Letter: "Let’s talk about simple courtesy"

If you saw a woman sitting on the floor in a public meeting, what would you do? Offer her a seat? Move to a location that had enough seating for the public attending the meeting?

If you were at the Middletown Township Committee meeting you would have seen nothing done. The Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Township Administrator, all men, saw this woman sitting on the floor because there was no room for the public in an over-heated committee meeting room. Meanwhile there was a fully air-conditioned courtroom down the hall with plenty of seating for everyone attending the meeting to sit down.

I can’t say what was more appalling. Seeing the men in charge of the meeting have so little concern for residents that they will not even have a meeting in a place were the public who wants to can attend or that these men could completely lack the simple courtesy, as to leave a woman sitting on the floor.

I can bet that you could not even fit a wheelchair in the room making the meeting a violation of handicap access laws.

But the most absurd comment was said to me when I questioned the Township Administrator about how he could let a woman sitting on the floor, leave people standing in the halls and sending one reporter out of the room because he felt light-headed.

“If you had said something we would have moved the meeting.” he said. ‘

I know the men in charge of the meeting have that responsibility or should have at least a simple sense of common courtesy to move the meeting so appropriate seating was available. And if they do it again, I will be speaking up now that I know that at least one man will act on the suggestion. I am fairly certain that there are a several mothers out there that would completely disapprove of how their sons lack of courtesy.

But the disrespect and lack of courtesy shown to that woman and the rest of the residents who were left standing in the hall was simply inexcusable.

Pat Walsh

Middletown Resident


Note - I was breifly at last nights Township Workshop Meeting and can verify what Mrs. Walsh has written above. Once again the small Town Hall Conference Room was packed to over capacity with an overflow of approx. 10-12 people standing outside in the hallway (myself included). There is no good reason why the workshop meetings can not be held in the court room like other meetings are other than the powers that be do not wish to do so hoping that it will discourgae others from participating and joining n the discussions.

All Candidates For Middeltown Board Of Education Urge Approval of School Budget At Friday's Forum And Other Observations

Friday morning I attended the Middletown Board of Education's Candidate Forum at Panera Bread in Middletown. This last of three forums was hosted by Stephanie Murray of the Middletown Mornings organization. When I got there Friday morning I didn't quiet know what to expect in the respect of turn out, but I was pleasantly surprised to see over thirty people in attendance.

Ms. Murray opened the forum by having each candidate take a minute and a half to introduce themselves and explain why they felt they should be elected to the BOE this year.

Six of the seven candidates were in attendance and in order of their opening remarks are:

Patricia Walsh
Dawn Diorio
Gerry Wexelberg
Michael Mascone
Vincent Brand
Leonora Caminiti

Chris Aveta, who is running on the same ticket as Mascone and Brand was not in attendance Friday morning.

I recorded the meeting in its entirety and was going to break it all down into individual questions and answers, but because I have been hit with some kind of "Bug" that attacked me late Friday night and have been in bed since, I have decided just to post the whole recording.

It runs for 46 minutes but seems to play faster than that. The meeting was fast paced and kept all of those there engaged.

For me the only real news that came out of the forum was that each candidate agreed that the this years school budget should be passed by voters on Tuesday. Failure to pass the budget would only mean more drastic cuts that would penalize students and teachers alike.




After the forum was over I mingled amongst the crowd and spoke to a few candidates. I had a very nice conversation with Mike Mascone and Vinnie Brand, both of whom were polite and cordial but who took exception with me for my earlier blog post that accused them and their running mate Chris Aveta of being lap dogs for Middletown Deputy Mayor Tony Fiore and the Middletown GOP.

Each profess that they had only met Fiore no more than three times and wouldn't even recognize him if the saw him in the street, which I took with a grain of salt put didn't pursue.

I told each of them that my problem wasn't with them as individuals but with the perceived endorsement of Fiore, who signed Brand's and Aveta's school board petitions.

Brand thought that it wasn't a problem and that Tony Fiore (or anyone else for that matter) should be able to openly endorse his candidacy if they so chose.

I disagreed with that statement and I let them know that for years the Middletown GOP has tried to gain influence over the Middletown BOE to varying degrees of success. And when they did gain control several years ago with their "Back To Basics" slate of candidates it was a disaster. The expansion and upgrades to Bayshore, Thorne and Thompson Middle Schools were over budget and wrought with problems, and contract negotiations ended when over 200 teachers were sent to jail.

In my opinion, there is no room for partisan politics on the school board and just having the Deputy Mayor's signature on both Brand's and Aveta's petitions is enough to raise doubts in my mind and others.

