Montgomery News Letters to the Editor – Sept 2010
Aug 26, 2010
Editor,
I am shocked that Louise Wilson and the local Democrats are once again trying to prevent the sale of Skillman Village/NPDC to the county. The Republican vision for the past few years has been to create Skillman
Park, a 250-acre oasis in the heart of Montgomery. In 2008, Wilson and the Democrats tried to develop the land both commercially and residentially. They lost this debate and the 2008 election. In 2009, they tried to develop Skillman Village with high-density COAH housing. On Election Day, the Democrats lost this debate again and their majority on the Township Committee.
Wilson and the Democrats are now inaccurately claiming that if we sell the Skillman Village property, it will result in hundreds and hundreds of more housing units in town. Nothing can be further from the truth. Here’s the real story. A town’s Fair Share Housing Plan, which is the plan for state mandated affordable housing units, is extremely complicated and fluid. It is constantly evolving.
As we speak, the state legislature is working on a bill to radically change this entire process. So, at the end of the day, if – as the voters already have mandated in two prior elections – we sell Skillman Village to the county, it is likely to increase the township’s mandated affordable housing units by only three units. Yes, that’s right, three units. Do you think preserving 250-acres for a beautiful park is worth this? You bet it is. And with the passage of this legislation, it is very plausible that our housing mandate will actually be reduced.
And let’s not forget what happened last election. In 2009, Wilson and the Democrats stated that if Skillman Village was sold it would increase our housing mandate by a ridiculous 3,000 units. What happened to this claim? They keep changing their minds. What will they say next? I have no idea. Montgomery deserves better than this type of political gamesmanship.
It’s amazing that Louise Wilson and the Democrats continue to refuse to listen to Montgomery’s residents.
The results of the last two elections were clear – sell the land, reduce township debt, and create Skillman Park. The Republicans in town have heard everyone loud and clear. Please remember this come November. It’s time to vote Louise Wilson out of office!
Janet Linnus
Belle Mead
To the Editor:
For the first time in years I have spent my personal time carefully reading your newspaper articles on the school budget discussions and am shocked that the Township Committee was not able to effectively react to the will of the voters without the intercession of the County Superintendent, Trudy Doyle. It is an embarrassment that our elected officials could not amongst themselves do their job without having to report to the “principal’s office” (Trudy Doyle). We all know the easy way out of budget constraints is levying increased taxes and student fees in whatever amount is deemed to solve the budget problem at hand. So it seems to me that if Louise Wilson and Brad Fay worked as hard at cutting costs as they do at justifying increased taxes and student fees, the will of the voters would have already been brought to bear on our budget and this effort would have been resolved long ago.
Dave Clark
Belle Mead
To the Editor,
My husband and I moved to Montgomery over 6 years ago and we instantly fell in love with our new hometown. We quickly became avid hikers of the Sourland Mountain Preserve and bike riders on the Delaware-Raritan Canal.
Over the years, my husband has gotten more and more involved in community service in our Pike Run neighborhood and throughout town. Ed currently serves on Montgomery’s Planning Board as an advisor and is a member of the Pike Run Homeowners Association.
Ed is now running for Township Committee. This probably won’t surprise anyone reading this, but I truly believe that he would be a perfect addition for many reasons. He has an engineering background with an MBA and is always looking for ways to improve things. For example, last fall we completed an energy efficiency renovation of our home and reduced our energy consumption by 40%.
But most importantly, Ed understands the challenges facing many Montgomery residents. He knows that Montgomery is becoming more and more unaffordable to many. In the past, our elected officials have raised taxes and increased township debt without any consideration to the damage this causes. Like all of you, we watched helplessly over the past few years as municipals taxes were increased by 30% and township debt skyrocketed to $60 million.
This is why Ed is running. He will help Mayor Mark Caliguire get our financial house in order. He will hold the line on municipal taxes by doing more with less, he will reduce township debt, and he will respect the will of the people when it comes to school budget votes.
On November 2nd, please vote for my husband, Ed Trzaska, and his running mate, Patricia Graham. They will make Montgomery more affordable.
