LETTER: O’Scanlon has nothing new to offer voters

The expressed opinions or views of this letter does not necessarily represent the opinion of the MiddletownMike blog. This letter appears online at the Asbury Park Press:


Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon’s Sept. 7 op-ed piece “Gopal lacks credibility on property taxes” on community consolidation and property tax relief was transparently self-serving. Apparently all it will take to solve the Gordian knot of New Jersey taxes is electing him, Sen. Jennifer Beck, and other like-minded candidates to office. But the record would suggest otherwise.

After nearly a decade in office, we don’t have tax reform because O’Scanlon has nothing new to offer, has presented no innovative ideas and has no record of significant accomplishments or collaboration to extol. Instead he just rolls out the same old public service villains — police, firefighters, teachers and “special interests” — as the root cause of our tax dilemma.

It is no less emblematic of their monolithic worldview that both O’Scanlon and Beck voted against equal pay for women. And it is especially interesting to note that O’Scanlon’s ire and focus of the piece were directed at Vin Gopal, who is not the candidate O’Scanlon is running against. Does he really think so little of Beck and other women that he must “mansplain” complex issues to and for them? Beck should be able to speak for herself to the candidate opposing her, but if she believes women don’t deserve the same pay as men, then perhaps she is better off letting O’Scanlon do the speaking for her.

It is time to stop pointing fingers, blaming others and throwing rocks at other candidates. O’Scanlon has had nine years to solve the tax problem and he hasn’t succeeded yet. Why should he another two years to try? He shouldn’t.

Kevin Akey

Little Silver