Dear Neighbors,

With Election Day quickly approaching, we have all heard quite a lot about the Presidential Election, and frankly, most of us are more than ready for it to be over.  However, such a big election tends to crowd out other important elections.  So I thought I would share my thoughts on three other important races and the two ballot questions that you will see on Tuesday.

Lumberton Township Committee

First and foremost, there are two seats on Lumberton Township Committee on Tuesday's ballot.  It is not a secret that I whole heartedly support Lew Jackson and Mike Petty.   When selecting local candidates, I think it is important to look at three things - professional experience, desire to be involved, and vision for the community.   Professional experience is important because Township Committee is a management job.  Committee members deal with budgets, the law, planning, personnel matters, and customer service.  Desire for the job is important as well because Township Committee is essentially a volunteer position with a small stipend.  You have to want to do it and make the time in your life for the job.  Finally, views on government and vision for the community are important because the Township Committee has a lot of influence on shaping the municipal government and the future of Lumberton. 

In all three areas, Lew Jackson and Mike Petty are top quality choices.  Lew Jackson is an experienced private practice attorney who has served as the Assistant County Prosecutor.  He has also served for several years on the Township's Ethics Board.  Lew Jackson has been active in the Lion's Club, his church and has lived in Lumberton for 22 years.  Mike Petty is a retired Air Force officer with a MBA.  Mike serves on the Land Development Board and Recreation Commission.  He has been a fixture on the sidelines of his kids' sports games for years.  Although Lew Jackson and Mike Petty may differ with me on various items or priorities, they share my overall view that in tough times, government has to live within its means just like families and businesses do.  They know that these circumstances make for difficult and sometimes unpopular choices, but they understand that failing to make the hard decisions only makes the problems bigger in the long run.

US Congress (NJ-3rd District)

On Tuesday, we will go to the polls and will more likely than not elect our Congressman for the next 20 years.   For the past 20+ years, Lumberton has been well served by Congressman Jim Saxton.   When downtown Lumberton flooded in 2007, Senator Mendendez led a fact finding visit to Lumberton a few weeks later.  In contrast, Congressman Saxton called my office the day after the flood to tell me that he arranged for the FEMA Director for the Northeast Region to be in Lumberton the next day to answer all our questions.  The purpose of this example is not to undercut the effort of Senator Mendendez because I appreciate the Senator's efforts both after the flood and his follow up to date.  Rather the point is to illustrate, that Congressman Saxton who lives in neighboring Mount Holly is in tune with the needs of Lumberton.  

This year, our choices for Congress are State Senator John Adler from Cherry Hill and Medford Mayor Chris Myers.  Flooding is still a big threat to Lumberton residents along the creek and in other low lying areas. Chris Myers is well aware of this since Medford has struggled with the same challenges.  However, for most residents of Lumberton the biggest challenge we face in the next 10 years is going to be where to put 368 low income houses that Trenton is imposing upon Lumberton, how to pay the almost $50 million price tag, and where to put the new school required to educate the 400-500 more children that come with the low income housing.  

State Senator John Adler voted for most of these new low income housing rules and has been a strong supporter of Governor Corzine's efforts to force more low income housing into the suburbs.  In contrast, Mayor Chris Myers has been an even more vocal opponent of these new low income housing mandates than I have been.   Medford is a co-plaintiff along with Lumberton and numerous other municipalities against the state to prevent this massive tax increase and community altering mandates from Trenton.

For this reason alone, I would support Chris Myers for Congress, and strongly oppose promoting John Adler.  However, I also support Chris Myers and oppose John Adler for other reasons.  I have known Chris Myers for a number of years.  He is an intelligent, energetic and ethical public servant.  He understands that the interests of the taxpayers come first and not those of the government establishment.  It may seem simple, but too often elected officials serve their own needs and not the common good.  Again, the contrast with John Adler is very clear.  According to several news accounts, John Adler has been in the center of the Trenton slush fund controversy where tax money for special projects was steered to Democrat interests without a vote.  These secret arrangements by the urban center elected officials only serve to take more and more tax money out the suburbs like Lumberton and put them into the cities and other Democrat strong holds.  For these reasons, I am strongly supporting Chris Myers for Congress.