Jaci Trzaska
Belle Mead
To the Editor:
I write to respectfully ask for your vote for Montgomery Township Committee. I am a long-time Montgomery resident, having lived here with my husband and two children for the past 17 years. I am also a commercial litigation attorney with over 20 years experience handling contract, real estate, land use, employment, insurance, business, and many other disputes. I hope to bring those legal skills and a common sense approach to municipal government.
The Township Committee must work diligently to get Montgomery’s fiscal house in order, to reduce the enormous debt (once as high as $63 million) incurred under Democratic control, to control spending and to reduce Montgomery’s high taxes. Together with my running mate, Ed Trzaska, I strongly support Mayor Mark Caliguire and his Republican team who, when faced with substantial cuts in State aid this year, nevertheless cut spending and passed a municipal budget with NO tax increase for Montgomery residents. In these tough economic times, our residents face unemployment, underemployment, lost income and the challenge of making ends meet. The Township Committee must be sensitive to those needs and responsive to the voters who have repeatedly demanded lower taxes.
Montgomery is a wonderful town and community and I am grateful to live in such a beautiful place. As a member of the Somerset County Open Space Committee, I work to preserve open space throughout Somerset County. I will bring those values with me to the Township Committee as well, working to control development and preserve Montgomery’s beautiful rural character. Indeed, from its inception, I have been a proponent of the Republican Plan to sell the “Skillman Village” site to Somerset County for use as a park. Despite fierce resistance from Democrats, who sought to build an ill-advised “village” with commercial and hundreds of high density residential units on the site, Mayor Caliguire and the Republican team are bringing their plan to fruition, and will thereby receive millions to reduce the township debt and deliver a beautiful county part for all Montgomery residents to enjoy. That is the type of smart planning and common-sense leadership of which Ed Trzaska and I hope to be a part.
Service on the Montgomery Township Committee is a privilege and an honor; Township Committee members must serve the public by listening to the voters and acting responsibly with taxpayer dollars and Township resources. Ed and I would be honored to serve as your Township Committee representatives. On Election Day, vote for Ed Trzaska and Pat Graham for Montgomery Township Committee. Thank you.
Pat Graham
Belle Mead
PRESS RELEASE
May 19, 2010
REPUBLICAN TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE MEMBERS SUPPORT SCHOOL BUDGET REVIEW SUB-COMMITTEE’S RECOMMENDATIONS
Mayor Mark Caliguire, Deputy Mayor Kacey Dyer, and Committeeman Thom Carter fully support the recommendations of the Montgomery School Budget Sub-Committee. In the official vote last night, Mayor Caliguire and Committeeman Carter voted to adopt a resolution accepting the sub-committee’s proposal to cut the school budget and substantially reduce the school board’s proposed tax increase. Deputy Mayor Kacey Dyer was forced to recuse herself from the vote at the instruction of the Township counsel, because her mother is a school teacher in Montgomery. Ms Dyer later expressed frustration because she also supported the sub-committee’s recommendations and would have voted with Caliguire and Carter in favor of the resolution.
After several weeks of hard work, the sub-committee recently presented their recommendations for reducing the school board’s proposed $65,439,585 school tax levy, which was overwhelmingly defeated by township voters last month. The school board’s defeated budget would have necessitated a tax increase of nearly 6% — $546 on the average Montgomery household.
The sub-committee’s recommended adjustment of $1,952,000 would have had little or no impact on classroom instruction and would have reduced the proposed tax increase to less than 2.5% , or approximately $258 for the average Montgomery household.
Democrats Louise Wilson and Brad Fay voted against the sub-committee’s recommendation, instead proposing an alternate budget that would necessitate an additional $900,000 tax levy over and above the subcommittee’s recommended budget. Under the Wilson/Fay alternate budget, taxes on the average Montgomery home would increase by $391.
“I am very proud of the hard work that the sub-committee put in over the past few weeks”, stated Mayor Caliguire, who voted for the sub-committee’s proposed budget last night. “Throughout the process we had two guiding principles, protect the classroom and respect the will of Montgomery voters. In order to achieve both, we went line by line and came up with difficult, but well-reasoned reductions that will not negatively impact the classroom.”
