Taxpayers First ??? Not in “Your Middletown”

by guest blogger Linda Baum

If you’ve been driving anywhere in Middletown, you can’t miss the big red and white signs that claim Mayor Fiore puts “taxpayers first”. That’s been the line for years now. That the Republican majority continues to use it shows their arrogance. Sadly, they have managed to keep so many of us in the dark.

I suppose they should feel confident. Remember last year when our Republican-controlled Town Committee left you with the impression that a 13.4% municipal tax increase was just 2.8%? They had at their disposal all sources of communication coming out of Town Hall – the town’s own newspaper, press releases, robocalls, and a tax information sheet all delivered straight to your home and paid for with your tax dollars. You were probably scratching your head back then. And I bet, like me, for a while you were uncertain of your own basic math skills. And that was the idea – not to inform, but to mislead. That is not how you serve taxpayers. What they did was deliberate and dishonest, and completely self-serving.

The Republican party’s control over information in Middletown has gone on for years. If you have ever asked a question at a Town Committee meeting, you may have experienced that first hand, and it has never been more true than it is now that an all-Republican committee sits on the dais.

Residents have just two opportunities each month – the first and third Monday -- to connect with our representatives, but they don’t seem to want to talk to us. If you’ve been brave enough to stand at the microphone and ask nearly anything, you’ve most likely been made to feel like an annoyance. You’ve got just five minutes – that’s the rule. Use it or lose it, and no second chances after you sit down. If you aren’t satisfied with the answer you get, they may invite you to stay after the meeting when no one else is there to hear them. Or you can always try again at the next town meeting, if you don’t mind being scolded for being repetitive. I was, and my question went unanswered to boot.

It would be downright comical if it weren’t true. If you don’t believe me, then grab your popcorn and come down to Town Hall. You’ll have to catch the live show because town meetings aren’t televised in Middletown like they are in so many other towns. That’s for lack of funds, supposedly, but let’s see what the story is in 2014 when $200,000 in grant money becomes available from Comcast specifically for that purpose. What excuse will our Republican majority give then for continuing to keep us in the dark?

You won’t find much information about what was discussed at meetings in the Town’s meeting minutes, either. If you really want to know what happened, read “It’s Your Town Hall”, newsletter that are written by town resident Don Watson, who took it upon himself to attend town meetings and to keep others informed about what’s going on. If you want to be included in his distribution, send an email to Itsourtown@yahoo.com.

If taxpayers were really first, governmental proceedings would be accessible to all residents no matter what their schedule or ability to attend meetings, including those who are disabled or have limited mobility. And by the way, those folks are still waiting for the Township to fully comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act. Money is lacking, town officials say, among other reasons given for delays. However, since that law was enacted, our republican-controlled town committee has poured money into a host of costly unnecessary projects when better less-costly alternatives existed – the Pool Club and Arts Center are examples. Taxpayers are not only paying the debt for these purchases, but hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual upkeep as well.

And did you know that the town’s appointed engineer – the same firm now for 40 years –pockets about $1 million dollars a year in taxpayer funds awarded to them as no-bid contracts? Think how much tax relief could have been provided by putting those engineering contracts out to competitive bid. That’s money that could have been returned to you or used for other purposes. If taxpayers were really first, our republican majority would have done just that. Instead, members of that same engineering firm can be seen celebrating with republican candidates every year on election night. If it sounds like pay to play, that’s because it is. And you’re paying for it.

Somebody is first in Middletown, but not taxpayers. Not in a very long time. On November 8th, you can change that.

New Robo Call From Concerned Citizens Of Middletown Attacks Sewerage Authority (TOMSA)

The mysterious group calling themselves the Concerned Citizens of Middletown sent out yet another a robo-call earlier today. This time to target of the message was the patronage pit known as the Middletown Sewerage Authority (TOMSA).

TOMSA Commissioners are a who's who of Middletown Republican cronies that consist of former mayors and Middletown Republican Party officers that receive a $1750 yearly stipend that counts toward State pension credits and medical benefits.

Below the audio player is the transcript of the call




Have you heard that for 30 years your sewerage fees paid for stipends, a Cadillac health care plan and state pension credits for loyal members of the Middletown Republican party?