Fiore's signature on those petitions poison Brand's, Mascone's and Aveta's candidacy for the board of ed no matter how sincere Vinnie Brand's and Mike Mascone's insistence to me that they are there own men and that they would not be influenced in any way by Fiore or other members of the Middletown GOP.

With that being said, listen to the audio and make up your own mind, but most importantly vote "YES" for the budget and vote for the candidates that you think will be the best representative for your and your child's best interests on Tuesday April 20th

Taxes and Middletown, Perfect Together

As anyone who follow this blog knows, I am no fan of the Middeltown GOP and their bond, spend ,tax and then blame others, policies. 

Since late February, I have been pointing out that the Middletown Republicans, who have controlled  the township committee for the past 20 some odd years, have been planning a 9.2% municipal tax increase this year in order to plug a $2.4 million hole in the township budget that has not been adopted yet. This budget shortfall is approximately the same as last years, when the township used  a couple of one shot revenue gimmicks in addition to a 7.2% tax increase balance the budget.

In order to keep Middletown running for the past 5+ months, temporary budget resolutions have needed to be passed by the township committee. At last count, nearly 50% of  the expected operating expenses for the township for fiscal year 2009 have already been spent or have been allocated  to be spent. 

Now, how will it be possible to cut $2.4 million from the last remaining 50% of budget to avoid a 9.2% rate increase?  You can't, unless your willing make very hard choices. Choices that the Republicans in town have refused to make for the past 20 something years.

That is why, with this years increase, Middletown's tax rate will have risen 25% over the past 4 years.

At some point you need to look in the mirror and stop blaming others for your short comings. 

Like Middletown, other municipalities around that state, as well as along the bayshore, have been saddled with reduced aid and unfunded mandates from Trenton. However the impact has not had nearly the same adverse effects as here, because instead of blaming others, these towns  looked at themselves and made choices that dealt with the problem instead of playing the avoid and blame game. 

There are two other very good posts today from Pat Walsh's Middletown Musings blog and Matt Morehead's A Voice for Youth blog that address Middletown's budget dealings. 

Walsh's talks about the townships use of deferred school board taxes, while Morehead's post asks why other towns in the area have been able to keep their tax rate stable while Middletowns has skyrocketed. 

    

Now it's the community's job to cut the township budget ???

If you are a Middletown resident then you must again take a look at Pat Walsh's Middletown Musings blog.

Pat responds to the township press release of April 24th, were the Mayor stated that  she and the Township Committee are committeed to seek further reductions in the 2009 proposed budget.

The one problem though is that Mayor Pam wants the residents to come up with further budget cuts themselves so that she and her GOP buddies cans wipe their grubby little fingers clean of a 9.2% tax increase.

For some one who promised to be fiscally conservative and campaigned on a platform to Not raise taxes, Pam Brightbill has done just that in her 4 years on the committee.  When this rate increase goes into responsible effect on July 1st, Pam and Co. will have risen the municipal tax rate by 25% during her time in office.

  

Gerry, The Want To Be Assemblyman, Sure Does Love To Write Letters

Gerry Scharfenberger, the Middletown GOP deputy-mayor, sure does love to write letters to the editor.

The "Want to be Assemblyman" has a penchant, a real knack so to speak, for the written word. 

It is a bit unfortunate though that most of what he writes about are gross exaggerations or half truths.  If you paid much attention to him or his letters, you'd think that all of Middletown's problems were caused by Democrats in Trenton and the only way to fix Middletown was to get rid of  Governor Jon Corzine and all those terrible, liberal,unfunded mandate happy democrats.

It doesn't seem to matter to him that most of todays problems started with Christie Whitman when his beloved Republicans controlled Trenton and it also doesn't matter that none of his letters offer solutions or tell us how he would fix a problem, they are just rants about how the democrats are the problem.

His latest letter was posted at the Atlantic Highlands Herald this past Friday, it's more of the same rhetoric  that we've come to expect out of him, blame,blame,blame and no solutions.

So I was quite happy to see that Pat Walsh decided to take on Gerry's letter on her Middletown Musings blog.  She did a good job so I have decided to copy and post it her blog entry here with Pat Walsh's comments in blue. :

There goes Gerry again, who hasn't met an adjective he doesn't like. He pounds his usual themes always concluding that the problem is OVER THERE... He never seems to get that he has a responsibility in this as a township committee member. Bloated government... what about two township lawyers in one year? 9But for Gerry the issue is personal, if Chris Christie succeeds then Gerry plans to move up to the legislature. Sorry Middletown, then we will have three legislators who have brought ZERO dollars back to our town.

