Letter: Middletown needs balanced Twp. Committee

The letter below appears in this weeks edition of the Independent.

I ’ve heard so many people say with defeat, “It didn’t used to be like this.” They are talking about our town officials’ apparent disregard for the residents they serve.

Middletown has been ruled for many years by a Republican majority. Our five-member Township Committee is all-Republican this year, and many residents would agree that things seem worse than ever .

There is a saying: If you keep doing the same thing, you can expect the same outcome. If we want to make things better in Middletown, we need to choose better representatives who put residents above all.

OnNov. 8, we fill twoTownship Committee seats. It’s our chance to put some balance back on the dais. But we need to vote in both Democratic candidates, not just one. We need two people who together guard our interests in order to make a real difference.

One reason is because it takes two votes to get any issue discussed — one committee member to make the motion, and another to second it. Without that critical second vote, an idea — no matter how good — dies on the vine.

There is a long list of issues that our Republican officials refuse to have a conversation about. And right now, they don’t have to. We can’t force them. They can do just exactly as they please, without any justification, no matter what it costs you. And if you’ve been paying attention to your tax bills, I don’t need to tell you what the price has been.

There’s another reason why having two Democratic representatives is so important. It takes four votes out of five to approve new debt. Three alone can’t do it, certainly not without having a real conversation about it first.

Paul J. Jansen
Middletown