Middletown's Byrnes & Mahoney Wish To Thank Their Supporters

Dear Supporters,

We are so grateful to all of you for sacrificing your time and supporting us during our campaign for the Middletown Township Committee.

Obviously, we are disappointed with the outcome, but not with the effort put forth by all of you. We would encourage you to remain engaged and optimistic about the future. We saw many new faces this year, and those of you who have been working on the Party’s behalf for many years helped us to convince over 2,000 voters, who voted for Republican Congressional candidates, to cast a vote for us. We believe these “crossover” voters were the product of your door to door efforts and running a campaign based on substance.

Our goal is to build on these efforts. We learned that knocking on doors and delivering our message in person can deliver a district to our side, even in a tough election year. Some of you covered every door in your district, and we won those districts.

Above all, we are proud of the professional campaign we ran, which focused on issues and never allowed our approach to descend into name-calling or personal attacks. Our written materials relied upon empirical facts, and we took great pains to make sure that our assertions were factual. We established ourselves as a credible alternative to those that have controlled this Township for too long.

Looking ahead, we will continue to fight for greater transparency in our local government and work to hold all elected officials accountable for their actions.

You have given us a great gift, and we will never forget it---a gift of your time and energy and deep concern for all of us who live in Middletown. We will forever hold you in our hearts remembering your generosity.

With the warmest regards,

Sean Byrnes & Mary Mahoney

Democrats Byrnes & Mahoney Lose In Middletown;Township Committee Will Revert Back To 5-0 Super Majority

It was a somber night as district results started rolling in to the Democratic Headquarters at the Leonardo American Legion, it was evident early on that it wasn't going to be a good night for Democratic Committeeman Sean Byrnes or his running mate Mary Mahoney. From the moment that the first few districts started reporting in, the numbers didn't look good. Byrnes and Mahoney only managed to capture 6 out of 46 districts and gave their concession speeches shortly after 9pm.

It was a real disappointment to many in the room after it seemed that so much of what transpired during this election season in Middletown, was leaning in the Democrats favor. From the turf field debacle in Lincroft, to the 13.87% increase to the municipal tax rate, people in town were angry at the leadership of Gerry Scharfenberger and his GOP majority, who seem to take residents for granted.

With their victory yesterday, the Middletown Township Committee will once again revert back to the 5-0 Republican super majority that it had enjoyed for nearly 20 years before Patrick Short was elected in 2006 and then Sean Byrnes in 2007.

What will that mean for residents in Middletown? It will mean less transparency and more decisions being made behind closed doors with little or no public discussion, much like it was previous to Short's election.

Flooding issues in Port Monmouth and Leonardo will be once again placed on the back burner due to budget and cost concerns which means relief for residents in those areas will have to wait another 20 years for solutions and those that wish to see Township Committee meetings televised on the Township's public access cable channels are out of luck, it will never happen.

Township engineering and legal fees will continue to increase because the Majority will continue to appoint the same firms to represent the Township without first competitively bidding those services out to lower costs, like Sean Byrnes has advocated for.

The local environment is also at risk. If Gerry Scharfenberger gets his way thousands of metric tons of carcinogenic and arsenic laced spoils will be dredged and from the bottom of Shadow Lake and burried in Stevenson Park against NJDEP wishes, instead of investigating alternative solutions like what may be proposed by the Army Corps of Engineers, which now has as part of their mission, responibilities over the ecosytem.

Middletown residents deserve the type of government that they voted for, unfortunately those that they voted for will not always have the best interests of all the residents in mind. That's why I and others, will continue to act as watchdogs over those that feel that Middletown is her to serve them as opposed to the other way around.

Election Day 2010

When you go out to the polls today in Middletown remember to

And pull the lever for Sean Byrnes and Mary Mahoney

(And while you're at it, a vote for Holt, Pallone, Venables, D'Amico and Brophy would be in order also)

Dear Fellow Middletown Residents Support Byrnes & Mahoney

The power of the Internet and email is amazing to me. I don't know who authored this letter but I have received it from nearly a dozen different individuals, some on my contact list and from others that I don't even know. From what I happen to know about Sean Byrnes's record and of Mary Mahoney, I would have to say that it is right on.


Dear Fellow Middletown Resident,

Someone you know has sent this to you as an effort to help make residents more aware of what has been happening behind the scenes of our local government, and why our property taxes are so high and continue to rise. Due to our Township Committee’s refusal to institute ways of making our local government more transparent, most residents really have no way of knowing the decisions the Committee has been making about how they spend our tax dollars. It has been that way for three decades and Mayor Scharfenberger and the Middletown Republican Party would like to keep it that way.

It is not only impossibly expensive, but it is just impossible to communicate the truth the traditional way- with signs, ads and direct mailings. There is simply too much important information that people need to know, and hopefully this email will serve that purpose. Thank you for taking a few minutes to read it. This election is pivotal for Middletown. Voters need to be able to make a truly informed decision, not just rely on distortions, misinformation and character assassinations.

