, yes, both the city tax rate and our overall budget actually went down this year, but shrinking state and federal aid and a long-delayed property reevaluation, among other things, sent some people's tax bills soaring.)

The second concern is a proposal by the Center, a non-profit agency that wants to build a $3 million housing facility for 25 AIDS patients in a designated commercial area on Third Avenue near Main Street.

From a financial impact standpoint, the facts about non-profits are these: If you look at the city's current ratable base, we have $563,495,005 worth of property that is potentially taxable. However, $168,156,800 of this property is tax exempt, which means that we cannot collect taxes on a full 30 percent of our total property value.

Almost $55 million of these exemptions are due to private, tax-exempt agencies like churches, social agencies, and clubs. The remaining $113 million is due to public, tax-exempt agencies like the Board of Education, Housing Authority, and federal, state and city-owned properties which include not only our municipal building, train station, library, sewer plant and public works facility, but resources like our parks, lakes, boardwalk, beach and boardwalk buildings.

Why doesn't the City Council simply limit the number of non-profits permitted to claim tax-exempt status in Asbury Park?

The answer, quite simply, is that we can't. Since last July, we've asked for and received opinions from two municipal attorneys and the legal staff of the New Jersey League of Municipalities. They have all assured us that there is no way that a New Jersey municipality can prevent a not-for-profit entity from legally settling within its borders or from receiving a property tax exemption.

Our only recourse is the Zoning Board of Adjustments, which is also not permitted to consider tax status when making its rulings. The Board should, however, make its rulings based on current zoning rules, such as parking requirements and land use regulations, and Zoning Board hearings are where your voice should be heard.

As for recent letters claiming that the council is inviting new tax-exempt agencies into town, I can confirm that none of the letter-writers has talked to me about my stand on this issue and none of the letters accurately reflect my views.

However, because Zoning Board rulings can be appealed to the City Council or to Superior Court, I am legally prohibited from stating my opinion on any given case. Even in writing this column, I've had to severely edit my comments to avoid tripping over legal land mines that could trigger costly court appeals.

In the midst of this month's excitement, Dave and I optimistically signed up for dance lessons -- just to relax, of course. And now I'm happy to share my first major dance tip: Don't learn to tango in open-toed sandals.

"So the dance instructor and I both stepped on your toes," Dave mused, as I limped in his arms. "Hmm, let's see - what did we both have in common...?"

Here's hoping for a quiet October.