Reversing Course on Bloated State Government

For the second year in a row, Governor Corzine has delivered a crushing blow to Middletown by proposing another enormous cut in municipal aid. (2%) It should be noted that the very term “municipal aid” is actually a misnomer. In reality, this is money sent to Trenton by Middletown residents in the form of income taxes, sales taxes, corporate taxes and any number of other fees and taxes. The tiny portion of the money that is returned to Middletown and other suburban towns helps pay for essential services and infrastructure maintenance. As a result of this punitive move by the governor, the pressure on local property taxes intensifies exponentially.

COMMENT: The crushing blow to taxpayer's is the addition of a second lawyer to the township budget, the purchase of a new township property adding to our already bloated debt service, The hiring of a lobbyist at 60K, bonding for the Shadow Lake project only to admit that it will never get off the ground becuase the plan was flawed. Gerry, like his favorite candidate CC seems to have forgotten about the 7.6 Billion dollar hole in the budget created by the recession. just a hint, essential services do not include hiring all your GOP cronies to the Sewerage Authority with free health benefits and pensions. The only reason the tax pressure has intensified exponetially is that the GOP committee members can stop spending money.


What is most frustrating is that the governor has chosen to preserve billion dollar, elective spending programs such as COAH, schools construction, universal pre-school, Abbott funding, FMLA and aid to distressed cities, among others. The latter saw a staggering $127 million sent to Union City, Jersey City, Camden, Newark, Paterson, Asbury Park and Bridgeton in 2008. With the current economic situation and suburban towns struggling to maintain basic services, it is patently unfair for the state to take even more of our tax dollars to fund these programs.

COMMENT: Hey Gerry, Let's just guess what happens if even one municipality goes under? The bonding rating for all would increase exponentially putting asll towns in even worse shape. It is patently unfair that you will take 6 months to produce a budget, which you have already spent 40% of before you even start making cuts, while democrats are struggling to find areas of the budget to save the taxpayers money'

To make matters worse, the governor has burdened Middletown with millions of dollars in unfunded mandates, which are state-ordered spending decrees with no state funding to meet the mandate. This places suburban towns in the precarious position of putting the health, safety and quality of life of every taxpayer in jeopardy through Draconian budget cuts to try and offset the loss of municipal aid that is, simply put, the residents’ own money to begin with.

COMMENT: The reason Middletown finds itself is a precarious state has something to do with the draconian spending that the GOP has hoisted upon us. Lats years increase alone was 7.1%and even with the new tax rate I bet Middletown will participate in the Pension Deferral program even though none of its legislators voted for it. That means that the decrease we might have seen in our taxes next year due to a decrease in the amount of Debt Service will disappear.

Clearly, New Jersey cannot continue down this road of skyrocketing taxation and wasteful spending on ill-advised government programs. Our only hope is for every taxpayer to make their voices heard this November and reverse the course of our current unsustainable, bloated state government.

COMMENT: Clearly Middletown cannot continue down the road od skyrocketing tax increases imposed on us by GOP governmentusing our precious tax dollars on wasteful spending like two township attorneys.( one of whom only recently came off the cushy Sewerage Authority.) The unsustainable and bloated local government has to change it ways or be replaced. Clearly Gerry needs to start taking responsibility for his own decisions that have left Middletown with hugh tax increases.

Sunshine Award goes to Sean Brynes and Pat Short

From Pat Walsh's Middltown Musings

Democratic Township Committeemen Sean Brynes and Pat Short are to be honored with the "SUNSHINE AWARD" during this sunshine week for their successful efforts at shedding light on the Middletown Township Committee agenda.

Sean authored the resolution which sought to put the agenda material on the website . Not only did they convince there fellow committee members to approve the resolution, they have also managed to have a binder containing the agenda material placed at the meeting as well. For their combined support of bringing the sunshine law to life in Middletown they are to be commended.

Considering that Middletown residents have been left in the dark for the past 20 years by the GOP this is an astounding feat. On Monday nights agenda was a "resolution for the expenditure of funds" with no amount listed and no idea what the funds were being expended for. That method of hiding how they spend out tax dollars has finally ended thanks to their efforts.

I have to caution all of you that I still remain somewhat skeptical that the majority will adhere to the spirit of the law and this resolution. The GOP Majority has a nasty habit of dropping resolutions on the agenda and the democratic committeemen as they are literally walking in the door to a meeting.

I will wait to see how they live up to this ordinance before I will be convinced.

Middletown to put proposed resolutions online

From yesterdays Asbury Park Press - comment to follow:

Residents soon may be able to read the details of proposed resolutions and ordinances before attending Township Committee meetings. But once a meeting begins, a new ordinance will regulate how they can record the proceedings.

