Responding to Anonymous

 I received the following comment from a Middletown resident concerning My Statement On The Results of The 2024 Election in a previous post. I thought the comment was worth sharing here with everyone because it was both respectful and thoughtful. People need to engage more civilly each other and tone down the hostilities when expressing their ideas or opinions that run counter with other:

Anonymous, November 9th 2024 at 8:34 PM:

 Thank you for caring about our community, and for offering your service. I did not vote for you, being very pleased with the job Tony Perry has done serving as our mayor. I do wish you well in future endeavors.

I would like to say, however, that some of the issues you mentioned are NOT unique to Middletown, nor are they all to the credit or blame of our leaders. Housing is NOT affordable in most places in New Jersey. This is a very expensive place to live, and with raging inflation in the past few years, it has become MORE expensive and out of the reach of many. But the remedy suggested of building more "affordable" housing on our limited footprint of available spaces is perhaps the least desirable solution. More overcrowding on our roads, in our schools, and overtaxing our infrastructure? Loss of what little open spaces we have? No thank you. Most residents moved here or stayed here because they like the character of this town. Turning it into a crowded city is not a solution that is palatable to Middletowners.

Nor is social engineering that turns our town into a very different place. I hope our mayor and council will focus on keeping costs in control, minimizing need for budget busting tax increases, while continuing to deliver essential services to people who bought in here months, years or decades ago, to enjoy the lifestyle Middletown offered. Not everyone can afford to live in every town in NJ. Thats a fact of life. As with EVERY SINGLE SUBURBAN TOWN, some can afford to live here, others cannot and might have to live elsewhere. Just like everything else in life.

Here is my response:

Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I appreciate you taking the time to share your views, even if we don’t see eye-to-eye on everything. Open conversations like this help us understand each other and make our community better.

You’re right that affordability is a big issue across New Jersey, not just here in Middletown. The rising cost of living has made it tough for many families, and while local leaders can’t fix everything, they do have a role in managing how our town deals with these challenges.

I understand your concerns about affordable housing. No one wants to see our roads clogged, schools overcrowded, or open spaces disappear. But adding affordable housing doesn’t have to mean sacrificing what makes Middletown special. With smart planning, we can find ways to grow responsibly—focusing on areas that can handle new developments and making sure infrastructure keeps up.

One important point to consider is the future of our children. Many young adults who grew up here are finding it nearly impossible to stay in the community because housing has become unattainable. Affordable housing isn’t about low-income developments; it’s about giving people—especially the next generation—the chance to attain the American dream. That means having a shot at homeownership or finding a place to live in the town they love without being priced out.

The idea that only people who can afford the current cost of living should stay in Middletown is tricky. A community thrives when it’s diverse. Teachers, first responders, young families, and seniors are all important to our town. Making it easier for them to live here isn’t about “social engineering”; it’s about keeping Middletown a place where everyone has a chance to belong.

I also agree that keeping taxes in check and managing the budget wisely are essential. No one wants unnecessary tax hikes. But we can’t cut corners on things like schools, infrastructure, and public services. If we invest wisely now, it will pay off later, helping Middletown remain a great place to live for everyone.

Thanks again for sharing your perspective. It’s clear you care deeply about our town, and I hope we can continue this conversation to find solutions that work for all of us.

My Statement On The Results of The 2024 Elecion

 First and foremost, I want to thank the people of Middletown for their engagement in this year's election. While I’m disappointed in the outcome of my campaign for Township Committee, I’m incredibly proud of the spirited race we ran. We tackled the tough issues head-on—affordable and attainable housing that allows younger generations to stay in the community they’ve grown up in, implementing Smart Growth principles in planning new neighborhoods, and addressing the deteriorating conditions of our main roads and neighborhood streets. We also focused on the lack of sidewalks throughout much of our town and the pressing need to manage traffic and congestion, which are affecting the quality of life for all residents. 

 Additionally, we cannot ignore the financial strain many of our residents are facing due to skyrocketing property taxes. The annual assessments of property values are driving these increases, leading to financial hardship for seniors on fixed incomes, working families, and young homeowners trying to establish themselves in Middletown. This is an urgent issue that demands real solutions to ensure our community remains accessible and affordable for all. 

 On the national stage, we’ve witnessed a truly historic election. While it was a hard-fought campaign, former President Donald Trump has defeated Vice President Kamala Harris to regain the White House. This result marks a pivotal moment in our country’s history and highlights the deep divisions we face. As Democrats, we must take this as an opportunity to reflect, regroup, and redouble our efforts to advance the values of fairness, inclusion, and opportunity for all.  

 To our supporters, volunteers, and everyone who believed in our campaign, thank you. Your dedication and passion are what make our community strong. 

 This election was a chapter, not the end of the story. Together, we’ll keep building a better, fairer future for our town, our state, and our nation." 

 

—Mike "MiddletownMike" Morris 

Chairman, Middletown Democratic Party
Candidate, Middletown Township Committee 2024

Two River Times: Middletown Incumbent Faces Democratic Challenger in Committee Race

 I wanted to post this earlier but time got away from me. In the October 10th edition of the Two River Times appears a Middletown candidate Q&A profile between myself and Tony Perry.