Sean Byrnes is the only Democrat on the Township Committee. For those of you who don’t pay close attention to how our local governing body operates, Sean is widely recognized as the fiscal conservative on the Committee. This stems from his experience handling budgets for the U. S. Coast Guard during a time when the Coast Guard was repeatedly suffering reductions in funding. He has voted against the last 3 Middletown municipal budgets voicing frustration at the Township’s failure to shrink the size of local government and the absence of any Finance Committee to prepare a financial plan for the Township. Over his objection, each of the three years he has been in office, the majority has approved substantial increases in our municipal tax levy. The municipal tax levy in 2005 was $31,217,469, and it is $45,349,477 for 2010. That’s a 45% jump in the 6 years that Gerry Scharfenberger has been in office. There have been recent Township mailings going out to households (paid for with taxpayer dollars by the way) “spinning” the tax statistics to make them look better. The truth is that the numbers speak for themselves:

In 2010, a comparison of the 8 neighboring municipalities revealed that Middletown had the highest jump in the municipal tax levy.

Here are the numbers:



Although the Mayor has cited large snowplowing expenses and other factors as the cause for this substantial increase, the reality is that all of these towns faced the same financial pressures, but only Middletown has had to seek approval from the Local Finance Board for Emergency Appropriations in each of the last 3 years to allow Middletown to exceed its scheduled appropriations.

Committeeman Byrnes has recommended sweeping changes in how Middletown delivers its services, but as the lone Democrat, he cannot even get a second vote to allow discussion of his ideas. Here are some examples:

· He sought to force competitive bids for all engineering work related to roads and other larger projects in town, instead of hiring the same politically-connected engineering firm to do all Township engineering work over the last 35 years. This firm gets paid on average over $1,000,000 every year.

· He has recommended consolidating the maintenance personnel in the Parks & Recreation Department, Public Works Department and the maintenance personnel working for the Board of Education.

· He pushed for privatization of much of the Township’s leaf and brush pickup, which consumes a large portion of the Township’s workforce. The Committee reluctantly agreed to bid out a small portion of the Township and realized a savings of $100,000 when the bid was received.

· He has recommended partnering with local non-profits like the YMCA to provide non-essential services like cultural and recreational activities so as to eliminate excessive costs associated with full-time employees’ pay and benefits, including health benefits that extend into retirement years.

· He has asked his fellow Committee members for 3 years to create a Finance Committee like every other municipality and well-run organization, but they have refused. He suspects that his fellow Committee members fear bringing citizens into the financial planning for the Township, because it would reveal the dire shape of the Township’s finances and the poor decision making by the Committee which got the town into this situation in the first place. Also, those no-bid contracts, politically–appointed positions (with benefits) and other practices would finally be brought to light if the public became involved. He knows that Middletown is rich with talent and resources – very highly-qualified people who, regardless of party affiliation, would volunteer to examine the budget and make recommendations to the Committee on how to cut costs and save tax dollars. Numerous other towns, with budgets a fraction of the size of Middletown’s, utilize Finance Committees to help them make the best decisions. It is absurd that a township the size of Middletown does not. It is unnerving to think why that is so.

· He believes that the residents of Middletown need to be more engaged in the governing process and he has observed a disconnect between the residents and their elected officials. He has advocated for televising the Township meetings to allow broader access to the public, but the Mayor and majority refuse to do so. They don’t want anyone to really know what is going on. Why is that? Byrnes did however have some success with his request to have the resolutions posted on the town website. This means that residents are now able to see what is being discussed and voted on at the Committee meetings through the website. Prior to that, anyone who went to a meeting would have no clue what was being discussed. Televising or streamlining the meetings online would be a wonderful way for residents to be connected without having to leave home. Other nearby towns are doing it already at little or no cost and it has been very positively received.

· He has recommended placing the Township’s attorney on a fixed retainer to reduce expenses and add predictability to this line item. The majority has refused to limit the (politically connected) attorney’s expenses in this fashion.

· He has called for a Task Force to examine whether Middletown still needs a Sewerage Authority. There are seven Commissioners of the Sewerage Authority who are entitled to receive pay, pension and health benefits. (Remember, there are only 5 Committee members, who are responsible for the entire township). In addition, the Director earns a salary in excess of $100,000. The Sewerage Authority meets once a month for less than an hour. These members are all active Republicans, including a former Mayor, party Treasurer, party Vice Chair etc. Middletown has been substantially developed and Sean Byrnes believes folding the Authority into the Public Works Department would save hundreds of thousands of dollars in overhead. Efforts by Byrnes to investigate the merger of the Sewage Authority and Township Government have been opposed and blocked by Mayor Scharfenberger.

Both Sean and his running mate, Mary Mahoney, believe these sensible initiatives, if adopted, might have helped to avoid the large-scale tax increases of recent years. Sean and Mary stand by these recommendations. Together they will bring a conservative perspective to the Committee by examining how operations can be improved, by introducing management practices proven to eliminate waste and by improving the depth of research and analysis done prior to making important decisions.

