Letters
Press candidates for answers to important questions

Quality of life in Manalapan has been buffeted by unending construction. Clogged roads, farmland turned to housing, deforestation and consequent road flooding as well as higher taxes to pay for more police and services. Manalapan’s building boom was escalated through the rezoning of this township by elected township officials who sought to reward their financial backers (read developers and professionals who channeled money to those politicians). They have been inordinately successful.

Our roads are no longer safe for biking or walking. Senior citizens who were attracted to this community by the “adult developments” have no alternative for transportation. As a result, individuals who may be physically impaired (hearing, eyesight, response time, etc.) are compelled to use autos on our narrow farm roads, endangering others as well as themselves.

Despite the services of honest, thoughtful and caring volunteers on our planning and zoning boards, Manalapan’s elected officials have failed to focus on township-wide management of construction. Result: township road safety is threatened by large construction vehicles competing for road space with school buses, seniors, soccer moms and our teenage drivers. Apparently, political considerations, fueled by greed for money and power, are more important than the safety of our grandparents, parents or kids.

No matter who gets elected, there will not be any slowdown in building, there will be tax increases on homeowners, road safety will continue to deteriorate, money will continue to be wasted on political “buddies” (like we need a cable TV attorney?), and our worsening air quality (caused by deforestation and diesel emissions) will contribute to the increasing number of asthma cases in our township.

At this point, we need to demonstrate disgust with people who have failed in their fiduciary duty to respect our quality of life.

As voters, we can do the following: write letters to the newspapers complaining about quality-of-life issues; vote against anyone associated with either major party; and attend township meetings and complain about lack of road safety, poor air quality, lack of public transportation, and the inability to safely bike or walk the roads. Above all, question politicians on:

• Why they refuse to enact pay-for-play that bans channeled money;

• Why they won’t voluntarily take a pledge against taking money from any professional or other source associated with building or development;

• Why they won’t prohibit political parties in Manalapan, so elections are focused on individuals, not run by “bosses”;

• Why they don’t focus on managing construction throughout Manalapan to mitigate impact on quality of life (there is no longer any land left in Manalapan for building);

• Why they won’t take a position on the mega mall.

Act. Protect yourself and the investment you made in Manalapan.

Bruce K. Brickman

Manalapan

Manalapan Democratic candidates will get this resident’s vote

As a registered Republi-can, I am outraged and embarrassed at what my party has done to Manalapan. I am not surprised that so many of my Republican colleagues are jumping ship.

Secret meetings in Trenton and Englishtown are just the tip of the iceberg. What about new jobs being created just so [Peter] Hall and [Miracle] Torregrossa’s campaign treasurer (and daughter of the Manalapan Repub-lican chairman) can get her piece of our pie?

They kicked qualified, experienced people off the zoning and planning boards just because they were Democrats. They kicked volunteers off committees, some of whom had been there for several years. They put 25 percent of our children in jeopardy because of Miracle’s Law.

Exactly what have they done this year except blame Michelle Roth for everything under the sun? Look at last year’s ads. They didn’t even mention her name. They focused entirely on her running mate. Michelle did not hold any political position at all in 2005. How did she suddenly become responsible for everything that went wrong this year?

I’m voting Democratic this year on the local level and I ask all residents to do the same for the good of this town. If you are a Republican who just can’t bring yourself to vote for a Democrat, I urge you to withhold your vote for Township Committee this year. They do not deserve it.

Esther Misrahi

Manalapan

Camp families respond with help for victims of Hurricane Katrina

We would like to thank our camp families who responded, so generously and quickly, to the request from the Heart Of the South Section, American Camp Assoc-iation, for T-shirts to be sent to Lafayette, La., for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. We sent over 1,000 T-shirts on Sept. 12.

We know that we can always count on camp folk for help in a time of need.

Sandy, Ron, Jonathan

and Evan Leiser

Directors

Ivy League Day Camp

Manalapan

Mayor has let time slip away on affordable housing plan

In the words of Yogi Berra, it’s déjà vu all over again in Marlboro. Some 15 months ago when Marlboro’s back was against the wall in regard to our long neglected round two [affordable housing] obligation, our mayor, Robert Kleinberg, said he had no time to negotiate with the nonprofit builders that came forward and could have produced just the required housing.

As a result he went into backroom negotiations with for-profit builders, those negotiations are going to result in nearly 1,000 units of high-rise development jammed into the northern section of town to satisfy an obligation of less than 200 units of affordable housing.

Sadly, those same 15 months ago our mayor was well aware that there was a third round obligation to follow, yet he chose to go forward with the same myopic vision he had for the second round. [Now,] 15 months have been squandered. No negotiations with nonprofits. Not only have no plans been made to satisfy our affordable housing obligation, but quite the opposite, he upgraded the master plan to 100 percent exclusionary zoning.

While there is some merit to the claim he was working under a 90-day deadline for the second round, he has, through his own neglect of the third round obligation, imposed the same 90-day deadline once again.

Not only did our mayor neglect to look for good alternatives, he did in fact stymie Councilman James Mione’s attempt to do it right by blocking the appointments to a committee established by Mr. Mione to examine affordable alternatives.

Now at the 11th hour Mayor Kleinberg will again go behind closed doors and turn the remainder of the town over to his hand-picked builders and bring us another 1,000 units, perhaps even some near his own home in the southern part of town.

While he claims to be “anti-development,” with all the high rise buildings he is bringing into town it might be prudent for him to look up the term in the dictionary.

Paul Schlaflin

Marlboro

Ad’s statement is not an accurate reflection of board

I was somewhat taken back by the recent ad in the News Transcript of Sept. 28 run by Anthony Gennaro and Michelle Roth for Township Committee in Manalapan. The ad implies that the Manalapan Planning Board secretary failed to call out for Peter Hall’s vote when the roll was called due to Peter’s actions.

As the secretary of the Planning Board, let me make it perfectly clear that any name not called out by me is an inadvertent oversight on my part and has nothing to do with the individual or his or her approach as to how best serve the town as a member of the Planning Board.

I suggest that all individuals running for public office respect the integrity of those who serve on the Manalapan Planning Board. We are all volunteers who do our best to act in Manalapan’s best interest.

In my opinion, the use of any procedural error as a foil for personal attacks offends those who volunteer and serve on the board. It is an abuse of our integrity and undermines the public credibility and trust in the Planning Board as a whole.

Stephen H. Pine

Planning Board secretary

Manalapan