Real power lies in the hands of those citizens who did not vote

The last time I looked at a map of Manalapan, Covered Bridge was still a part of our township.

It is unfortunate that the author of the News Transcript editorial "Where the Real Power Lies" has decided to separate this community from the rest of our town. There are other voting districts in Manalapan where Democrats never win a majority of the vote, but those areas are not being singled out.

Are the people who live at Covered Bridge lesser citizens than those living in any other part of our township? Don’t these people pay their fair share of taxes?

Then why does the author have such a problem with how these citizens choose to vote?

The author of the editorial writes that Covered Bridge residents "live by one simple rule: What have you done for me lately." What is wrong with that thinking? Isn’t that part of the thought process that we all go through before deciding who to vote for?

I have campaigned in Covered Bride many times and knocked on many doors there, and the one thing I can assure you is that these residents are among the most informed of any that I have come in contact with. To get their vote one must earn their trust and respect and have real knowledge of the issues facing Manalapan.

A little more than 28 percent of registered voters found their way to the polls on Nov. 4; that is a poor showing by any standard.

Perhaps the reason Covered Bridge turns out to vote in such large numbers is because many of those residents fought for our nation in World War II or the Korean War and many more saw loved ones march off to defend our way of life. These folks do not take their right to vote lightly.

The writer has it all wrong. The seat of political power is sitting home in the hands of the 72 percent of registered voters who chose not to vote.

Rebecca Aaronson

Deputy Mayor

Manalapan