Asbury Park faces call to enforce ban on bathing suits

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Put your shirt on

N.J. politician pushes bathing suit ban on boardwalk

The storied Jersey shore town of Asbury Park may have a new problem on its hands, after bouncing back from years of decline -- all those people prancing around in swimsuits.

At least, according to former City Councilwoman Louise Murray.

The 74-year-old local is now turning to a decades-old law to try and compel beachgoers to cover up. Murray is urging the City Council to enforce a mothballed -- but still technically valid -- ordinance that bars visitors from wearing bathing suits on the boardwalk.

"I understand that social things have changed," she told the Star-Ledger. "But forget that. Just put a shirt on."

According to MyFox New York, many residents either forgot about the law or never knew it existed.

But with Asbury Park on the rebound thanks to an aggressive revitalization campaign, Murray is calling for the no-swimsuits law to be enforced.

"It's not a beach town," she told the Star-Ledger. "It's a city. We just happen to be on the ocean."

But not everyone agrees. City Manager Terence Reidy was quoted telling the Asbury Park Sun that for now, "no one is going to get arrested for wearing a bathing suit on the boardwalk."