Electing Mary Mahoney will bring strong organizational and leadership skills, currently lacking on the Committee. Her 18 years of experience in the business world honed these skills enabling her to challenge the Committee last year when they were poised to make another poorly planned investment at a time when they were already $5.5M in the red. She helped form a citizens’ group, hired their own engineer, proved the folly of the Committee’s majority leadership and won. In addition, in the past 10 years while raising her two sons Mary has been an active member of her community serving on several local boards dedicated to maintaining and improving the quality of life for residents of Middletown. Mary’s experiences with our local government have shown her that Middletown’s majority leadership is not representing the residents’ needs and vows to change this.

The Asbury Park Press has had this to say about Sean Byrnes :

“Sean Byrnes’ passion for cutting government spending and increasing transparency separate him from the field” (APP 10/18/09)

(He) “is bright, articulate and has an uncommon grasp of the issues” (APP 10/18/09).

Part of the problem is that without a second vote, resolutions cannot be discussed at Township Committee meetings. Sean’s ideas die on the vine, because no one will second them to allow discussion. This is partisan politics at its worst, and the taxpayers end up paying for it. Electing both Sean and Mary will force discussion of these and their other ideas that will help Middletown reduce waste and manage our tax dollars more efficiently. Once there is a discussion, there is also a public record of those discussions. We will gain transparency in our local government and make our elected officials accountable for their actions.

From the beginning of his term three years ago, Sean Byrnes has been pleading to step up the recycling program in Middletown. Recycling is an issue both the Byrnes and Mahoney families have always felt very strongly about and have been putting into practice for a long time. As Sean has explained at many Committee meetings, it will not only reduce expenses, it will bring in revenue as well. He has described how his own household of 7 people produces less than one can of garbage a week simply by recycling mixed paper and newspaper. No one on the Committee would listen. Now it is election time and the Mayor is campaigning about “his” recycling program. Another request Sean had made months ago was to have a property reassessment for the township. The rest of the Committee would not discuss it. Then, Mayor Scharfenberger introduces a resolution for a reassessment, once again taking credit for Byrnes’ ideas. To make matters worse, he uses taxpayers’ dollars to campaign via Township publications and robocalls sent to every household. This again is partisan politics.

Regardless of their party, voters understand the importance of maintaining balance on the Township Committee. We have not had much of that in recent years. In the last two years, the four Republican Committee members have never disagreed with one another. Over the course of hundreds of votes on resolutions, ordinances, and other matters, they have voted together, never disagreeing with one another. Elected officials should feel comfortable to vote their conscience. They clearly are answering to someone other than the people that elected them; one might suspect it is their local party.

Let’s get some balance on the Township Committee. Let’s give Sean Byrnes and Mary Mahoney the ability to introduce some of these cost-cutting ideas by electing them. Even if both are successful, it still leaves them in a minority, but it gives them the all-important ability to force discussion on issues like those mentioned above. And because 4 votes are required to approve any bonding for the Township, their presence would curb any excessive reliance on this borrowing power. This is vital since the total bond debt in Middletown went from around $48M in 2001 to over $75M today. The numbers speak for themselves, in just 10 years we have borrowed and are paying interest on an additional $27,000,000.

Sean Byrnes and Mary Mahoney do not have to try to destroy anyone’s character, distort facts or take quotes out of context and put their own captions under them. They just need to get the truth out there for people to see and judge for themselves.

This election should not be about local politics, it should be about creating a governing body that can reduce spending and provide much needed tax relief for our residents.

You can make a difference by making an informed decision and voting for Sean Byrnes and Mary Mahoney. You can help make a balanced local government a reality by forwarding this message to every Middletown resident you know.


For more about Sean Byrnes, Mary Mahoney and very interesting information about what has been going on behind the scenes of our local government, and where your tax dollars have been going, visit:

openmiddletown.com

Video: Mary Mahoney Explains Why She Is Running For Middletown Township Committee

Mary Mahoney, Democratic Candidate for Middletown Township Committee and running mate of Democratic Committeeman Sean Byrnes, explains why she is seeking office. This video was take at the Byrnes and Mahoney Town Hall meeting that took place on September 27,2010.

Video: Sean Byrnes discusses Transparency and Televising meetings

Middletown Democratic Committeeman Sean Byrnes discusses transparency and the need to televise Township Committee meetings over the Township's public access channels during the Byrnes and Mahoney Town Hall Meeting that took place on September 27,2010 in Middletown.

Since this video was taken Mayor Scharfenberger has stated that he would not be in favor of televising meetings to the public at any cost because he doesn't see the value in it.

Q&A With Middletown Candidates From RedBank.Com

This morning over at RedBankGreen.com, they published Q&A's from each candidate seeking office in Middletown this year.

The differences in the candidates answers are striking. Sean Byrnes and Mary Mahoney focussed their answers towards what needs to be fixed with a vision towards the future with details on how they would achieve their goals, while Gerry Scharfenberger and his running mate seem to have their heads in the sand waiting for the Governor and his "tool kit" to fix Middletown's problems.

One criticism, the pictures of the candidates are horrible and not flattering at all. Did the pictures need to be tinted green?