Officials plan to speak with at least one volunteer who has said he is willing to scan copies of the proposed resolutions and ordinances onto Middletown's Web site the Friday before a Township Committee meeting, said Anthony Mercantante, the township's administrator.

During its meeting on Monday, the Township Committee voted unanimously to institute the new online policy.

For months, Committeemen Sean Byrnes and Patrick Short advocated for the information to be posted on the Web site, saying it would allow residents to be better informed before attending meetings. Currently, only a one-sentence description of each proposed resolution or ordinance is posted on the site.

But Township Clerk Heidi Abs repeatedly said her office was already overwhelmed with work and could not find the time to do the scanning without additional manpower.

Bernard Reilly, Middletown's former township attorney, had also said there could be legal issues in posting information that could be withdrawn or amended before the start of a meeting.

During a committee meeting earlier this month, Mercantante suggested hiring a part-time employee to do the scanning. But Short said it made more sense to find a volunteer to do the work.

"We're talking about someone scanning documents for a couple of hours twice a month," Short said on Tuesday.

Mercantante hopes someone will be trained and able to do the scanning in time for the April 6 Township Committee meeting.

Also on Monday, Middletown Township Committee voted 3-2 to approve an ordinance that prohibits residents from using video devices — including cell phones — to record the meeting from the room's front half when there are more than 30 people in the room.

Township Committeeman Anthony Fiore — who voted to approve the ordinance along with Mayor Pamela Brightbill and Deputy Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger — said its objective is to prevent video equipment from getting in the way of people who wish to see what is going on.

"I don't think any of us object to anybody videotaping the meetings," Fiore said.

Byrnes said he does not understand how someone using a handheld camera while sitting on one of the room's benches could pose an obstruction to someone else.

After Scharfenberger said he had received several complaints, Short asked him to enumerate them. Scharfenberger did not answer.

"We just put something in law just speculating that there will be a problem," said Short, who noted that the only person he had ever seen recording meetings was Patricia Walsh, a Middletown Board of Education member who unsuccessfully ran against Brightbill and Fiore in 2008.

During the meeting, Walsh commended Township Committee for approving the new online policy but criticized members for the video recording ordinance.

"If I were grading you on open and transparent government, I'd give you an F," Walsh said.

 I assume that the resolutions are typed on the computer. why can't they just be copied and pasted to the Web site instead of printed and scanned back in by a volunteer? 

As for the video taping or recording of meetings, the ordinance that past on a strictly party line vote is an obvious attempt at trying to stop people from their rights to information. It is interesting that when pressed by Patrick Short, Deputy Mayor Scharfenberger could not or would not name one resident that complained about being distracted from the proceedings due to  Pat Walsh videoing them. It is a clear sign of partisen politics at its worst.

Voter Turnout In Middletown Hit 77%

The best way to gage the impact of an election is to look at the voter turnout rate. In Middletown the turnout rate hit a record high 77%, approx. 32,475 voters came to the polls and this number does not count the provisional ballads that where cast. 

As of October 8th, 2008 there where 42,227 registered voters in Middletown.

10,337 Democrats

10,778 Republicans

21,112  Independents

This record turnout in Middletown is undoubtedly what swung the election, with the Independent votes largely voting Republican this year. 

Barack Obama lost Monmouth County by 3.87%, 

Frank Lautenberg lost Monmouth County by 6.36%

Each lost Middletown by similar margins which no doubt contributed to the Democratic loss on the local ticket of Walsh and Grenafege.   

Obama Win Bitter-Sweet for Dems In Middletown

History was made last night, Democrat Presidential candidate Barack Obama, an African -American was elected President of the United States. This victory however is bitter-sweet for Democrats in Middletown.

While Obama was being declared the winner of the New Jersey presidential election, winning the State by 15% overall, his numbers and those of Frank Lautenberg in Monmouth County and Middletown were horrendous.

Obama lost Monmouth County by 12,000 votes while Lautenberg lost by over 18,000 votes. Both lost Middletown by similar margins which proved to be a drag on the local ticket of Pat Walsh and Jim Grenafege.

Presidential election years never bode well for Democrats in Middletown it seems, and while I was retrieving poll numbers from my district, it immediately became apparent that this year, unfortunately, would be no different.

Al Gore and John Kerry both lost in Monmouth County and Middletown by similar margins in 2000 and 2004 respectively, as Obama did and as a result the local Middletown tickets lost big as well.

Pat Walsh and Jim Grenafege ran a good, clean and above board campaign that focused on the issues that have effected Middletown like the 16% increase in property taxes over the last 3 years, the lack of transparency down at Town Hall and the cover up of the ground contamination at the Arts Center and Town Hall, that has already cost the Township $100,000 to date. 

