News
Election Opinions
By John Burton
Disturbing Issues
To The Editor:
As a taxpayer in Middletown, it is very disturbing to read of the recent ethics issues of Democrat candidate Patricia Walsh. More troubling, is her behavior while a member of the Middletown Board of Education. According to court documents, Mrs. Walsh brought a suit against another BOE member simply because he took a paper out of her hand. When this frivolous suit was thrown out of court, she tried to get the taxpayers of Middletown to pay her legal bills. Thankfully, the rest of the board turned down her request. This event illustrates two things. First, it shows a penchant for relying on lawsuits to settle even the tiniest of issues. Second, it shows a blatant disregard for the taxpayers by expecting them to foot the bill. With property taxes spiraling out of control in this state, the taxpayers can ill-afford to have an elected official who shows so little regard for the taxpayers and for the spirit of cooperation that should be used to resolve such insignificant incidents as this. Moreover, the receipt of $30,000 that was not declared on her financial disclosure forms as required by law has resulted in a petition recall drive by a group of Middletown parents. We, as taxpayers, deserve better than this from our elected officials.
Chris Aveta
Middletown
A Real Race in Little Silver
To The Editor:
Little Silver residents don't look now but there's a serious race for the two council seats this year. This is quite surprising for our sleepy little town where for years the incumbent council members have run unopposed.
Well this year's different. There's been growing discontent in town because of ever-increasing property taxes and a perceived lack of responsiveness by certain council members towards the community's concerns. This discontent has manifested itself in three new and worthy candidates running against two incumbent council members in the upcoming election.
As is usually the case in small town elections, lawn signs seem to be the main campaign strategy for all but one of the candidates. These ugly little signs are popping up on lawns all over town. They're growing like some strange fungus on every street corner and at every intersection. The first signs to appear were Anthony F. Trufolo's. He put up a dozen or so signs in the center of town and one rather large, mobile sign (a billboard on a trailer). His signs were soon followed by several dozen more traditional ones touting Daniel J. Ohern's candidacy. Then about a week later the two incumbents, William Morris and Rick DeNoia, realizing that they actually had a serious race on their hands contributed another couple dozen signs to the center of town further muddying the local landscape. At this point I'm not really sure what any of these good gentlemen stand for or why they are running but I do recognize their names from the exploding sign population.
There is one other candidate running for council. His name is Dan Levine (Dan the Hardware Man). Dan, unlike the other candidates, does not believe putting up signs all over town is a good idea. He would rather risk his election than put up lawn signs to identify his campaign. Admirable, yes, but if you ask me his alternative strategy is a bit risky. Instead of posting signs for name recognition, he is gathering the e-mail addresses of his constituents and sending out well-conceived position letters about what is right and wrong with the town, a novel idea, right? He has already sent out about a half dozen or so. I found myself agreeing with his ideas on just about everything. That's why I wrote this letter. If you'd like to read them send Dan an e-mail at hardwaredannnj@aol.com or stop by and see him at his store.
One last thing, this year on Election Day please remember to vote not for the candidate with the most signs around town, but rather for the one who shares your concerns and ideas for the future of Little Silver.
Brian Daneman
Little Silver
Dismayed By Attacks On Walsh
To The Editor:
I have read with dismay the recent letters targeting Pat Walsh, a candidate for Middletown Township Committee. Pat Walsh has served Middletown as an elected official for 12 years, longer than anyone serving on the Board of Education or Township Committee. Voters will recognize that the recent flurry of accusations - timed just weeks before the November 4 election - are rooted in politics, not truth. What shocks me this year is the ferocity of these attacks. Opponents of Mrs. Walsh have initiated a recall petition, written a letter to the U.S. Attorney calling for a criminal investigation, and penned letters to editors of newspapers. Her adversaries have deployed a coordinated and desperate campaign to distort Pat Walsh's record. This pre-election smear campaign, launched against a person who has served for twelve years without incident, should not surprise anyone familiar with the tactics of her adversaries. As is the case with our national election, the stakes this year in Middletown are high. For the first time in 30 years, one party government in Middletown is threatened. If she wins, the opposing party loses control over a government that has been a source of professional work, jobs and benefits for almost three decades. As Election Day draws near, don't be surprised if the attacks become more desperate and the truth more difficult to find.