Similar abuses existed at the Passaic Valley Sewerage Authority until the squandering of money and the rampant hiring of family and political cronies was stopped by Governor Christie.

Why isn't Middletown following the Governor's lead and reforming the Middletown Sewerage Authority?

Paid for by Concerned Citizens of Middletown

Perfect Timing As Latest Robo-Call Counters RedBankGreen Fluff Piece On Bamm Hollow Development

Earlier today I was surfing my favorite website and found a fluff piece on RedBankGreen.com concerning some old news about the redevelopment of the Bamm Hollow Country Club in Lincroft. I was going to post about it but I got dragged away until now, which as circumstances will have it was a good thing, because an hour or so later after reading how Township "OFFICIALS TOUT BAMM HOLLOW OPEN SPACE", the telephone rang.

On the other end of the phone was another robo-call issued by the group calling themselves "Concerned Citizens of Middletown". It stated how the addition of 500 homes in and around Lincroft is will be eroding the quality of life of residents in Middletown.

I copied the message off of my answering machine and have it posted below, along with a transcript for anyone interested in hearing it.

It must have been a slow news day for Dustin Racioppi and the RedBankGreen, as I said the story is old and is reporting on what was said in May when the court case was settled.

Middletown, as Township Attorney Brian Nelson (how come Township Administrator Tony Mercantante or Assistant Administrator James Van Nest didn't talk to RBG about this?) would like everyone to believe, did not win big.

Bam Hollow was originally zoned for 50 homes. The original proposal was to increase it to 200 homes. The Plannig Board said no and Bamm Hollow sued for 1,200. The Township setteld for 190. So who actually won big time here?

Brian Nelson and friends were not going to win the lawsuit, which is why they settled. They spent hundreds of thousands of dollars fighting it, so it is apparent who won big time. The lawyers hired by the Township to fight a losing battle. the open space would have been there
regardless.

(Concerned Citizens Robo-Call #6: Eroding the Quality Of Life)


Have you heard the quality of life in Middletown, according to Money Magazine, has dropped 39% during the past four years?

Poor planning and dense re-zoning by Middletown politicians led to approval for over 500 new homes in Lincroft and Bamm Hollow.

Increased density will further erode our declining quality of life, and compete with homeowner’s unable to sell their homes in this dismal economy.

It’s time to clean house and throw-out incumbent politicians.

(Paid for by Concerned Citizens of Middletown)

Ringing Controversy; Concerned Citizens of Middletown Robocalls Strike A Nerve

It seems that the latest round of Robocalls that went out yesterday afternoon by the group calling themselves "Concerned Residents of Middletown" have struck a nerve with some sitting on the Township Committee who say that the calls don't ring true.

In a column published this morning over at Redbankgreen.com, Middletown Mayor Tony Fiore and his Deputy Mayor Pam Brightbill question the legitimacy of the group Concerned Residents of Middletown and it's message.

“It appears to be just another desperate attempt by the Middletown Democrats to spread misinformation to the taxpayers,” Fiore is quoted as saying in reference to who he thinks is behind the calls. He adds “the real truth will come out. The information they’re pointing out is just not accurate,” when referencing that the Townships budget will be introduced next week.

As if that has any real barring on the truthfulness of the messages contained in the robocalls. Remember last year how Mayor Scharfenberger and those sitting on the Committee, other than Democrat Sean Byrnes, insisted that the Township tax increase was only 2.8% when the proposed budget for 2010 was introduced in last June, when in actuality the municipal tax rate increased by 13.9%.

I think the people lacking credibility on budget issues are those that sit on the Township Committee. The real truth behind the budget numbers and any proposed tax increase which will be presented next Monday night, wont really be known until revised tax bills are sent out to residents, after the budget is adopted later in the year, just as it was last year. When residents looked at their tax statements expecting to see only an increase of 2.8% in the municipal rate, they were stunned by the difference.

Before passing judgment on these robocalls, it is important to see if the message included in them pan out as describe. Only then can we tell who was spreading false information to residents.

