Dear Neighbors,

Two years ago, I did a special General Election Edition.  For obvious reasons, I skipped it last year.  This year even though there are elections for numerous offices and a few referendums, I am going to focus on the three that have the biggest immediate impact on Lumberton - the two open Lumberton Township Committee seats, the Lumberton Open Space Tax, and the New Jersey Governor's election.

Lumberton Township Committee

Three years ago, I supported DeWitt Pennypacker and Paul Mitchell.  At the time, the most pressing issues facing Lumberton were fixing the Transfer and Development Rights (TDR) program, preserving open space, and improving our recreation programs and facilities.  In these areas, they have done a pretty good job.  

Today, the most pressing issues facing Lumberton are property taxes and run away spending by the municipal government.   When it comes to being stewards of the taxpayers' money, Pennypacker and Mitchell - politely stated - have done a very poor job.  Last year as Mayor and Deputy Mayor, Pennypacker and Mitchell crafted a plan that raised municipal taxes by 16%.  This year, they both voted against the municipal budget because it did not include a tax increase.  Moreover, Pennypacker and Mitchell have consistently fought efforts by the other committee members and myself to root out wasteful spending and to contain costs. Pennypacker and Mitchell see higher taxes as something we just have to live with. 

In contrast, Beverly Marinelli and Buddy Miller are both homeowners like us who understand the adverse impact on families and seniors of having to pay higher and higher property taxes year after year.  Both have stated that their top priority as committee members will be to reign in wasteful spending.   

Buddy has run his own small business for almost 20 years.  In a small business, you do not have a lot of pricing power.  You can not routinely pass your expenses on to customers in higher prices and still expect them to remain your customers.  You have to make the most out of every dollar, innovate to keep costs down, and focus on where you really need to spend money.  These are the skills we sorely need on Township Committee.   

Beverly is also committed to routing out wasteful spending and making sure every tax dollar is spent on what the community really needs.  However, Beverly's greatest strength is her steadfast commitment to community services.  She routinely advocates on behalf of home owners to protect the quality of the community.  She has been the driving force behind getting some very poorly maintained homes in town cleaned up and forcing developers to wait until after 8 AM to start construction.  Beverly's focus on the residents and community is also something we sorely need more of on Township Committee.  As a township committee woman, Beverly will be able to do a lot more to improve the way our municipal government serves the community.   

Finally, in the areas where Pennypacker and Mitchell have done a good job in the past, they have become marginal contributors.  John Pagenkopf has taken the lead on TDR issues, traffic calming, and recreation facilities improvement.  Mike Mansdoerfer has taken the lead on overseeing vital services, government operations and financial planning.  I have taken the lead on open space preservation and economic development.  

In contrast, Beverly Marinelli's focus on community service and Buddy Miller's business experience complement the other skills on the committee. 

In short, Beverly Marinelli and Buddy Miller both understand the need to route out wasteful spending and control taxes so we can still afford to live here.  Beverly and Buddy are committed to helping us make Lumberton one of the premier communities in South Jersey which is why I strongly endorse Beverly Marinelli and Buddy Miller for Township Committee.

Open Space Tax Referendum

There will be a ballot question asking to maintain the Lumberton Open Space Tax at $.03 per $100 of assessed value.  In 2003, the voters approved increasing the open space tax from $.01 $.03 per $100 of assessed value for a period of two years.  If the majority of voters vote "Yes", the tax extension will remain in effect. 

Any time a tax increase is mentioned, my inclination is to say "No".  I think it is smart business and smart government to look at (1) what we can do more efficiently and (2) what we can stop doing altogether because it is not really necessary before we broach the question of increasing taxes.  However, Open Space preservation is one of the few tools that municipalities have to help hold down long term tax rates.   Lumberton still has the capacity for over 600 new family homes.   More houses bring more kids who require more classroom space.  Public education and school construction are extremely expensive.  The costs are so high that the typical single family home costs several thousand dollars more per year in education expenses than the tax revenue it generates.  This is even true for the big, new homes built in town over the last few years.  If we purchase land before it can become more single family homes, it is still cheaper over a five year period than building new schools and supporting the ever increasing costs of public education.  

In the long run, if the Open Space fund is properly managed, our taxes will be significantly lower if we more aggressively purchase open space than they would be if we just allowed more homes to be built.  For this reason, I am voting "Yes" on the Open Space Tax referendum.  

Governor of New Jersey

Four years ago, the Democrats took control of the state legislature and Governor's office.  During that time, state funding per student to Lumberton's Public Schools has decreased 9%. When adjusted for inflation, state funding per student has decreased by over 16%.  The state has also changed its open space funding criteria for Open Space funds to developed urban areas and away from rural and suburban areas like Lumberton where there is actually open space to preserve.  Moreover, the Governor's office structured state Homeland Security aid to Police, Fire and Emergency Services Departments so that 93% of the aid has been awarded to municipalities in Democrat controlled state legislative districts.  

As a result, it has cost our Boards of Education and municipal government more money to meet the basic needs of the community than it otherwise would have if the Governor of New Jersey was more in tune with the needs of suburban communities like Lumberton.  

The Democrat candidate, Jon Corzine, wants to take this assault on suburban communities one step further.  Jon Corzine supports changes to New Jersey's low income housing rules that would require Lumberton to build twice as many low income housing units as currently planned.  This will place ever more strain on our school system and tax rate.  Moreover, Jon Corzine has one of the worst records in the U. S. Senate on taxes.  He has supported numerous tax increases and opposed just about every tax cut proposal that has been in front of the Senate in the last five years.

Doug Forrester has made cutting property taxes one of his central issues.  Plus, he does not support Jon Corzine's changes to the low income housing rules.   It is safe to say our property taxes will be significantly lower under a Governor Forrester than under a Governor Corzine.  For this reason, I strongly support Doug Forrester for Governor.

I hope you found this issue informative.  Please remember to vote on Tuesday, November 8th.  If you do not know where your voting location is, they are listed on the township web site, www.lumbertontwp.com.   

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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