Below are Byrnes & Mahoney's answers with the links to Scharfy and his running mate:

BYRNES: FORM A FINANCE TASK FORCE

NAME: Sean F. Byrnes (Democrat, incumbent)

AGE: 47

OCCUPATION: Attorney

LENGTH OF RESIDENCE IN TOWN: 10 years

General Questions:

1. What do you see as the top three issues in town?

a. Constantly Increasing Taxes.

b. Poor Governance Structure

c. Marginal Transparency

2. What specifically are you planning to do to address those issues?

The Township’s steady tax increases are the product of poor planning and a refusal to make difficult decisions. We had an increase in our municipal tax levy in 2010 that exceeded 13%. By my calculation, our municipal tax levy has jumped approximately 45% in the last 5 or 6 years. We have no published, agreed upon plan for attacking the categories of spending that drive these increases. We need to create the Finance Task Force I have been calling for since my election 2007, include some of our extremely competent residents who have financial backgrounds and develop a written plan to bring our spending in line with our available revenue. This will mean a reduction in services, but so be it. We can do this without cutting the core services that our citizens need. Non-essential services will be reduced. I have recommended the following measures for the last two years, and I will continue to advocate for their implementation:

1. Competitively bid the engineering work for all construction and road projects rather than handing this work to the same firm every year.

2. Consolidate the all maintenance departments in Town (Board of Ed, Recreation and Public Works) into one entity.

3. Privatize a much larger portion of our leaf and brush pickup.

4. Re-negotiate garbage contracts to create incentives for recycling and reduce the number of pickup days, thereby achieving substantial savings.

5. Re-negotiate employee health benefit plans to create incentives for savings.

6. Evaluate consolidating the Sewerage Authority into Public Works.

7. Negotiate fixed retainer agreements with legal professionals working for Township.

8. Re-organize the Parks & Recreation Department to reduce its size and provide for more fee-based services.

In terms of governance, as the managers of a $65M budget, we need to organize our work effort and delegate work to Committees. Middletown has not Finance Committee, no Personnel Committee, No Negotiations Committee and no Property Committee. Each of the 5 members of the Committee is responsible for all areas of Township Government. While this may be true from a fiduciary perspective, when it comes to getting work done, we need to delegate work. A Finance Committee should be working this time of year, preparing a budget for 2011, preparing recommendations for how to cut spending and reaching out to the Board of Eduation to see how we can cooperatively save the Township money by sharing services. Unfortunately, without the committees, we react slowly to changes to our environment. Even though we knew the financial crisis that started in 2008 would produce a loss of revenue, we failed to implement budget cutting measures until well into the crisis. It took two years to conduct layoffs, and we have done little to restructure how our services are delivered. The austere budget environment that we find ourselves in will continue for years to come, and we will need to work twice as hard to meet the demands placed upon us. To do that effectively, we need a delegation of work to subcommittees that are constantly working toward solutions to the changing environment we find ourselves in.

On transparency, the dramatic change required by these difficult times cannot be achieved until our citizens engage and demand change. Unfortunately, participation by our residents cannot occur until we make information available to them. We need all areas of our budget process to be made transparent. We need to make it easy for residents to educate themselves about our budget process, our spending line items and our organizational structure. Residents must also have the ability to watch our meetings and keep abreast of our decision-making without actually attending those meetings. I have consistently advocated for televising our meetings, but the majority of our Committee oppose these efforts. In fact, the majority in Middletown passed an ordinance that forces anyone with a video camera into the last row of our court room. As elected officials we should welcome transparency. The greater the transparency, the greater the accountability.

3. What will be the challenges in getting these goals accomplished?

Despite advocating a consistent message of fiscal conservatism that includes smaller government, privatization and shared services, my status as the lone Democrat leaves me without the ability to secure a second vote to allow for discussion on some of these ides. Procedurally, I cannot introduce a resolution for discussion without a second. The Republican majority always vote together, regardless of the issue, so I have no ability to force votes on these ideas. At our reorganization meeting in January 2010, I proposed competitively bidding the engineering work and placing our attorney on a monthly, fixed retainer, but could not secure a second vote.

4. What expenditures, if any, do you see as ripe for trimming in order to keep the budget growth under the mandated two-percent cap?

Parks & Recreation is almost as $2.3M per year. Most of that money is salaries, yet from my perspective, most of the recreation provided in the Township is done through volunteers. I think alot of our expense in this area is for property maintenance and we need to look to accomplish more of that work through private contracts.

Health care expenses are out of control. We are currently self-insured and that arrangement has not worked. We need to negotiate into our collective bargaining agreements incentives for our employees to save. We also have an obligation to help our employees get healthier. Healthy employees have fewer medical problems, especially some of the more chronic diseases. We should reward employees who engage in health and fitness activities and give them the time to do so. We should also encourage the use of generic and mail order prescriptions. It is important to provide health insurance, but our current procedures give all employees and retirees incredible benefits regardless of whether that employee makes any effort to curtail costs. This has to change.

Public Works: I believe that we can move to a leaf and brush pickup that relies more heavily, but not exclusively, on private contractors. I have pushed for this in the last two years, and our Initial efforts along these lines have produced savings in just one section of town amounting to $100,000.