New Robo Call From Concerned Citizens Of Middletown on Bonding Debt

Shortly after 12:00PM this afternoon my phone rang, on the other end of the phone was another robo-call from the group calling themselves "Concerned Citizens Of Middletown". This time the robo- call's message was geared toward "bonding" and the amount of debt that the Township has incurred over the years.

According to the call, Middletown is currently $73 million dollars in debt and nearly 20% of very tax dollar collected by the Township is must be allocated to pay it off, which seems about right to me, give or take a little either way.

People have been asking me if I have any information on this group, unfortunately I don't but would like to find out. My suspicions are that they are a Tea Party group or a few disgruntled township employees who want to get information out about the shell games the Township Committee has been playing over the past couple of years.

If any one has any other information on this "Concerned Citizens of Middletown" group, please send it along.

Below is the message that went out today, I recorded off my answering machine so that I could post it here.

Robo Call From Concerned Citizens of Middletown

While I was going through my voicemail last night I discovered a Robocall left by a goup calling themselves "Concerned Citizens of Middletown".

The robocall was about the recently completed township wide reassessment and seems to have been smartly timed to coincide with the mailing of property tax notices to Middletown homeowners.

The message seems to be simple enough; Just because homeowner's property valves have been reassessed lower it doesn't mean that the amount of taxes they will pay will be lower as a result. Middletown must raise the tax rate to correspond with falling property values in order to collect the $45 million dollars or so needed to support the Township budget.

I recorded message off my answering machine and have posted it below along with a transcript below that.

My only question about this robocall is, who is this group that calls themselves Concerned Citizens of Middletown? I like their message.

I wonder if they have anything to do with local TEA party activists?

Hello, I am a concerned Middletown resident.

Have you heard that the Township committee is engaging in an elaborate shell game with our tax dollars?

After spending millions on a re-evaluation and now a reassessment to fix faulty property values, our taxes will not be going down.

As a matter of fact they will be going up!

Regardless of how our homes are valued the Township needs to collect $45 million to balance its budget.

Pay close attention to your next tax bill then check with your neighbors. Were their taxes affected?

Paid for by the Concerned Citizens of Middletown.

There Will Be NO Televising Meetings While Scharfenberger Is In Office

Middletown resident Carol Stiglin is a senior resident of Shadow Lake Village who has difficultly getting out at night. She addressed the Middletown Township Committee Monday night Oct.17th and addressed the issue of televising Township meeting so that Middletown residents such as herself could watch proceedings via the local cable access channels.

She presented a petition to the Committee that contained 124 signatures of support on it. Stiglin said that those signatures are in addition to the previous petition that she presented to the Township Committee last year.

At one point during the meeting Monday night(which isn't captured on this video), mayor Gerry Scharfenberger stated that he didn't care if the cost of televising meetings cost $102,000 or 102 cents, if it cost the township any money to do so, he wouldn't support televising meetings!

So much for transparency and keeping citizens informed, I suppose it is better to robo call residents in the middle of the night to inform them of changing to the recycling ordinance than it would be to inform them via television.

An Unapologetic Apology From Scharfenberger Regarding Robo Call

It seems that the article in last Wednesday’s Asbury Park Press and the subsequent editorial that followed on Saturday was about all Gerry Scharfenbeger could take and must have prompted him to call at least one of the residents that was mention in the article.

Carol Stiglin reports that our mayor called her Saturday to offer his apology for the lateness of the robo call and tried to explain that a “glitch” was ultimately responsible for the timing of the call. When she questioned Gerry about it, he said that it was decided by the Committee to make the call around the same time as Middletown Matters was mailed to households so that they (the Committee) could reinforce the importance of recycling.

When questioned further by Stiglin about the need for the robo call, Scharfenberger immediately place blame on Sean Byrnes, his opponent in this year’s election, saying that Byrnes sent an email back in August stating that it may be a good idea to call residents and notify them of the change to the recycling program. According to Stiglin, she then stated to Scharfenberger that August may have been a better time to place calls to residents than in October, 3 weeks before an election. Stiglin then wanted to know if the Committee had agreed to the initial time that the calls were to take place, she said that Gerry replied “'it's just a quick notice…I just had a minute and went ahead and recorded it ”, which implied to her that Committee didn’t need to approve the call. Soon after this exchange they said their goodbyes and ended their conversation.