“The people of this township have continued to say that they are sick and tired of their taxes going up as business as usual,” said Committeeman Carter, who also voted in favor of $1.952 million adjustment. “They want strong leaders who will stand up for the best interests of the entire township. In light of this clear message and the condition of our economy, we had to reduce the proposed tax increase. Two members of the Committee voted with the will of the people, but the other two, Wilson and Fay, voted for higher taxes and the status quo. It is even more frustrating that Mr. Fay, a member of the sub-committee, after spending hours working with the school board, school officials and Rocky Hill, would turn his back on the process. People in Montgomery are struggling, they asked us to cut taxes; some of us listened, the others ignored. It breaks my heart.”
Deputy Mayor Dyer expressed support for the sub-committee’s recommendations and added, “I am very surprised that our Democratic colleagues on the Township Committee decided to ignore the will of our voters. We were sent a clear message last month. This is not the time to fight for more spending and increasing taxes.”
In numerous emails to the Township Committee, residents have already expressed dismay and disappointment in the Democrats’ vote — demanding to know how two people — Wilson and Fay — can decide to overrule the will of the voters and “tell the entire township — YOUR TAXES ARE GOING UP.”
Because of the tie vote, the matter will now be decided by the County Superintendent of Schools.
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PRESS RELEASE
April 19, 2010
MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP REPUBLICAN ORGANIZATION ANNOUNCES 2010 CANDIDATES
The Montgomery Township Republican Organization has announced that the Republican candidates for the two open Montgomery Township Committee Seats this year are Ed Trzaska and Pat Graham, both of Belle Mead. In the 2009 election, the Republican party gained a majority of the Montgomery Township Committee seats with the election of Mayor Mark Caliguire and Township Committee member Thom Carter. Deputy Mayor Kacey Dyer was elected in 2008. A key issue in both the 2008 and 2009 elections was the Republican plan to sell the Skillman Village property to Somerset County for use as a county park. In addition to working toward this sale, since their swearing-in last January, Caliguire, Dyer and Carter have devoted substantial effort to Montgomery’s budget issues, working to hold down taxes and spending in very difficult economic times.
“I am completely on-board with the Republican plan for Montgomery. We need to sell Skillman Village to the county and create Skillman Park. We also need to reduce township debt, and make the necessary, if sometimes difficult, choices to cut spending and hold down taxes in order to make and keep Montgomery affordable,” said Ed Trzaska.
Ed and his wife, Jaci, have lived in Montgomery for 6 years. They reside in the Greens section of Pike Run and are members of St. Charles Borromeo. Ed and Jaci are avid hikers at the Sourland Mountain Preserve and recently completed an energy efficiency renovation of their townhouse – reducing their energy consumption by more than 40%.
Ed is currently an advisor to Montgomery’s Planning Board and a member of the Pike Run Homeowners Association. He holds a BS in chemical engineering and an MBA from Rutgers University. Ed works in the pharmaceutical industry and has significant experience managing large budgets. He is running to protect and improve our quality of life and believes in Mayor Caliguire’s vision for Montgomery: create Skillman Park, reduce township debt, and do more with less regarding the township’s budget.
Pat Graham lives in Belle Mead with her husband Frank Pontillo and their two children. A practicing attorney and commercial litigator for over 20 years, she would bring to the Township Committee her substantial experience in commercial, litigation, real estate and employment matters. As a member of the Montgomery Township Republican Committee, Pat has been active in local politics for several years, having strongly supported the Republican plan to sell Skillman Village to Somerset County. She also serves on the Somerset County Open Space Advisory Committee and believes strongly in the preservation of open space throughout Somerset County as well as Montgomery.
Pat also views Montgomery’s taxes and finances as key issues for the campaign. “In these tough economic times, Montgomery’s high taxes and enormous debt load are simply unsustainable. I want to be able to retire in Montgomery, and to have my children be able to afford to live here. There will be substantial work to make that happen, but now, under the direction of Mayor Caliguire, the Township Committee is finally working to address those problems. I fully support, and would continue, those efforts.”
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