Middletown has never needed bipartisan leadership more than now. Many or our citizens will no doubt feel the pain as our economy contracts during this current financial crisis. FEMA's efforts to redraw Middletown's flood maps will increase flood insurance rates. COAH's latest round of affordable housing regulations demands coordinated efforts by the Planning Board and Township Committee to find creative solutions to avoid the potential crushing financial burden posed by these programs. Moreover, with a Recreational Master Plan now completed, my fellow Committee members and I will also be charting the future of recreation and open space in Middletown for decades to come. To do so effectively, we must allocate these important issues among ourselves and work with citizens and Township employees to formulate realistic and measurable objectives. These challenges are also opportunities, and I am encouraged because our Township has talented employees and department heads that can implement these changes that we must undertake.
Unfortunately, I am discouraged by our Committee's absolute resistance to change. Since elected, I have proposed with the support of Patrick Short several recommendations to improve how we do business. I was surprised to find that a Township with 67,000 residents had no Finance or Budget Committee. I recommended forming a Finance Committee comprised of two Committee members and several residents to take a hard look at our budgeting process and seek opportunities to cut costs. This was voted down along party lines. I have recommended retaining a public finance consulting firm to assess municipal debt, review our personnel structure, assess our operations and make recommendations to cut costs and improve efficiency. I also recommended that we invite the Board of Education into this process. This effort was rejected. Surprised to find that the Township had no strategic plan in place, I prepared a resolution to form a Strategic Planning Committee so that we can review operations, set objectives and systematically drive our employees toward the accomplishment of those objectives. I remain hopeful that this resolution will be passed some time soon. To date, however, every recommendation that I have attempted to implement has been voted down in partisan votes.
With so many challenges to take on, I watch now in frustration as our Mayor, Deputy Mayor and their supporters desperately resort to meritless personal attacks, rather than confronting in their campaign materials the myriad issues that demand our action. Our national, state and local governments stand at the brink of a financial calamity. To continue to do business as usual will doom our taxpayers to a lifetime of debt. The next several years will not be easy. Projects that seemed certain may now have to be reconsidered. Sacrifices will be necessary, but I think our citizens understand this reality and welcome an opportunity to put our national, state and local financial houses back in order. Unfortunately, at the local level, personal attacks like the ones launched here in Middletown obscure our vision and diminish our focus on these more compelling issues. Perhaps, the thousands of new voters registered in the past year will break the current veil of cynicism that hangs over local government. Here in Middletown, there is much to be done. I would ask my fellow Committee members on the other side of the aisle to step away from the shadow of their political party and cast their votes with the best interests of our citizens at heart. The recent attacks on Pat Walsh amount to politics as usual at a time when partisan decision-making amounts to failed leadership and leads to missed opportunities.
Sean F. Byrnes
Committeeman
Middletown Township
Political Ads?
To The Editor:
I simply would like to offer you a word of caution when you publish political advertisements under the guise of reporting. The October 17th issue had numerous articles on Atlantic Highlands by Muriel Smith. On taxes, she omits the public discussion of reasons why the tax bills were so late, especially compared to neighboring communities. The ABS's article was less a "love affair of the mayor" with the town than the "reporter's" love affair with the mayor. On the harbor bond article, no mention of the public discussion requesting that it be delayed, or that the revenue from the harbor to the town has not increased in real dollars since 1966, or that the town's debt is already high (all discussed at the meeting). Was she even at the council meeting?
The article, although no named author, about the town prompting and endorsing local attorneys' discounts on wills, was more of the same. The rates and discounts were not published so that the town sponsorship of attorneys could be potentially misleading. Shouldn't the town also inform seniors that many other attorneys and organizations will do a simple will, with living will and durable power of attorney, for as little as $100?
The articles were cute - but really, during a contested election, they should have been paid advertisements. At the council meeting last night someone in the audience profusely praised the present Republican administration (admitted by the mayor to be politically motivated), and Councilman Archibald (running for re-election) wrongly used his public position to openly endorse the message. How will Muriel "report" that council meeting?
Paul Cavise
Democratic Candidate For Council
Atlantic Highlands
Think Long and Hard
To The Editor:
Think long and hard before voting for Middletown Township Committee members this November. Personally, I think about that 63% of my property tax bill related to school taxes. I think about Democratic candidate Pat Walsh's tenure on the School Board and how she shares responsibility for raising Middletown's taxes as much, or perhaps more than anyone. I think about how, as a board member, Pat Walsh shares responsibility for the humiliating botched turf field project at High School North, or the costly personnel mishandling of multiple School Superintendents, or the failed attempt to push through a cell phone tower without input or communication with residents. And she claims to support transparency in Government?
