New freeholders may serve county better

Monmouth County residents should be very grateful that there are major changes in the county freeholders office. No longer do we have Mr. (Harry) Larrison and his chauffeur, Mr. (Anthony) Palughi, running the show.

Recent articles indicate Mr. Palughi receiving $90,000 of taxpayers' money for a no-show job of superintendent of bridges, as well as being a middle man for bribe money to local officials.

This is not only a condemnation of Mr. Palughi and those officials indicted, but it also casts a shadow on all those freeholders who served during Mr. Larrison's tenure. Not one of those freeholders stepped up to do his or her civic duty to expose Mr. Palughi.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, "In my humble opinion, non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as is cooperation with good."

No one knows the costs to the taxpayers of Monmouth County by Mr. Palughi's actions, but I suspect it was many thousands of dollars. Let us wish the new freeholders well. I for one am optimistic that things will get much better at the county level of government.

Stephen H. Pine

Manalapan