I am proud of their efforts during this campaign, both are valuable and concerned citizens of Middletown that will not be going away any time soon. I am privliaged to have known and worked with both of them during this campaign. 

The Republicans on the other hand ran a negative, win at all costs campaign, slinging mud and making slanderous accusations against their opponents.

As mayor Scharfenberger said himself, at this past Monday night's Committee meeting when confronted by Democratic Committeemen Short and Brynes about the negative, win at all cost tactics. He said that the "Costs where to high" to play by the rules.

I would have expected nothing less from this sorry excuse that we have to call Mayor. 

While Democrats may have lost in Middletown this year they have gone on and won nationally. 

Next year in a non-presidential year, Democrats in Middletown will be looking to re-elected Patrick Short to the committee and make no mistake, if you think that this year was ugly locally, next year will be worse by far. 

Election Day Message from Middletown's Pat Walsh

Friends,

Election day has arrived and with it the opportunity for change for our country, our state, our county and my hometown, Middletown.

This campaign has been a great opportunity for me and I am grateful for every minute of it. In meeting and talking to the people, listening to their concerns and struggles, in just finding out that from every corner what a beautiful community Middletown is. I sincerely hope that when the day ends I, along with my running mate, Jim Grenafege will join Pat Short and Sean Byrnes on the committee and be given the opportunity to serve the residents of our community. To create for them a municipal government that is truly transparent, that operates with their best interests at heart and that eases their tax burden. I hope you take this opportunity for change to heart, cast your vpote and pray that we can work together to bring about the the goals we have talked about in this campaign.

Sincerely,

Pat Walsh
Democratic Candidate for Middletown Township Committee

Walsh and Grenafege Complete Walking Campaign and Have a Message for Middletown Voters

Yesterday marked end of the walking the districts in Middletown for Democratic Candidates for Township Committee, Patricia Walsh and Jim Grenafege.

Since September, Walsh,Grenafege and many of their democratic friends and volunteers walked through the township knocking on doors and answering questions from concerned citizens. In all, well over 5,000 doors where knocked on by Pat Walsh, Jim Grenafege and their supporters.

The show of local support from the citizens of Middletown to the team of Walsh and Grenafege has been outstanding. Many of the voices that have been heard from have expressed their displeasure at the seemingly lack of concern coming from Town Hall and the republican majority.

People have expressed their concerns on a wide range of issues from leaf and brush pick-up dates to the need for more police officers in town. A recent rash of brake-ins and vandalized cars, along with the need to spray for mosquitoes throughout district 17 was a big topic of discussion during the walk through the neighborhoods of that district.  

Transparency and the end to partisan bickering by Mayor Scharfenberger and his republican controlled committee were also big topics on the campaign trail throughout the township. 

When the walking was over yesterday, I got Pat Walsh and Jim Grenafege together and asked them what they wanted  most to say to the people of Middletown. 

The following video is what they had to say.

SCHARFENBERGER USED MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY EMAIL TO PUT OUT CAMPAIGN LIES

According to Middletown Democrat for Township Committee Jim Grenafege, Middletown Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger used his Monmouth University E-mail account to campaign for Middletown Republican candidates for the governing body.

“It is disgraceful to use a university’s name to debase someone in a political campaign,” Middletown Democrat for Township Committee Patricia A. Walsh said. “Mr. Scharfenberger has done nothing than attempt to lower the dignity of a great academic institution in the name of partisan politics. Of course his nonsense fails, but he should be reprimanded for the attempt.”

Mr. Scharfenberger is an instructor at the university.

Walsh, a graduate of Carnegie-Mellon, in Pennsylvania, and Grenafege, a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, Maryland, both believe that Monmouth University is an institution that is on the rise academically where it involves its prestige and brand.

“I have full confidence in the ability of the university to address this matter externally, because university officials have already assured me that they have addressed it internally,” Grenafege said. Walsh echoed his sentiments.

Grenafege said that actions, such as Mr. Scharfenberger’s, open up the university for sharp criticism and even questions where it involves its not-for-profit status, not to mention the overall objectivity of an institution that is attempting to emerge as one that polls various public questions. “I believe that Mr. Scharfenberger’s actions were quite unfortunate,” Grenafege said.

Note: I made a few phone calls over to Monmouth University yesterday to inquire about Mr. Scharfenberger's use of it's email system for political purposes but so far I have not received any response. I'll keep trying in order to see how the University  feels about it.

Middletown Democrats Oppose Town Center

 According to Middletown Democrats for Township Committee Patricia Walsh and Jim Grenafege, they join Middletown committeemen Patrick Short and Sean Byrnes in opposition to the Town Center project in the township.

