In the News of Cumberland County, today April 13 2008, Millvile First invites Everyone to come out to meet the Candidates for City Commission and give its political platform. "BEN" gives a response:Here it is in its entirety with no commentary.
officers and members of Millville First
"Please remind your readers of "Meet the Candidates Night," on Tuesday, at the American Legion, on Buck Street, in Millville."It's sponsored by Millville First."As with every meeting of Millville First, the public is welcome."We meet the second Tuesday of every month, same time and place."Come and bring a friend. Learning about your government can be fun!"Millville First is committed to informing taxpayers."We are concerned about Millville's financial health ($55 billion in debt)."We want to keep Millville affordable and a great place to live, work and raise a family."We want people to have a voice in city government."Many of us have become concerned about the drastic increase in local taxes during the tenure of the present commissioners."We have endured unchecked development (eminent domain) and community-changing projects (the motorsports park) without having the opportunity to vote on them."Part of the mission of Millville First is to present "the rest of the story" on each issue so voters can hold the commissioners accountable."The purpose of Millville First is to inform and educate voters and encourage citizen participation in city government."Our effort to encourage taxpayers to participate in their government has made some people uncomfortable."In an effort to discredit us, our critics have called us negative obstructionists."Nothing could be further from the truth."We believe it is positive to encourage public debate."We believe it is positive to hold elected officials accountable."We believe it is positive to disclose information officials do not divulge. We believe it is positive to point out the pros and cons of government action."We believe it is positive to require taxpayer protections in contracts, instead of protections for the developer only?"We believe it is positive to insist that tax abatements illegally granted be revoked."We believe it is positive to seek repayment of illegal payments to Sun Bank."Is it negative to expect all citizens and businesses to be treated fairly, equally and with respect?"Is it negative to expect a commissioner to read and understand an ordinance or resolution before he votes on it?"Is it negative to demand that a commissioner exercise his independent judgement instead of doing what a staff member tells him to do?"Is it negative to demand that our elected officials obey the law?"Are we obstructionists to object to spending $2 million for a bridge from nowhere, to nowhere, for no reason?"Are we obstructionists to suggest that inspection and review fees mandated by ordinance be collected from developers?"Are we obstructionists to expect the commissioners to put the interests of the citizens ahead of the developer when negotiating a project?"And I could go on."Join us and learn, so you will be an informed voter on May 12.
BEN's Response:
The only problem we see, Paul, is that the watchdog group spends a lot of time on what not to do, but doesn't offer a lot of suggestions on what to do. Are you watching over the city, or are you watching over city commission? There's a difference. If you're watching over the city, then your ideas should be to move the city forward. If you're just watching over city commission, you're trying to keep the city as it was. And what was so great about what it was? The tax rate? Was it going to remain stable in the face of increasing costs? How can you spend one-third of your budget on public safety, and we're up to what - 80 police officers? - whose health insurance costs alone have skyrocketed, and maintain a stable tax rate doing nothing? How do you pay energy costs that are out of sight by doing nothing? How do you stay in the same four-year period that Emil Van Hook was mayor and pay for all these rising costs? By becoming a distressed city, that's how, and praying Trenton will come through every year with a handout. And what about education costs? How do you keep them stable without all teaching being done by lecture in an auditorium? You can't stop the clock, Paul, or you'll just fall further behind.What is your plan for increasing ratables? Or do you want to just spend less?Can you get the ratables here without abatements? How many came here in the Emil Van Hook era? How many have come here in the last 12 years? Do you think Bridgeton's tax rate has remained stable by not attracting ratables? Maybe your candidates will tell us what they want to do on Tuesday. Not what to not do. But what to do. No reflection on you Paul, but we need some answers here more than opposition. Tell you what! Bridgeton is willing to buy the land that holds the motorsports park from Millville at a fair price, if you're interested. T hey understand that it has been a spot with a lot of non-forward thinking citizens. They'll take the chance that tax revenue from it will pay bigger dividends than its own Cohansey Hotel down the road.
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4 comments:
I'll tell you what to do . DON'T ROCK THE BOAT. I want my Section 8handout money from the government, paid for by you the taxpayer, while taxes remain the same or go down. I think I speak for all of millville First when I say this.
I tell you what to do. Continue to fix my girlfriends house, putting in new windows, a new porch, new water heaters, new counter top in the kitchen and fix up the attic. Then maybe (not) I can pay my child support (and Brock). I think I speak for all of the Friends of Millville when I say this.
Let the government do it! Guaranteed income at the tax payers' expense. C'mon Millville first, raise your flags high. WE pay for your free lunch so that you can hold meetings about taxes! What a charade! Corizine, we need the state gov. to take over down here, cause it's a frat party amateur hour. Now they're taking our money AND commenting on the lives of others.
Gentlemen, Gentlemen, please! Look, we can agree on two things: no increase in taxes and let's keep Millville the backwater slum that it's been for a good thirty years. We can let our children deal with the trash, poverty, decaying houses, lack of industry and cost of improving the place when they're grown.
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