For those who say vote the person, not the party, consider that Pat Walsh has established a track record of confrontational tactics while advancing a personal agenda and showing no tolerance for opposing thought. How about appearing before Township Committee meetings, coming to the podium to level unfair and unsupported charges against members of the governing body, then spinning on her heels and walking out of the courtroom, unwilling to listen or offer the courtesy of remaining for a response.
Pat Walsh has made it clear that she is about using political office to advance her own personal agenda, willing to leave a trail of wreckage in her path. Need an example? How about her personal mission to prevent the county from replacing the West Front Street Bridge (S-17) adjacent to the current structure? Her choice would be to use the existing footprint and close the structure for two and a half years while re-routing 21,000 cars a day past River Plaza Elementary School and surrounding neighborhoods!
Neither Pat Walsh nor her running mate are viable choices for dealing with the many serious issues facing Middletown.
Thomas G. Hall
Former Mayor, Middletown Township
Don't Elect Democrat In Middletown
To the Editor:
Will you allow the greed of four people to seriously damage the lives of hundreds of your neighbors? At stake is the election of committeemen to the government of Middletown.
Election of one more Democrat would assure rezoning to permit erection of a mega shopping center in our midst that would reduce everyone's property values, overtax, our schools and raise local taxes. Development never pays its costs.
Don't let this happen.
Richard Scudder
Middletown
(291-0123
Outrageous Claims?
To The Editor:
Recently I passed a busy intersection in Middletown and noticed a commotion on one of the corners. As I got closer, I saw a group of people waving signs and running into traffic. As dangerous as this activity was, what really shocked me was to see Board of Education member Pat Walsh holding a sign that read "I will lower your taxes." I didn't know whether to laugh or scream, but the thought of Mrs. Walsh, after raising property taxes over 100 percent and wasting millions more on such boondoggles as the football field at H.S. North, the two superintendants and the principal without a school, now telling me she will lower taxes was almost too much to hear. As a voter, I am outraged that a political candidate would have such contempt for the intelligence of the people of Middletown.
Does Mrs. Walsh really think we are so uninformed as to believe such a blatant falsehood? Given the recent reports of Mrs. Walsh's ethics problems on the BOE, however, it is easy to see how she can make such an outrageous claim with a straighr face.
Henry Vullo
Middletown
The Future of Middletown Is In Our Hands
To The Editor:
It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the residents of Middletown as a member of the Township Committee for the past three years. I worked very hard to act as a dedicated, productive, honest, and respectful public servant. Also, as a younger resident with a growing family living in an area of the Township not otherwise represented, I tried to be a voice for families who are establishing themselves in this town, and a voice for those who live along the Route 36 corridor.
Even though I am not seeking reelection, I am, and will continue to be, actively interested in the way this town is governed. I want to see Middletown continue to be well managed, remain as one of the "Top 100 Places to Live" in America, and continue to be the type of town that my own children will want to call home. Accordingly, I feel strongly that Deputy Mayor Pam Brightbill should be re-elected to the Township Committee, and that her running mate, Tony Fiore, should be the logical choice to fill the seat that I am vacating.
Pam Brightbill has been great for Middletown... and it was my pleasure to serve with her. Pam works harder than any other person on the committee, and does so because of her love for the town. She listens to every comment, reads every letter, and considers every issue in the context of what is best for the town as a whole. With the same amount of enthusiasm, Pam will take on major issues or spend her time working on little details. She stands up for what she believes in, is not concerned about political "spin," and has honest and genuine intentions when it comes to her position as an elected official. Pam Brightbill is the consummate public servant.
Since I am not running for reelection, it is important to me that the Township Committee continues to have a member who can be a voice for the families that are establishing themselves in this town, and a voice for those who live along the Route 36 corridor. Tony Fiore is just that person, and I am confident that he is best positioned to maintain the voice that I tried to establish for Middletown's Bayshore Community. He lives in Belford with his wonderful young family, and has been actively involved in the Middletown community for a number of years. As a member of the Planning Board, Tony has cast many votes to save hundreds of acres of open space from overdevelopment... that has helped keep to taxes lower and keep more traffic off our streets.
This November 4th, the future of Middletown is in our hands... and I hope that you join me in voting for Pam Brightbill and Tony Fiore.
Tom Wilkens
Committeeman
Middletown Township