"The Town Center project was created many years ago by Anthony Mercantante, who is now the township administrator, and approved by the former all-Republican Township Committee to become a part of the old Master Plan in Middletown," Grenafege said.

For more than a decade, Grenafege said, this project has been the centerpiece of an inter-Republican feud in Middletown not involving Democrats in any manner.

" Middletown Democrat has never backed the Town Center, approved the Town Center, allowed the Town Center or promoted the Town Center", Walsh said. "There would not even be a Town Center project if the Middletown Republicans on the governing body did not create it."

Consequently, Walsh and Grenafege join with Byrnes and Short about this important community concern.

"However, what has occurred has been repeated attempts by the current Middletown Committee Republican Majority to disobey New Jersey's court system where it involves its recent ruling with regard to this project," Walsh said.

“I am an American, who acknowledges the rights of the courts to decide legal matters in this country," Grenafege said."The fact of the matter is that the Middletown Committee's Republican Majority screwed this up where it involves the creation of this project and, later, in the actions it took to eliminate this project. This majority has demonstrated yet another symptom of its inability to lead or manage."

"What is left to do is obey the American court system. If an appeal of this decision is likely to win, then fine, but I will not pour money into an open hole where it regards this project anymore" Walsh concluded.

The candidates are calling for the appointment of a better township attorney, more capable and successful in litigation, to evaluate the matter in an expert fashion before deciding the future legal pursuit of this matter. "I have to know there is a chance that the township's position will win in court against the project before we put more money into it," Grenafege concluded.

SHORT ENDORSES WALSH, GRENAFEGE For MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE

"Government cannot be about politicians it has to be about the residents of
Middletown"

Short said this is the reason he joined the Middletown Democratic Party. "Every single campaign promise I have made to residents I kept and intend to keep into the future. I am convinced this township can do better with Pat Walsh and Jim Grenafege on our governing body," Short said.

Short said Walsh and Grenafege foster and embrace the same ideals as Short and fellow Committeeman Sean Byrnes, also a Democrat.

"This township can save money through controlling costs and turn back the tide of fiscal irresponsibility," Short said. "The committee needs to know everything about what is bought and have more control over how it is bought."

Short said that debt has traveled from $65 million three years ago in Middletown to almost $85 million today. "A public debt is a public curse, first of all," Short said. "When it involves $85 million, this binds the township to $8.5 million in annual
obligations, and Middletown can do a lot better," he said.

Short said the committee needed $2 million last year to avoid a tax increase, and just $1 million the year before. "More has to be done to save taxpayers money and I think Pat Walsh and Jim Grenafege will do the work to make that happen," Short said.

Short said that himself, Byrnes, Walsh and Grenafege would make an effective team that the taxpayers could trust.

Last year, Short and Byrnes reviewed 280 line items within the budget, making recommendations to each about how to reduce the budget. "Nothing was listened to by the Republican majority," he said.

On top of that, Short said he and Byrnes made 34 general recommendations about how to curb spending, some of which have been adopted by the county but not in Middletown under the Republican majority on the committee.

Instead, Short said the majority on the committee raised taxes 7.5 percent, and the sum over the past three years has been an increase of more than 15 percent.

"I know that Pat Walsh, Jim Grenafege, Sean Byrnes and myself can provides the leadership and strong objectives needed to reduce the budget," Short said.

The committeeman, who is also a senior manager for a Fortune 500 company, said the addition of Walsh and Grenafege to the committee would be the difference, short- and long-term, between Middletown "winning or losing in this economy."

Tax and Spend Middletown Republicans

In response to a letter by Middletown Republican candidate Tony Fiore,I vehemently deny that it has been the township's school board that has been the source of pain for residents where it involves taxation.

In contrast, it is the Republican-controlled Middletown Committee that has played the role of tax-and-spend politicians in this community.

Firstly, Middletown's students regularly gain acceptance to first-rate academic institutions in this country.

However, where it involves taxation, I personally believe the school board has been nothing but thrifty in its approach.

State aid to suburban school districts has been frozen for five years and the school budget was impacted, like any other business or homeowner, by the rising costs of utilities, transportation and insurance.

In addition, nine consecutive budgets have passed since I have taken office, while only three failed that were cut. Bear in mind, those cuts impacted our students, but were made when necessary.

It has been the voters in Middletown that have approved the majority of these budgets because they want a high-quality education for their children. And, it takes at least five members of the board to adopt a budget for consideration by the voters in the first place.