5. Do you see any potential sources of revenue that need to be tapped?

Yes, I believe we have an opportunity to partner with a recreational service provider like the YMCA to provide a full-service health center for our residents. (perhaps at the site of our existing swim club) We have 66,000 residents in this Township, and we can sustain such a facility. I don’t believe that as a Township, we should be in the business of running a health center, but I do believe we can look to State and County officials to assist us in providing capital toward a full-service health center that would provide a pool, fitness center, (possibly a hockey rink), gym and other amenities to our residents (and possibly for additional fees to non-residents). Once this facility was built, we would enter into a contract with a partner like the YMCA to run the facility. We would receive a permanent revenue stream from the operation of the facility. This arrangement has been pursued by Woodbridge and has worked very well.

6.What, if any, municipal services should be consolidated among towns?

In the short term, dispatch services, inspections, health department. In the long term, police, fire, roads and schools. There are multiple townships up and down the Bayshore that all have their own police, fire, and educational systems. I think consolidation in these areas is almost inevitable, but will take time.

7. What is one thing voters need to know about you, but may not?

I have pursued this position because I relish the challenge of moving us away from the partisan, inefficient bickering that has plagued the Township for decades toward a vision for Middletown’s future that harnesses the spirit of volunteerism in this Township and efficiently uses our deep financial resources to improve our capital assets and the services we make available to residents.


Middletown Questions:

1. Considering that this year’s budget wasn’t finalized until September, does the process by which the budget is develop need improving? Explain.

Yes. We have failed year after to year to have our spending plan approved and in place by January 1, 2010, using a worst case revenue scenario. At the same time, we should produce estimated spending plans for the following two years based on all available information. We should assume the worse and institute cuts that produce no increase in our tax levy. We should also be meeting regularly in the last quarter of the year with the Board of Education to set and deliver a common goal of no tax increase for our residents. If both governing bodies agreed to a 0% increase in taxes and promised to work together, with the help of the residents to deliver on that goal, I think it would create a groundswell of support and volunteerism.

2. After this year’s municipal tax increase, which exceeded the state-mandated cap of ? percent, what needs to be done to avoid a repeat?

Our larger Departments needs to be restructured. We must consolidate maintenance activities. It makes no sense to have multiple departments in the Township maintaining Township properties. We should convene a Task Force that includes health insurance experts from our community to prepare recommendations to reduce our health care expenses. Thereafter, we must negotiate those recommendations into our bargaining agreements. Our Parks & Recreation Depatment’s budget is excessive and needs to be cut. We should reach out to local neighborhoods and seek their assistance in the maintenance of smaller parks and fields. The maintenance of these properties in currently handled by full-time employees. We should pre-approve five engineering firms who could then bid on all engineering projects during the course of the year. This would save hundreds of thousands in my opinion. There are certain full-time positions that should be part-time or contracted out. We must insist that residents recycle. Moving paper out of the waste stream and into the recycling stream on a large scale would save hundreds of thousands of dollars.

3. What do you think the township should do with its swim club?

I think we should look to transform this facility into an all year health center. The City of Woodbridge built a large facility that has a pool, health service center and hockey rink. They contracted with the YMCA to run the facility once it was built, and the city collects a percentage of the revenue. Middletown is large enough to justify this type of project and a membership based arrangement with a discounted fee for residents (including substantially reduced fees for those who qualify) would produce revenue for the Township on a long term basis.

MAHONEY: BUDGET NEEDS BETTER PLANNING

NAME: Mary Mahoney (Democrat)

AGE: 56 (do you have to print that?) Yikes!

OCCUPATION: Worked for 18 years as a buyer and showroom manager in the garment center before retiring to raise my family. For the past 7 years I’ve worked at the Pottery Barn as a Design Studio Specialist and also as a Independent Sales consultant for Silpada Designs.

LENGTH OF RESIDENCE IN TOWN: over 24 years.

General Questions:

1. What do you see as the top three issues in town?

- Poor planning and execution. Township Committee reacts instead of planning long term. Produces waste and higher taxes.

- Ineffective and inefficient governing. No defined or specific responsibilities for committee members.

- Misplaced priorities. Many areas in Middletown are neglected such as the Bayshore area where flooding as not been fixed for over 20 years.


2. What specifically are you planning to do to address those issues?

- Improve transparency, so there will be more community involvement. Televise meetings at low cost. Town Hall meetings should concentrate on the business of running the township. Too much time is given to handing out awards. This should be done at another time.

- Improved efficiency by setting long term goals. Reorganize departments to consolidate and reduce redundancy.

- Fix the flooding issues in the Bayshore.

3. What will be the challenges in getting these goals accomplished?

- Getting the majority to cooperate and have a dialogue about new ideas. Taking the politics out of the governing process.

4. What expenditures, if any, do you see as ripe for trimming in order to keep the budget growth under the mandated two-percent cap?

- Consolidating and privatizing services to reduce expenses.

- Reduce the cost of professional contracts by going out to bid.

- Increase shared services with the BOE, neighboring towns and county.

- Privatize the management of the swim club.

- Shift the production of Middletown Matters into the Library budget (or sell advertising to pay for it) and televise the meetings for less money.

- Retire unused bonds.

5. Do you see any potential sources of revenue that need to be tapped?

- Improve and enforce recycling.

