Actions of officials are bringing embarrassment to town
Ihave to say that with what is going on in this town recently, I am somewhat embarrassed to say I live here. We need leaders now more than ever and what we have now is the bickering and politicking that we have all detested, that is, except for the bloggers on the NJ.com site.

We have a civil lawsuit involving a candidate and his father.

We had alleged tainted ground at the Manalapan Recreation Center and the lawsuit involved with casting the blame to the then township attorney. This issue is particularly funny when one Township Committee member had an anonymous letter sent to her home alerting her to the problem. Thank God, it was a false claim but we spent taxpayer money to disprove the allegation when it should have been done and on file much earlier.

We have legal bills from two years ago that were approved by the majority of those sitting on the Township Committee presently but are now being looked at again - why can only be answered with a shrug of the shoulders. I witnessed the report out of the legal bills that was asked and answered by one member of the Township Committee only to have another bring up some important facts that was withheld until the report was made. I think in the spirit of cooperation, any and all facts known by the Township Committee should have been brought to the attention of the person writing the report.

Finally, we have a suit involving the town paying an attorney to find the true identity of the owner of a Web site that continuously trashes our town. I for one have had it. We now have four attorneys on retainer to cipher through this mess. Is this the right way to spend the additional 28 percent we are paying as taxpayers? In addition, I have not mentioned the constant fighting going among the Township Committee members.

I witnessed time spent at meetings whereby the township attorney will interrupt to say that in her "expert" opinion" something is too political and the conversation stops. With the attorneys on retainer for all the other issues, I am not sure what her purpose is any more. She is constantly stating that she will have to get back to the Township Committee on most issues. Why are we using her if she is so uninformed on municipal law?

I have seen the Township Committee members conduct themselves in a totally rude and abusive nature to some public speakers.

I could go on and on, but the long and short of it is that we are now bordering a shambles. Citizens are reeling from a huge tax increase and they look at these meetings, now broadcast on Channel 77, only to see infantile bickering and in some cases downright ignorance of the needs of this town but only in the selfserving interests of a few people with aspirations of elected office.

In the coming election we need independent thinkers with no agenda and no outside interests calling their shots in order to make this a great place to live.

Dennis Bruzzi

Manalapan