Meanwhile, it has been the Middletown Committee that has bonded $85 million, refused to place fiscal controls or oversight in their budget, and even refused to establish a Budget Committee to oversee departmental spending. They voted to exceed their budget cap. Finally, it was the committee, for at least 20 years, that has used deferred school taxes to balance their budget. This year alone they added close to $56 million in deferred school tax liability to further burden our residents. Combined with the total amount bonded, this places Middletown's total debt at about $141 million.

Mr. Fiore is hardly the best source of information about taxation, or anything else, given the fact he has ran on an embellished, grammatically incorrect resume throughout this election cycle, and has done nothing to contribute any ideas about how to contain Middletown's out-of-control spending.

Patricia A. Walsh
Democrat for Township Committee
Middletown, NJ

Recent Middletown GOP Attacks on Pat Walsh Amount To Politics As Usual

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 past 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
Middletown Township Committeeman

The Smoking Gun Behind the Walsh Recall Petition

If there was ever a smoking gun more obvious then this please let me know.

In their efforts to discredit and slander Middletown Democratic Candidate for Township Committee Patricia Walsh, James Cody, the so-called Chairman of the Committee to recall B. O. E. Member Pat Walsh, and his cronies, Anthony Testa, and Kathleen Bjelka (Cody’s sister) did not do a very good job of covering their fannies.

If the Republicans lose control of the township, they will lose whatever influence they have in town. Hence, a phony recall effort against Patricia Walsh in the middle of her campaign for Middletown Township Committee to embarrass and discredit her in front of the voters.

What is this smoking gun that I have found that proves that the Middletown GOP is behind this meritless and absurd recall petition and shows that James Cody and his friends are but pitiful tools being used by the Republicans in Middletown.

It is this chart (click here  for original) :


The original chart is posted on another's blog site and is being sighted as one of the main reasons for the recall petition against Walsh,  but that individual does not inform us as to where it came from or who created it, but I will.

This chart came directly from the Middletown GOP. How do I know this? 

It is quite easy to figure out actually, if you call up the properties of the original chart you will find that it was authored by non other than Brian Nelson. 

Who is Brian Nelson you ask? 

Brian Nelson is a long time friend and co-worker of Middletown Republican Party Chairman Peter Carton. Both men work for the same Newark law firm, Gibbons, Del Doe, Dolan, Griffinger & Vecchione. Before moving to Tinton Falls, Nelson was a republican committeeman in town and had a seat on the Middletown Sewage Authority along side of Carton, collecting salary, health and retirement benefits from Middletown. 

For years it had been alleged, that Carton is nothing more than a figurehead to the Middletown GOP and its true leader was Brian Nelson. It had been Nelson’s responsibility to run the daily activities and campaigns of the Middletown GOP over the past few years and with the stunning loses that the Republicans have experienced in the last two elections and control of the township committee in jeopardy, their long time friendship was thought to have come to an end, but apparently not.

So what's next to be pulled out the "dirty tricks" bag of the Middletown GOP, they don't have many left and their desparation is becoming evident. It has become obvious the the republicans have no new ideas and do not have the will enough to lead by example.

Instead of addressing the issues that effect Middletown like lowering taxes, which Pam Brightbill voted to raise by 16% over the past 3 years, and cutting the budget because to many of their friends are making a living at the taxpayers expense in Middletown, GOP wishes to distract the voters with a phony recall petition against their main rival and threat to their dominance Patricia Walsh.  

Art Gallagher is a Partisan Hack and I Have the Audio to Prove it

"Hey Mrs... Walsh I'm uhm, not really in charge of the layout of the website or uhm, you know, necessarily if I can make any changes once I summit it.."

The following audio clip is a message left on the voice mail of Middletown Democratic Candidate for Township Committee, Patricia Walsh's answering machine a few weeks ago.

This rambling and often incoherent message was left by JJ Sullivan, the supposedly impartial reporter who was hired by Art Gallagher of the MoreMonmouthMussings blog to cover the goings on in Middletown and Keyport.

Out of all the towns in Monmouth County and the bayshore in particular, why would Gallagher feel that it was so important to cover Middletown and Keyport? The answer, Revenge.

Revenge against Jim Purcell and the Courier newspaper for dropping his column in the wake of his infamous "N" word controversy and Middletown Democratic Party leader Joe Caliendo, who Gallagher feels organized his firing from the paper and his censorship from the Middletown Human Rights Commission.

In his misguided angry and angst, Gallagher has allowed himself to become a tool of the Middletown GOP and his once insightful and at times thought provoking blog has been turned into a clearing house for lies and falsehoods about Jim Purcell and his friends, as well as the Middletown Democrats, in particularly Patricia Walsh.