- Make the Art Center self sustaining and utilize it for events and functions to bring in revenue.

6.What, if any, municipal services should be consolidated among towns?

- 911 dispatch system.

7. What is one thing voters need to know about you, but may not?

- I’m not politically motivated and only want to do the right thing for the residents of Middletown.


Middletown Questions:

1. Considering that this year’s budget wasn’t finalized until September, does the process by which the budget is develop need improving? Explain.

- Yes. In December of 2009 there was an anticipated $5 mil shortfall. Yet the budget was not addressed. Since Feb., the Mayor claimed they had a plan, but there was no plan. The only committee person with budgeting experience is Sean Byrnes. He recommended setting up a Finance Committee because of the seriousness of the problem, but that was dismissed.

The majority does not share information with all committee members and that needs to stop. The budget process should start in June of the previous year. We should be working on the 2011 budget now.

2. After this year’s municipal tax increase, which exceeded the state-mandated cap of 4 percent, what needs to be done to avoid a repeat?

- Better planning and execution.

- Consolidating departments.

- Out sourcing field maintenance.

- Increase the surplus which will reduce taxes in the long run instead of borrowing from future budgets.

3. What do you think the township should do with its swim club?

- Privatize the management or sell it.

Here are the links to Scharfenberger and his running mates answers

APP: MIDDLETOWN: Two Republicans and Two Democrats are vying for two seats

Today's edition of the Asbury Park Press includes the statements from the four candidates that are seeking election to Middletown Township's Township Committee, Sean Byrnes, Mary Mahoney, Gerry Scharfenberger and Kevin (whatshisname) Settembrino.

In their statements issued to the APP, Byrnes and Mahoney come across as having a firm grip on what they wish to do and accomplish once re-elected(elected) to the Committee. While Scharfenberger was content at trying to ride Governor Christie's coattails even though many of the Governor's policies and positions are detrimental to municipalities throughout the State, Middletown included. Kevin(whatshisname)Settembrino the carpetbagger from East Rutherford, who has only lived in town for 3 years, decided to use his statement attacking Sean Byrnes.

This article makes Sean Byrnes and Mary Mahoney look good compared to the other two, Mary and Sean focused on what they would do and the others focused on what others will do for Middletown.

It seemed as if Gerry Scharfenberger and the Settembrino guy used this column in the APP to play out a good cop, bad cop type of routine. Gerry by taking the high road praising Christie, while bad cop Settembrino throws mud by launching into an attack on Sean Byrnes rather than state his credentials and what his vision for the town would be if elected.

Scharfenberger and Settembrino's statements that were published here makes the Republican ticket for Township Committee look bad and doesn't give voters a real reason to vote for them. This was a big mistake on their part.

Neither one of them came close to matching the insightfulness or passion for the community as Mary Mahoney, when she ended her statement with this sentence:

"...If elected, I would work to build a government that responds to the needs of all people, and I would serve as a responsible steward of the precious tax dollars sacrificed by the members of this community."

The difference between Byrnes and Mahoney and Scharfenberger and Settembrino are very striking and really shows who has the best interests of the Middletown in mind. This round definitely goes to Sean Byrnes and Mary Mahoney.

If you haven't read the candidates statements yet in the Asbury Park Press, you can do so by clicking >>>Here

Letter: Wife of former mayor supports Byrnes & Mahoney

The letter below was written by Marianne Musella, wife of former Middletown Mayor Tony Mussella. It appears to day online at the website of the Independent.

By the sound of this letter, written by the wife of a former Middletown GOP insider, it doesn't bode well for Gerry Scharfenberger and his running mate Kevin Whatshisname, once you loose your base the game is over. It would seem that by the contents of this letter that is exactly what is happening, longtime Middletown GOPers are tired of the same old, same old that is going on down at Town Hall and are clamoring for change:

As a lifelong Republican whose husband was a former mayor of Middletown, I was ashamed to see the latest attempt to smear Sean Byrnes with a mailer, which apparently was sent to all GOP households. This letter went in the trash where it belonged. This may be politics as usual, but it offended me greatly.

Sean Byrnes’ character, integrity and record speak for itself, and he deserves to be re-elected.

I also support his running mate, Mary Mahoney, who I have found to be equally honest, hardworking and dedicated to serving the residents of Middletown.

The current leadership has shown that the taxpayer is not first. It is time our elected officials work for the residents and not a political party.

Please join me and support Byrnes and Mahoney for Middletown Township Committee.

Mariann Musella

Middletown

Sean Byrnes & Mary Mahoney Town Hall Meeting Oct. 20th

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If you have not had the opportunity to meet Sean & Mary, there is still time. Stop in at the

American Legion Post No. 338

Hwy 36 Leonardo NJ, 07737

at 7pm this Wednesday, October 20

Township Committee Candidates Sean Byrnes & Mary Mahoney will be giving a presentation on the issues that directly affect Middletown.

Letter: Middletown Needs Less Partisanship

This letter to the editor appears today in the Atlantic Highlands Herald:

Dear Editor,

My favorite quotes come from a founding father and former president, Thomas Jefferson, “the greatest good we can do is to heal party divisions and make them one people”. I believe that thought was intended to be translated right down to the local levels. That would mean our political parties would actually be working for the betterment of the people they serve regardless of party affiliation. Unfortunately, I have yet to see that happen in Middletown, my local neck of the woods.

