Destruction of Library Board is Reason to Vote Democratic in Middletown

This letter appears online today at the Atlantic Highlands Herald


I urge the election of Linda Baum to the Middletown township committee because she is intelligent and possesses sharp, sound financial acumen, while the opposition Republican campaign is morally bankrupt. Mr. Massell has claimed to be eager to find waste in Middletown government spending. Since his party has had unbroken control for a generation, one would believe that the present administration is responsible for remaining waste. He claims to have saved Middletown money by single-stream recycling. However, Middletown was late to adopt this practice which became available through enormous equipment investments by recycling companies, not by municipal action. Massell claims that the township’s sale of the swim club was a win for the taxpayers, but he is part of the same organization that acclaimed the benefit given to Middletown by its purchase some years ago. Obviously, he implies they made a mistake by buying the swim club in the first place.

The worst of the misdeeds of the present administration is the destruction of an independent Middletown Library board of trustees and their replacement by political tools. The new board members are largely drawn from the Middletown Republican County Committee and follow the dictates of the township committee. After the township committee raided the library last year for about $500,000 of its surplus, funds raised almost entirely from non-municipal sources, the new board has continued the depletion of the library’s reserves, monies accumulated for needed repairs and capital improvements, expenses that had been previously paid by township appropriation. In addition, the new library board has acquiesced to inappropriate township charge backs for which they receive either no justification or an inadequate accounting. In an area where I have expertise, property and casualty insurance, the township’s excessive charge back is tantamount to theft by the municipality of funds from an organization where state-mandated funding is designed to remove the library from political manipulation. The township committee has put in place actions that will destroy the standard of library service that Middletown residents have enjoyed for many years.

Ms. Baum’s long experience in finance and her intelligence make her clearly qualified to serve the township. Her willingness to speak out over irregularities in the present administration’s conduct of its affairs demonstrates that her voice will be heard over the self-serving dealings of a one-party machine.

Randall Gabrielan
Middletown, NJ

Short To Seek Re-Election To Middletown Committee

While attending Monmouth County Democratic Mini-Convention earlier today, I had the opportunity to  ask Middletown  Committeeman Patrick Short, if he was indeed going seek re-election to the township committee.

Patrick Short look at me, with big ol' smile on his face and said "was there any doubt?". 

Well no Mr. Short, I never doubted you for a minute. I always knew that you were going run again. It's been a lot of fun watching others ponder and speculate about your future.

Committeeman Short said that there should be a statement issued soon to confirm his intentions to seek another term on the townships governing body and that he looks forward to running against Republican Steve Massel in the fall.    

Middletown's Scharfenberger to seek 13th District Assembly Seat

This is big news that means there is a huge shake up going on in Monmouth County. I just heard from a very reliable source that Middletown's Deputy Mayor, Gerry Scharfenberger, will be running for Amy Handlin's Assembly seat in the 13th District.

How is this possible? It seems that there is a major plan brewing to regain Middletown for the GOP. NJ State Senator and Middletown resident Joe Kyrillos will be seeking the Lt. Governorship on the line with his long time buddy Chris Christie. The plan then has fellow Middletown resident ,Assemblywoman Amy Handlin, seeking Kyrillos's seat in the State Senate for the 13th district. Scharfenberger will then fill Handlin's seat in the Assembly.

This is all geared toward getting out strong GOP support in Middletown to elect Steve Massel to the township committee, which would then give the Middletown GOP their super majority once again and silence democratic opposition to their doings in Middletown.

I'll have more on this later.