"Do you have any advice for me?" I begged.

"Yes. Start planning some large-scale fund-raisers."

"Fund-raisers?" I asked. "Why would I need fund-raisers? I only spent about $2,000 on my entire election campaign, and the bills are all paid."

"Yes, but now you're going to need a secretary."

"A secretary? A secretary?" I laughed. "To help me handle two council meetings a month?"

He gave me one of those all-knowing, big brother looks. "Have it your way," he said smugly.

Eighteen months later, I've completely filled eight file cabinet drawers in my house with city papers, and there are eight more boxes stacked precariously in the attic.

And, of course, that doesn't count the ever-changing paper trail leading from my car to the back porch to the kitchen counters, up the stairs, and into my home office.

"I need a secretary!" I recently whined to no one in particular.

Dave and I were picking out a new color for our kitchen countertops, and I had accidentally knocked a foot-high stack of papers onto the floor.

"Perhaps we should finish our counters in a nice 'manila envelope' color," Dave suggested sweetly, "so that people won't notice the piles of city mail all over them."

Like us or not, I can testify that Asbury Park is getting its money's worth out of its elected officials these days.

In addition to our two standard, 4-1/2 hour council meetings this month, we've been scheduled for a dozen or more hours of budget discussions; multiple negotiating sessions on the beachfront, downtown, and West Side redevelopment plans; and almost 20 hours of city-manager interviews. (Latest update: We've whittled down about 70 resumes to four top candidates, and are interviewing those candidates for a second time.)

Of course, that doesn't include our individual special projects like the city's anti-litter and literacy campaigns, board and committee assignments, and attendance at civic events.

So, in the interests of good citizenship and participatory government (not to mention sharing the pain), I am hereby handing out a few homework assignments this week to everyone who cares about Asbury Park.

1. Citywide Clean-up Campaign. As you hopefully know, Interim City Manager Hazel Samuels and I are kicking off a citywide anti-litter campaign to help us deal with the mounds of trash and deserted lots that overwhelm our municipal resources.

The centerpiece of our continuing campaign is an Adopt-a-Spot program in which clubs, neighbors, schools, churches, or individuals "adopt" an abandoned lot, a section of public land, or even part of their own block, and agree to keep it litter-free. (Little additions like a row of flowers or decorative fencing are nice, but not required.)

Need help picking a spot? Suggestions will be listed later this week on our new anti-litter website, asburyparkpride.com (generously designed and donated by Pete Walton of asburypark.net) or you can leave a message at 732-502-5196 for more information.

We've also designed a fun set of anti-litter posters featuring local residents, business owners and city employees, and would appreciate help distributing them to local clubs, schools, churches, and city businesses - particularly food-related businesses that generate lots of trash.

And please note: The Police Department is now rigidly enforcing anti-litter laws and alternate-side-of-the-street parking (over 100 tickets were issued in the last two weeks for the latter offense), and many more initiatives are planned for the coming months, including a March 29 citywide clean-up, anti-litter contests, beefed up code enforcement for overgrown grass and pet droppings, and a "memorial trash can" program. (Hey, when your city budget looks like ours, you have to be creative...)

2. Voter and Candidate Registration. Last spring, I wrote about the importance of our annual Board of Education elections and about all the ways that Asbury Park elections sometimes go wrong. (Check out my February 14 and 21, 2002 columns on asburypark.net describing how and why people undermine Asbury Park elections.)

On April 15, three more Board of Education seats will be up for election. Interested in applying? Candidate forms must be returned to the board office at 407 Lake Avenue by February 24 at 4 p.m. (Call 732-776-2606, ext. 2437 for more information.)

And please make sure you're registered to vote by March 17. Asbury Park elections consistently hinge on just a handful of votes, so your vote really does count. You can register at the city clerk's office in city hall (732-775-2100).

3. Citywide Literacy Campaign. Last week, the City and the Board of Education kicked off a joint literacy campaign, headed by Interim City Manager Hazel Samuels and Councilman John Loffredo at our end and Director of Curriculum Kathy McDavid at the school's end. This innovative program will include everything from summer story hours in the park to meet-the-author programs in the schools. Call Samuels at 732-502-5754 or McDavid at 732-776-2606 (ext. 2441) to find out how you can get involved.

4. Celebrate Valentine's Day in Asbury Park. In addition to eating a romantic dinner and finding one-of-a-kind gifts, you can take your honey to the Premier Theatre Company's acclaimed production of "West Side Story" at the Paramount Theatre on February 14-16 or February 21-22. (Call 732-774-STAR for ticket information and discounts.)

And check out the many other great events scheduled for Convention Hall this year, ranging from Sheryl Crow and the Foo Fighters to Aretha Franklin and James Brown to Tony Bennett and Ray Charles.

And while you're enjoying the shows, know that not only is the city now collecting $15,000 a month in rent from our beachfront redevelopers, but we'll be saving over $200,000 in insurance costs and well over $125,000 in utility bills this year, plus labor and maintenance costs, on the beachfront buildings that Asbury Partners is renting or buying.

Makes you want to stop on the way home for a late-night drink or appetizers from the Adriatic, or the Cameo, or Crossroads, or Georgie's, or Harry's Roadhouse, or Jimmy's, or Moonstruck, or Paradise, or Posillipo's, or the Saint, or Sonny's, or the Stone Pony, or....