After learning this, I was interested in hearing from Sean Byrnes to get his take on being blamed as the source of inspiration behind the robo call.

Byrnes stated that he went back and looked at his sent emails in the Township email system and found an email from August. He stated that the Committee had received an email from Ted Maloney advising them of a message he intended to send regarding leaf and brush pickup, and that he intended to use the reverse 911 system. Included in the email was the text of what the message was to say, to which Byrnes responded as follows:

“…At some point, maybe not so close on the heels of this announcement, we should also do that for the recycling pickup. You may have done it already, but we will probably need to push this pretty hard to get the word out and start getting compliance...”

Committeeman Byrnes stated that he was unaware that the Scharfenberger planned to make an announcement last week about the recycling program, he stated that an email from Cindy Herschaft, the public relations officer, was sent to Committee members about an hour before the announcement started, advising them of the content of the call.

Apparently it would seem then, that Gerry Scharfenberger took Byrnes idea that was expressed in the email to Ted Maloney, saw an opportunity to use it to his advantage, hid the fact that he was doing it until just before the messages went out, and then tried to blame Byrnes when it didn’t work out. No wonder why he called Carol Stiglin to apologize, he finally got caught taking someone else’s idea and passing it off as his own. I would apologize for that also.

APP Editorial: Send them an e-mail

No matter how Gerry Scharfenberger and Tony Mercantante tray and spin the fiasco of last weeks ill advised, late night "Robo calls" to residents, they just need to admit those calls should not have been made in the first place. It doesn't matter if the calls were supposed to be place at 6:45 pm or not. The message was not important enough to use the reverse 911 system when other means of communicating with residents about the new "Recycle to Save" program had already been done.

Evidently the Asbury Park Press seems to agree, below is their editorial that ran this past Saturday condemning them for using taxpayer-funded Robo calls to inform residents of this program:

Late-night phone calls are hardly ever good news. Nobody calls you then to tell you you've just won a million bucks.

A ringing phone after bedtime can be nerve-wracking. On Wednesday, the nerves of thousands of Middletown residents were wracked by an automated phone call between 10 and 11 p.m. with a recording of Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger reminding them of the importance of recycling.

Some residents who didn't pick up the first time — perhaps because they were asleep — were called repeatedly until they answered the phone. We suspect most people were less than appreciative of the message.

The late calls were the result of a glitch in the taxpayer-funded service — one that should be reserved for emergencies and urgent notifications.

Township Administrator Anthony Mercantante said the calls were scheduled to go out at 6:45 p.m. So, dinner hour would have been a better time to waste the taxpayers' time and money?

Glitches happen. They're excusable. What isn't are robocalls — late at night, at dinnertime or any other time of day — whose message could easily be communicated in other non-obtrusive ways.

Those leaving comments online had a full things to say themselves about it:

jerseyswamps wrote:
Is that what that was! Now I'm really angry! I heard it was some kind of BS recording and hung up. Nice job, Mayor. Way to earn good will. BTW, ANY politician that sends me a robo call at anytime goes way down on my list of who to vote for. 10/16/2010 7:27:16 AM

mkm586 wrote:
Obama Park Press, we agree, rarelt but thanks. Don't stop there, turn Penton loose to investigate further. Get my old friend Lisa Kruse and the spirit of Randy Brahmier to help if necessary. They worked when the Press actually was part of political accountability. Was it the reverse 911 system? Is that legal? Who authorized it? If there is a third party company involved who are they? What are they paid? What action is being taken and to correct this from happening again? What punitive action is being taken...if any? And what exactly was the "glitch"? Were not talking about a few dozen calls but thousands. Get us some answers. While you're at it what's up with those millions the town borrowed years ago for the football field that never was? Like I said my Dad didn't get a call apologizing his taxes went up 13%. Obama Park Press, Judy's gone their fair game, time to follow through!!! 10/16/2010 7:53:06 AM

TheStupidHurts wrote:
I support anything that will get people to vote against scharfenberger, it's a rare talent to be an abomination to both left and right.
10/16/2010 8:01:27 AM

Ignore_The_Lies wrote:
Schools are doing the same thing with "robo-calls". The idea of notifying parents of a scheduling change due to a storm is one thing - pestering them about upcoming "events" such as football games and fund raises is another.