I would then suppose the next thing the residents could hope for in our governing body is a system of checks and balances. Well folks, we don’t have that either and that most certainly is not in our best interest.

On numerous occasions, Democrat Sean Byrnes has made motions that would well serve our residents. Sound ideas and advance planning need to be acted on in a non-partisan environment for the good of the community. Sean’s motions are never seconded and they die right there in the workshop – never discussed publicly. This is not the kind of governing the founding fathers planned for us.

Mary Mahoney an accomplished business woman, community advocate, civic leader, and long term Middletown resident has courageously stepped up to the plate as Mr. Byrnes running mate. Something few of us would be willing to do during these difficult economic times.

Please help restore a system of checks and balances to Middletown’s governing body by casting your vote this November for Byrnes and Mahoney.

Mary Ellen Hintz
Lincroft, NJ

Speaking of Signs; Has Halloween Tricks All Ready Started In Middletown With The Taking Of Byrnes and Mahoney Signs ?

In the 5 days that I had been away attending my grandfathers funeral in Utah, I noticed in my return that here have been a number of Byrnes & Mahoney signs missing from the roadsides that had been there previously.

I know periodically that signs are taken by kids as pranks or are removed by Township, County or State employees if the signs are thought to be on land that is owned by either entity,but when only the signs of one group of candidates are being taken away and the others remain that raises the red flag.

Such is the case with Middletown Committeeman Sean Byrnes and his running mate Mary Mahoney, their signs seem to be disappearing and not just from the roadside but from private property and resident homes as well, while their republican opponents signs are still visible on lawns and on roadways.

As confirmation of what I have been witnessing, I have been sent an email and found a letter to the editor posted at the Independent's website that discusses exactly what I had been feeling since my return:

"Boo! Once again, Halloween (dirty?) tricks are in evidence in Middletown. On Palmer Avenue, Leonardville Road by the Navy underpass, and other Middletown locations there is a pattern of Scharfenberger-Settembrino election signs being placed very close in front of Byrnes-Mahoney signs, blocking their visibility. Gremlins have also placed some Little signs to block the other side of Byrnes signs.

In the pre-Halloween spirit of generosity, I choose to believe that the disrespectful sign positioning is due to the fearful over-zealousness of campaign workers, like the young goblin caught in the act late at night. Perhaps Mayor Scharfenberger is not aware of the tactics. I call upon the mayor to take responsibility, order the situation corrected at once, and not sanction repetition of the tactic."

And the Letter from the Independent:

Taking political signs impedes political process

The Middletown Democrats have been experiencing an appreciable loss of political signs. Perhaps you have noticed where they are missing. Those are the signs that have the names of Sean Byrnes and Mary Mahoney on them. They seem to be disappearing from various parts of the township.

I have been trying to police them, and I have concluded that some of our signs are actually stolen in broad daylight. The situation has been studied, and I have given it a great deal of attention.

I have concluded that it is not the local raccoons that are attracted to our signs, but it may be the rats. The attraction for Democratic signs has been so great that whenever Democratic signs make an appearance with other signs, it is ours that are taken. Once they are taken, they are never to be seen again. I am not trying to call this kidnapping, but it may be close to the same thing.

Whatever you want to call this, there is one thing for certain. The perpetrators are impeding the political process, which is the basis of our democracy.

Preston Gillam

Belford

Do adults really need to play these silly games? If so, it could only lead to one conclusion in peoples minds and that is, Gerry Scharfenberger and the rest of the Middletown GOP are deathly afraid of losing this election, after a 5 year record of raising taxes by 45%, I would be afraid of losing also. Even still, to have members of your party taking down or block your opponents signs with your own, is childish. It's time to grow up!

What's Wrong With This Sign?

Can anyone tell me what is wrong with this sign? The sign is announcing the upcoming "Meet the Candidates" night, a non-partisan event that is sponsored every year by the Lincroft Village Green Association (LVGA) on Oct 28th.

Similar signs to this have been hanging at the corner of Pharlyxn and Newman Springs Rd (rt.520), on the edge of Lincroft's Village Green Park for years. Now all of a sudden the Township wants it taken down.

Middletown Parks & Recreation Director Gregg Silva, recently contacted directors of the LVGA asking that they remove the banner from the corner of the park because of a resident complaint. The Township has a rule that no political signs can be placed on Township property.

In my mind and in others, this sign is nothing more than an advertisement for an event to meet all candidates that are running for Township Committee, not a political sign.

Silva said that he wanted the sign/banner removed immediately, he even offered to have his men from P&R take down the sign for the LVGA (as if he had nothing better to do with Township resources).

It seems to me that this is just another ploy by the Middletown Republicans to stifle debate and keep attendance down to the minimum at this years LVGA Candidates Night, seeing that they sense there opponents, Sean Byrnes and Mary Mahoney, have built a tremendous amount of support throughout Lincroft and the rest of Middletown and have Gerry Scharfenberger and the rest of the Republicans running scared.