Burlington County Freeholders and Clerk

I am not going to spend much time on this race because it really is a no brainer.  Last week, the Courier Post said what those of us who have lived in the county and see how other counties are run have known for a long time.  The Courier Post said - "Burlington County is well run."  This is not something you often hear about government, but in Burlington County's case, it is true.  This is due in large part to the leadership of Freeholder Director Aubrey Fenton and his running mate Stacey Jordan.  Burlington County cut taxes this past year.  Burlington County was one of only two counties in the state to do so.   Plus, Burlington County has steadily improved county services like the county park and library system.  Under the current county leadership, Burlington County is the national leader in open space and farmland preservation.  Moreover, the current board of Freeholders has been good to Lumberton.  They have made cleaning up the debris in the Rancocas Creek a priority which will benefit Lumberton.  They initiated at our request for a smart growth planning initiative for the Route 38 corridor like the one they successfully implemented for the Route 130 corridor.  For these reasons, I am supporting Aubrey Fenton and Stacey Jordan for Freeholder and Gary Wooden for County Clerk.  

Ballot Question 1 - Voters to  Approve State Authority Bonds Payable From State Appropriations

This ballot question is a shame, but I am going to vote for it anyway because it is a partial step towards what is already in the State Constitution, but the courts have failed to enforce. 

Years back, the New Jersey voters approved a ballot initiative to modify the state constitution to require voter approval for the issuance of any new state debt.  However, successive administrations in Trenton asserted that this did not apply to state created and appointed authorities like the Turnpike Commission, Board of Public Utilities, School Construction Corporation, and etc.  To the dismay of many, the New Jersey Supreme Court agreed that these state created and appointed agencies are not part of the state so over the past decade or so New Jersey has racked up quite a large amount of debt without voter approval.

This ballot question extends the requirement for voter approval for issuance of new debt by state agencies but leaves an exemption for agencies that can designate another non-tax source of revenue such as fees or tolls.

Opponents of the amendment cite this as a huge loophole, which it is.  Opponents also assert that if this change passes, the state will be able to refinance pervious debt that the courts have ruled taxpayer do not have to pay thus obligating the taxpayer.  

I agree 100% with the opponents of the amendment. However, the public agencies are already borrowing without voter approval.  A partial step to make it a little harder to do so is not a solution, but it is an improvement.  Also, the notion that NJ taxpayers ultimately will not have to foot the bill for $37 billion of non voter approved borrowing is naive.  It is analogous to thinking that federal taxpayers would not have had to bail out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac when they failed last month.  

So in short, a partial step in the right direction is better than no step at all so I will be voting in favor of Question #1.

Ballot Question 2 - Method of Selection of Municipal Court Judges

This question is a little more straight forward.  Under the NJ Constitution, if two or more municipalities share a municipal court, the Governor gets to appoint the judge.  In a town, like Lumberton, that has its own court, the governing body appoints the judge.  The loss of control over the appointment is seen by some in the shared services movement as an impediment to sharing of municipal courts.  This amendment allows the state legislature to permit the municipalities to appoint the judge when a court is shared by two or more municipalities.  

I am always supportive of changes that provide local governments more latitude to improve government efficiency.  This amendment will do that for some, but not most municipalities.  Accordingly, I am supporting this initiative as well.

I hope you found this issue informative.  Please remember to vote on Tuesday, November 4th.  Many of the polling locations have changed since the last Presidential Election.  To see where you vote, you can look it up on a map at  http://www.lumbertontwp.com/Portals/12/Government_docs/CNH-VotingDistMap.pdf.   

Finally, please stay tuned to your inbox for the election results on Election night.  I will send them out as soon as I get them.  As always, please continue to share this with your friends and neighbors in town and thanks for your support.

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