The following email was again forwarded to me by someone who wishes to remain anonymous.
The email is to Mayor Scharfenberger from Mike Mascone. Mascone and another man represented the interests of the Middletown Soccer club at the Mayor's office this past Saturday after the Mayor meet with the members of the citizens group, SONIC, who have expressed their displeasure with the design and scale of the proposed sports complex.
The email is a recap of the meeting between the two men and the Mayor:
To: gscharfen@middletownnj.org
Subject: Middletown Soccer club
Mayor Scharfenberger,
On behalf of (name withheld) and myself we wanted to thank you for taking the time to see this morning. We appreciate the discussion and advice around the pursuit of the improvements in facilities for the people of Middletown as identifie din the Recreation Master Plan. We are aligned in disappointment with the support and flexibilty displayed by the Board of Education as a willing participant in sharing the taxpayers provided amenities. This disappointment is in two areas. Primarily in their seemingly disinterested approach to work with the public interest of Middletown. This has been manifested through a need to provide a better home for Pop Warner programs outside of the Board of Education tax payer financed facilities currently available. Secondly in their propensity to use schools to advance their positions, and agendas without regard to a desire to share services and better use the funding provided by the residents of the municipality they are entrusted to serve.
All that being said we recognize the position of the Town Council, you are charged with providing the best for the people with the capacities provided. The Recreation Master Plan calls for the improvements and we as a collection of families are willing to support that cause. I wanted recap your advice so I can pass the direction along correctly.
Middletown Municiple Government Action:
Support the Improvements via the $2mil bond to Croydon Hall and West Front Street Park:
1-At the Town Meeting on Tuesday Feb 16, show up in force of number, be respectful, vocal, and ardent in the support of the town to improve both parks to the fullest of the ability. The purpose is to place synthetic fields at both locations, lights, public address systems and concession stands where possible.
2-Continue this momentum by vocal support in the interests of the people in the club, working with the elected officials of the town and the school board on a regular basis. Invite representatives of the council and the school board at regular intervals to come speak to the club at our meetings as a means to engaging in a continious dialogue.
Middletown Board of Education Action:
Public interest and involvement in better shared service/use of tax payer owned faiclities provided to the Board of Education
Attend Schoolboard meetings which are regularly scheduled. Next Round are 2/17 which is a public workshop followed by 2/24 which is the general meeting.
All Workshop Meetings will be held on the third Wednesday of each month at the Middletown High School North Library, 63 Tindall Road, Middletown, NJ at 7:30 p.m. (unless otherwise indicated).
Regular Voting Meetings will be held on the fourth Wednesday of each month at the Middletown High School North Library, 63 Tindall Road, Middletown, NJ at 7:30 p.m. (unless otherwise indicated).
Main focus: be prepared to ask the questions of the school board and the board of education about the access to OUR facilities since .68 or every tax dollar in Middletown goes to their budget.
Emphasize the value of our voices: Annual School Election - April 20, 2010, Tuesday (TBA)
Sincerely,
Mike Mascone
What I feel is the most disturbing about the above email is the fact that the Mayor is openly disparaging the Board of Education and encouraging/electioneering against the members and positions of the BOE.
The mayor loves to tell people how Middletown was listed as 1 of the top 100 places to live in America by Forbes Magazine a few years back. He likes to take his share of credit for that but what he fails to see is that one of the main reasons Middletown was chosen was because of the quality of it's school system. Middletown Schools are ranked amongst the highest in the state for quality of education, yet he constantly pits the residents against the BOE to deflect attention away from the short comings of the republicans who have governed over Middletown for 25 years and who are responsible for raising the municipal tax rate by over 25% during the past 4 years.
The mayor seems to feel that because of the school system is responsible for the majority of the residents tax bill each year, they are to be blamed for the majority of the tax increases the past few years, which is total nonsense! The school tax rate has increased slower over the past several years than the municpal.
And to blame the Board of Education as the ones responsible for the placment of this sports complex in Lincroft is nothing short of dishonest. The BOE made every attempt to appease the township from May through September but the township would not answer honestly and faithfully their concerns over usage, maintance, liability.
You can read the BOE's statment>>> Here
All Mayor Scharfenberger is doing here is using Lincroft as a pawn in his wacked-out, head scratching battle against the school board and angering the residents of Lincroft in the process, in order to score a few brownie points with the special interests of the local sports leagues Pop Warner and Middletown Soccer, when the purpose of these artifical turf fields at Croyden Hall and West Front Street Park were never intended to be their private playground.
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