I will be interested in hearing about who took this sign down when or if it happens. As of this morning the sign is still there.

Letter: Middletown needs new leadership

The following letter was written by Middletown Township resident Mary Mahoney, who just happens to be joining Sean Byrnes as a candidate for Township Committee. The letter appears in the Asbury Park Press:

During the last nine months, I have come to know Sean Byrnes as a member of the Middletown Township Committee. His ideas for improving Middletown are sound and affordable.

Unfortunately, the Republican majority on the committee — a majority the GOP has held for 30 years — has blocked most of his proposals. The budget problems we face now could have been avoided had his recommendations been approved. Being the only true fiscal conservative on the committee, he has never voted to increase taxes.

For many years, the needs of people in this town have been neglected. This must be stopped.

I am honored to be Byrnes' running mate because I share his vision and commitment to build a better quality of life in Middletown, so that all people feel their government is responsive to their needs and concerns.

On Nov. 2, vote for Byrnes and Mahoney.

Mary Mahoney

MIDDLETOWN

Byrnes & Mahoney Town Hall Meeting Was a Big Success

Last nights Sean Byrnes and Mary Mahoney's Town Hall Meeting at the Middletown Panera Bread location was a big success. It was better than hoped for with over 50 people in attendance, many of then Republicans, who voiced their concerns over the lack of transparency shown by those down at Town Hall and how those in charge have been running the Township over the past several years which has resulted in the largest tax hike in Monmouth County this year (nearly 14%).

Overall, it was a very informative meeting that Sean Byrnes tried his best to make as non-political as possible, which I believe those in attendance appreciated. Many of them were there to be informed about what was happening at Town Hall and what possible solutions they could expect to their problems if Byrnes and his running mate Mary Mahoney were elected. They didn't want to hear them slam or complain their opponents.

Committeeman Byrnes chose to highlight 3 topics of discussion last night; Planning (or lack there of), the Execution of Government and the Inefficiencies that are associated with the "business as usual" way that Middletown has been run, which has lead to tax increases of over 42% during the last 5 years.

Byrnes's running mate, Mary Mahoney, introduced herself to the crowd and spoke about how and why she became interested in running for the Township Committee. She told those in attendance that she became involved back in December of last year when the Township decided to install an artificial turf fields complex with concession stands and lighting across the street from her house at the West Front Street Park, with no notification or discussion with the residents of the area that would be affected by such a complex. Mahoney went on to tell those in attendance how she helped form the citizens group SONIC, that defeated the sports complex at West Front Street and how she came to realize that the Mayor (Gerry Scharfenberger) and others were more interested in themselves and getting elected than doing what's right for all the residents of Middletown.

The floor was then opened for a Question and Answer period, where attendees asked Sean Byrnes questions that ranged from the Governor's "Tool Kit" and civil service rules, recording and televising Township meetings and what it would mean for residents if the Township Committee reverted back to it's old make-up of a 5-0 super majority of all Republicans and no Democrats.

I recorded over an hour worth of video last night that will take me a few days to edit down for posting. When I do, readers will be able to see and hear for themselves how well the Town Hall Meeting went and decide whether or not Byrnes and Mahoney deserve your votes.

Middletown Dems - Byrnes & Mahoney To Hold Town Hall Meeting

Middletown Democratic Committeeman Sean Byrnes, a long with his running mate Mary Mahoney, will hold the first of two planned Town Hall meetings Monday night September 27th at 7pm. The meeting will be held at Panera Breads, 776 Hwy 35 Middletown,NJ.

"The Status Quo Is Not Good Enough, Have You Had Enough?"

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Hear about and discuss issues affecting your quality of life in Middletown.


A second Town Hall meeting will be held on Wednesday Oct.13th in Leonardo.

Further details will be release as the date draws near.

Letter: Common Sense Over Politics

The people of Middletown have crucial decisions to make on November 2 of this election year. This community desperately needs new leadership that recognizes the concerns of the residents here .We can no longer continue to condone the mismanagement, the displays of incompetence and the failed policies of the republican majority on the township committee. Business as usual is contrary to prudent government.

Sean Byrnes is the only committee person willing to recognize the current economic conditions the residents of this town face. He has consistently voted against the failed policies of the current majority now serving. Their priorities are themselves, their party and their cronies, in that order. They refuse to consider
the very valid suggestions, that have been offered by Mr. Byrnes to right the sinking ship that is government in Middletown. These republicans seem oblivious to reality as they ignore the fact that the people in this country are in revolt against unfair and excessive taxation.

As a resident of this township for forty three years .I believe Middletown will be a much better place to live when bipartisan government becomes a reality here. We cannot afford three more years of the blatant disdain and disregard of the very people who pay the bills here....The taxpayers.

Time to vote for the re-election of Sean Byrnes and to elect his running mate,Mary Mahoney,.Mary is a person of honesty and integrity who shares Sean's vision for a better Middletown and a government that serves and respects the people who live and pay taxes here. They are both remarkable individuals.

Common sense must prevail over politics and the acute indifference that exists now towards the Middletown taxpayer.



Barbara R. Thorpe
Lincroft,N.J.