Officials must serve residents throughout town

A recent letter faulting Marlboro Mayor (Robert) Kleinberg for the construction of the cellular tower in the Union Hill lot adjacent to Prides Crossing represents only part of a greater problem that affects Marlboro today.

Marlboro has grown tremendously over the last 25 years and has developed from a residential community surrounded by farmland to an overdeveloped muni-cipality suffering from years of uncontrolled growth.

What has not changed during this period is the perception that Marlboro, per se, only encompasses the 7 square miles surrounding the municipal complex.

As a result of this misconception, those communities on the fringe of the township, i.e. those bordering the Route 9 corridor, Old Bridge, Manalapan, and Matawan, have been relegated to "stepchild" status when it comes to quality-of-life issues and property values.

Over the years, these com-munities have been the recipient of ratables that are not considered aesthetically pleasing to Marlboro proper.

The cellular tower could have easily been built on the municipal complex, but that would have ruined the aesthetics of the area, so it was built in the Union Hill Road parking lot, where township centrists would not have to see it.

The Cotton Tail Farm property along Route 9 was initially rezoned to become low-income senior rentals, and now it will probably be developed from a farm to a strip mall.

Whenever there is discussion about the town's state affordable housing obligation, you think about the sites selected near Texas Road, Lloyd Road and Route 79 near Tennent Road. No way would such property be constructed within the center of town. Finally, would businesses such as BJ's be considered for new ratables within the area adjacent to the municipal complex? The answer is a resounding no.

Political party affiliation in Marlboro is meaningless be-cause it appears that most elected officials have an agenda designed to protect their own turf.

The good of the town as a whole is meaningless as long as the unsightly and undesirable elements are placed along the township's borders far from the view of what people in power consider to be Marlboro proper. What, then, can be done to ease the factionalism?

The first thing that can be done is to remove those elected officials who are more concerned about the bottom line without regard to health and the quality of life of every resident.

Candidates seeking elected office should be scrutinized and prepared to explain their motivation for seeking the position. What are their goals and what do they hope to accomplish?

This may mean asking tough questions, but rhetoric will need to take a back seat to the facts.

All residents must be vigilant in monitoring the activities of the Township Council, and planning and zoning boards.

In a letter recently received from Township Attorney Andrew Bayer, he indicated that Prides Crossing residents could have voiced their opposition to the cellular tower had they attended the council meetings and read the agenda.

Realistically, who has the time to go down to town hall every week to find the agenda, or for that matter has the time or endurance to seek out the 1-inch public notices printed in the local newspaper advising them of potential dangers to their homes?

The answer is no one, which is what the various boards are counting on when they put a critical issue on their agenda.

Recently, the township created a mailing list which generates weekly e-mails advising subscribers of the upcoming weekly agendas. I strongly urge every resident to sign up for this service at the township's Web site.

Marlboro should not be divided between the haves and have nots. There's a tremendous difference between approving expansion of an existing business and approving a 165-foot tall cellular tower.

It's time that elected officials began representing the township as a whole and ensuring that the same quality of life is enjoyed by everyone, and not just those who happen to live in a particular part of town.

Howard P. Vogel

Marlboro