If there are 3 people I absolutely HATE in this world they are (1) the jerk that came up with voicemail, (2) the jerk that came up with automated "phone trees" ("Press 1 for billing... Press 2 to report a leak..."), and (3) the jerk who came up with the bright idea to use an automated "emergency notification system" for HORSEPUCKY. 10/16/2010 9:55:13 AM

What The Readers Are Thinking: Update on APP's "Late-night automated call irks Middletown residents"

I couldn't help myself from posting the latest comments left by residents on the APP article written about the late night Robo calls Tuesday night. These people can see right through Schary's rouse!

Thedebstery wrote:
This guy must think we are all the biggest idiots. Three weeks before election and he's calling at 10 p.m. to tell us about cardboard?????????? Duh, technical glitch, double duh, clueless as to how it's paid for. Please, let's vote this fool out of office when election day comes up or he may delude himself into running for governor. A PhD in archeology does not give you the intellect to run a town or a telephone system
10/15/2010 12:23:09 PM

litasilva wrote:
Replying to whosright:

"What I find amusing is the mayor does not know the company or the money that is paid to this company for services.. Go figure.."

Yeah, pretty funny. If I was in his shoes and this kind of debacle happened, I'd at least know whose name to curse under my breath. For crying out loud, he made the recording, he had to know that all the blow back would be his.
10/15/2010 11:06:03 AM


PhilAOPhish wrote:
"residents heard the recorded voice of their mayor, Gerard Scharfenberger, touting the importance of recycling" Recycling is very important. It's time to recycle Scharfenberger.
10/15/2010 10:51:30 AM

whosright wrote:
What I find amusing is the mayor does not know the company or the money that is paid to this company for services.. Go figure..
10/15/2010 10:42:09 AM

APP: Late-night automated call irks Middletown residents

Evidently those late night "Robo" calls made by Gerry Scharfenberger late Tuesday night that informed Middletown residents about the virtues of recycling cardboard and junk mail, pissed off an awful lots of residents, so much so that the phone lines down at Town Hall were flooded with complaints all day Wednesday and sparked an article that appears in today's Asbury Park Press.

What bothers me here is, instead of taking full responsibility for placing these calls using the reverse 911 system (that should only be used in emergencies in the first place), the mayor and Town Administrator Tony Mercantante, blamed the phone service they used to place the calls. They said it was a "glitch" in the program, that the phone calls were scheduled to go out at 6:45pm and not the late hour that they did.

Another thing that bothers me is why were these calls made now, 3 weeks before the election? The "Recycle to Save" program has been in effect now for two months, residents have already been notified several ways about it. Was a late night phone call really necessary? I mean come on, I received my Middletown Matters Newsletter in the mail Wednesday morning. It devotes almost the entire front page to it (I'll make sure that it makes it into the recycling bin when I throw it out).

Mercantante is quoted as saying "The whole Township Committee agreed to this, I don't think it was done politically at all." is a snow job in itself. From what I have been told there was no discussion prior to these calls being made, other than the initial discussions that took place months earlier, that calls to residents could be made to inform residents of the recycling changes It was never discussed that Gerry Scharfenberger would be making these calls. The calls should have been made by Ted Maloney the Director of Public Works, if calls were going to go out in the first place. Can you blame people for thinking that this call was politically motivated, to somehow give Scharfenberger a boost in his re-election campaign?

Here are a few reader comments that were posted on the APP website after the article so far this morning:

jerzyguy wrote:
Did he use the reverse 911 phone system to make these calls? I thought that was paid for by the taxpayers to alert them of emergencies. I guess using a taxpayer funded emergency phone system to tell people to vote for you would not be wise, so tell them to recycle. Maybe the Mayor thinks he should be recycled. That might be the hidden message to get people to vote for him. 10/15/2010 8:43:14 AM

breaker123 wrote:
The Mayor steps in it again. Check out MMM, he actually said the calls were Sean Byrnes' idea.
They may or may not have been, but to do this 3 weeks before an election when it was not an emergency is suspicious. Why wasn't it done 2 months ago when the recycling went into effect? Its already been printed in the Middletown Matters. BYW that was filled with propaganda and spin making our budget problems sound like eveything is hunky dory in Middletown. This was a thinly veiled campaign tactic pure and simple. 10/15/2010 8:59:15 AM