You see, Walsh and her running mate Jim Grenafege are on the verge of becoming the latest democrats elected to the Middletown Township Committee. The Middletown Democrats need only win one seat to gain the majority on the committee for the first time in over twenty years, but to win both seats and a super majority that would mean that they would control
bonding and all that goes along with it (good-bye Mr. Carton), and the Middletown Republicans can't let that happen no matter what. So, the Middletown GOP entered into some sort of unholy alliance with Art Gallagher, an alliance that I am sure will come back to bite him right in the ass.

The Republicans provided to Gallagher an ancient deposition from a law suit that was brought against Patricia Walsh 10 years ago and settled in 2001. In this deposition Walsh admitted that her legal bills where mounting and that she borrowed money from a friend to help cover her legal expenses. This loan, which has been paid back, has been turned into some kind of "dirty deed" by Gallagher and the Middletown Republicans.

In his attempts to discredit Walsh and the Middletown Democrats, Gallagher hired a reporter, JJ Sullivan, to cover the non-story for his MoreMonmouthMussings blog.

Gallagher handed over to his reporter, the information that was provided to him by officials in the Middletown GOP (Mayor Scharfenberger?), and told Sullivan to make the story happen.

The following audio clip I am told is the one and only attempt by Gallagher's reporter to contact Patricia Walsh for a comment. While you are listening, please note that Sullivan does not explain why he is calling for a comment or what he will be writing about, just that he wants to talk to her about some allegations. He tells Walsh that she would be able to call him over the weekend, but he had to have the story submitted by Friday night and he didn't know whether or not he would be able to make any changes to it once it was submitted, which would lead one to conclude that JJ was afraid that Art Gallagher would have editing control over what was finally published.

The Man Behind the Walsh Recall Petition

I wonder how many people out there realize that James Cody, the man behind the Walsh recall petition, is the same guy that installed the artifical turf at High School South and lost money on the project because he under bid the project, and who then felt that he shouldn't have had to bid to install the field at High School North.

When he got around to making his initial opening bid to install the field at High School North, it was one of the highest bids recieved, so the B.O.E was obligated to accept the lower bid from Mondo/USA.

When Mondo/USA defalted on it's contract, Cody again bid to high for the job but was reward the contract because the winning bidder had a problem with the paper work that was submitted.

Also, this is the same James Cody that ran for a seat on the Middletown Board of Ed. and LOST to Patricia Walsh.

It seems like a case of rotten eggs to me. I think some one should be looking at Mr. Cody a little closer. 

If We Are Talking About Records…

In a recent letter, Republican candidate for Middletown Township Committee Tony Fiore said that we should look at a candidate’s record to judge his or her qualifications for office. I couldn’t agree more, so let’s look at the record of this year’s Republican candidates.

Although Mr. Fiore is running for the Committee and is currently a member of the Middletown’s Planning Board, he rarely shows up for Committee meetings and has failed to distinguish himself as a leader or innovator on the Planning Board.

Mr. Fiore’s biggest campaign issue is school taxes, yet Middletown’s excellent school system is the reason Money Magazine listed our town in their Top 100 Places to Live. If Mr. Fiore was more in touch with Middletown residents, he would recognize that Middletown should not decrease revenue for its schools; it should decrease spending on frivolous expenses, such as the multi-million dollar renovation of the Middletown Cultural Art’s Center that Republicans have championed in the past.

Moreover, while Mr. Fiore is attacking taxes that benefit our schools, his running mate, Pamela Brightbill, is responsible for keeping our municipal taxes high. As a current member of the Committee, Ms. Brightbill voted to approve tax increases of 5.7 percent in 2006, 3.1 percent in 2007, and 7.1 percent in 2008; a total of 15.9 percent over the past 3 years! Middletown cannot afford to elect these individuals to our Committee.

Yet, what is most disconcerting is that Ms. Brightbill promised in her last campaign to keep taxes low if elected. She also promised to preserve open space, yet she approved transforming the Conifer tract of land into a huge development, even though it was purchased with open space funds. Ms. Brightbill’s silence on the soil contamination issue at the Cultural Arts Center and Town Hall has also misled the public. The cleanup could cost taxpayers millions, yet she kept the contamination a secret instead of taking the lead to get rid of this public health concern.

How can voters trust the Republicans to follow through on what they promise? Ms. Brightbill’s actions have already proven that Middletown cannot trust her to follow through. Mr. Fiore has already lied to voters about his resume, what else will be next?

I believe Middletown residents are looking for candidates who are honest and ready to act in residents’ best interest. I know that Pat Walsh and Jim Grenafege have the honesty, integrity, and leadership to transform our Township Committee into the responsive and dedicated body we need in these tough times we all face.

Don Watson
New Monmouth