When you read the answers its pretty evident that Perry preferred to supply fluff over substance and resorted to the same old tired scare tactic answers that he and his predecessors have been spewing out for the past 20 years but you can decide for yourself.

The Two River Times reached out to each candidate for their thoughts about the issues facing Middletown residents.

The Two River Times: What motivated you to run for the township committee?

Michael Morris: I am running for a seat on the Middletown Township Committee because I believe Middletown’s government lacks a clear vision for our town’s future. Based on the decisions our elected officials have made on land use and zoning, it is clear the Township Committee is more interested in maintaining the status quo than actually leading. Instead of looking forward to the future and embracing the changing world around us, its members are stuck in the past. They are reactionary as opposed to visionary.

Tony Perry: What motivates me to run is my dedication. Seeing my parents work so hard to put me in a position to succeed, now it’s my turn to put my kids in a position to succeed. As mayor, it’s my job to put every single kid and every single family in a position to succeed, whether you are a Republican, a Democrat, an Independent, whether you care about politics or not. Middletown is my priority. It’s my job and my responsibility to create a great place to live, work and raise a family. That’s what I’m going to do every single day. I am never going to stop fighting for Middletown, whether I’m in this job or not.

TRT: What do you think are the most pressing issues in the township? Where would you like to see a change?

Morris: Middletown has an affordability problem. There are few attainable housing options for young people that have grown up here and wish to stay in our community. Young professionals, working-class families and seniors are being priced out of our community.

Since backing out of its COAH (Council on Affordable Housing) responsibilities, the township has been in the pockets of the developers, continuing to approve massive townhouse and condominium complexes that maximize builder profits over community needs under the threat of builders’ remedy lawsuits. These townhouses and condos often cost upward of $800,000 per unit. This leaves many young families nowhere in our community to establish roots of their own.

Perry: It is impossible for every municipality to be able to afford these (builders’ remedy) lawsuits. But Middletown has been very loud on this issue. I have taken a very tough stance that I am not opposed to creating affordable housing. We have our 100% veteran housing project built as we speak. We’ve partnered with Habitat for Humanity, where we have taken properties that Middletown has been able to foreclose on and donate them to Habitat for Humanity… to help residents because government doesn’t have to be the answer to every problem, but it can be the spark. It can be the catalyst to make a better community and a greater, stronger community.Trenton’s constant threat of overdevelopment has got to change eventually....

You can read the rest of the article over at the Two River Times

Trump’s Trainwreck

 

National Review: “If you’re obsessing over how bad, how in the tank for Kamala Harris, the two ABC 

news moderators were, it’s because you don’t want to come to grips with the brute fact that Donald Trump was a disaster last night. He was unhinged, often incoherent, incapable of completing thoughts and sentences when he had points to make, and led into self-absorbed rabbit-holes — claims that he won the 2020 election, the size of his rallies, whether ‘migrants’ are eating stolen pets — that diverted him from opportunity after opportunity to expose Harris as a radical leftist now pretending to be a pragmatic centrist who suddenly loves her some guns. 

” “Trump had one job: stay on message about Harris’s dizzying renunciations of her positions — so inexplicable that Harris has dribbled them out through nameless campaign sources rather than addressed them in her own voice…”

 “Trump couldn’t do it. And yes, that’s largely because he is an undisciplined solipsist so effortlessly drawn into railing about rally attendance when the subject at hand is Harris’s indefensible border record — and if you think last night’s target audience cares whether the interlocutor steering Trump off course was Harris or the moderators, then you’re missing the point.”

 “But there’s more to it than that. Trump also couldn’t stick to deconstructing Harris’s ‘values’ bunk because his own values are always negotiable.”  - Politicalwire.com

What's Important To Middletown Voters?

 As we enter into the 2024 Primary season and on to the General election in the fall, I want to know what's important to Middletown voters? What's on your mind and what can we do to enact positive change, not just in Middletown but throughout Monmouth County and the State?

Here are a few things that I will be basing my campaign for Township Committee on:

• Advocacy for Responsible Development: I want to prioritize responsible development practices that honor Middletown's character while fostering sustainable growth. I understands the importance of striking a balance between economic advancement, environmental conservation and the quality of life. 
• Fair Taxation: I would like to address the issue of rising property taxes, I am pledging to champion fair and equitable taxation policies that alleviate the burden on residents while ensuring essential services receive adequate funding. The annual reassessments of our property and homes are hurting families and are the cause of skyrocketing property taxes.
• Education: I would like to tackle the concerns surrounding the quality and equity of education in Middletown. I denounce the infiltration of extremist views within the education system and pledges to cultivate a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students.

By no means will the above be the only issues my campaign will be focused on. There are numerous issues that plague Middletown that get overlooked by current members of the Township Committee and residents alike. Let's shed some light on these issues and get things done that will create positive change in our community.

Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts