Manalapan official’s statements questioned by township resident

I must admit to total confusion regarding Ms. (Mary) Cozzo-lino’s statements about the Heritage Hills housing development and her relationship with the former property owner, Marie Mollica. In the News Transcript article dated April 2, 2003, there is a direct quote from Ms. Cozzolino regarding this development stating, "I don’t know what Mr. (Drew) Shapiro is speaking of. When that application was voted on, nobody (who) even remotely knows me was the owner of that property."

On June 4 an article appeared in the News Transcript about ethics charges filed by a resident against Ms. Cozzolino.

The charges claim that she violated ethics laws when she failed to recuse herself from a series of Planning Board meetings in 2001. Those hearings centered on a residential housing application, to be called Heritage Hills. Ms. Mollica, Ms. Cozzo-lino’s neighbor of more than 10 years, was listed on the deed as owner of record of the property that was approved as Heritage Hills, and was still owner of record when the property was sold for $1 million in February 2002.

The most recent News Tran-script article of June 11, 2003, leaves the reader even more confused. In an obviously prepared response to the ethics charges reported on June 4, Ms. Cozzolino states, "She (Marie Mollica) was a neighbor of mine until 1990, when I was still in high school." The reader is lead to believe that this was a previous, distant relationship.

As a Democrat and someone who had worked closely on Ms. Cozzolino’s primary and general election campaigns, I am deeply disappointed that Ms. Cozzolino did not recuse herself from Ms. Mollica’s application. I had personally been in the presence of Ms. Mollica and Ms. Cozzolino numerous times during the campaign and know that these families are longtime friends.

Ms. Cozzolino is always preaching about the appearance of an impropriety as being of grave concern to her. Unfortun-ately, Ms. Cozzolino fails to practice what she preaches.

Cynthia B. Maurino

Manalapan