10centsworth wrote:

Yeah right,tell us another ridiculous story and think we are all ignorant.
This reaks,reminds of a little kid screaming for something it wants so bad it can't behave
Nobody is fooled by the nonsense in this community...especially at election time !!!!
10/15/2010 9:04:46 AM

10centsworth wrote:

Recycling cardboard was Sean's idea...
THE ROBO Calls are the mayor's idea,another ridiculous attempts to annoy the voters of Middletown any way he can . .
We all are aware he wants something he may not get this time.
GROW UP SCHARFEY !!! 10/15/2010 9:13:02 AM

TrainedInvestigator wrote:
You know...when the phone rings at 9:47 p.m. and you look down at the caller i.d. on the phone to see that it is Middletown Township (fearing bad news) only to learn this was a recorded message spouting some drivel about recycling....you are truly left to wonder. I will certainly remember this call when I vote in Novemeber.
10/15/2010 9:21:56 AM

10centsworth wrote:
BTW....remember the use of the e-mail system at Monmouth University during election season for political purposes during a prior campaign. Didn't learn your lesson yet,huh???
Using taxpayer dollars,for political propaganda enclosed in tax bills,town newsletters,etc. is questionable also.
The lawyer for this township is paid by the residents here to protect THEM (the taxpayers) in situations like these abuses. Why isn't that happening? 10/15/2010 9:26:23 AM

Scharfenberger Robo Calls Residents at 10:30 PM To Explain The Importance Of Recycling

It seems as though I am not the only resident in Middletown to receive a "Robo" call from mayor Scharfenberger last night (mine came just before 9pm) many others received them also, some as late as 10:30 pm. I have been the recipient a number of emails this morning complaining about this Robo call.

The thinly veiled campaign phone call to residents was disguised as a public service message from the mayor, informing residents about the the importance of recycling and the Township's Recycle to Save program.

One emailer said that they went to Town Hall, ran into Heidi Blunt, the Twp Clerk, and complained about the phone call that they received from Gerry Scharfenberger at 10:30pm last night. She was told by Heidi Blunt that she had received many complaints today from people being called late at night about this. Blunt stated however, that an outside company was outsourced for this process and that they(township) were looking into the problem today to prevent this from happening again.

Another wanted to know if "...those robo-calls have a cost associated with them?" and that they had "..already sent a message to GS via his election website (since I couldn't find an email address/fax for the Mayors office) expressing my extreme displeasure... last night was such a thinly-veiled campaign message that it sent me over the edge..."

A few emailers are wondering what was so important about the recycling message that it necessitated a Robo call in the first place, after all the Townships newsletter Middletown Matters already devoted a full page to the Recycle to Save program in its latest issue that has been showing up in residents mail boxes along with a half page commentary by Scharfenberger himself talking about the budget as well as the recycling issue.

The one emailer raises a good point, what was the cost of these phone calls? The timing and necessity of the Robo call raises the specter of Gerry using taxpayer dollars to fund a portion of his re-election campaign which is of course unethical and illegal.

I would like to know the cost to the township was for last night's phone call and if Gerry Scharfenberger has any intention of reimbursing the taxpayers for them.

Beson Turns to Robo Calls to Garner Support for Freeholder

I have been contacted by a few friends that are reporting that they have been the recipients of "Robo Calls" on behalf of Mike Beson. Beson, the former Mayor of Neptune, is seeking the Democratic nomination to run for Monmouth County Freeholder tommorrow against Middletown's Sean Byrnes at the county mini-convention in Red Bank.

Beson, who was endorsed by Congressman Frank Pallone earlier this week, must really be sweating this one out. If Beson loses the nomination to Byrnes it would be a huge embarrassment to Pallone. 

Everyone knows that the road to Freehold runs through Middletown, with Sean Byrnes seeking the nomination, Beson's trip is extremely bumpy and is not guaranteed even with Pallone's backing.   

I wonder who paid for those calls ?