WWhen Madeleine Al-bright needs a break from helping countries like China and North Korea learn how the free world operates, perhaps the secretary of state can come here to acquaint our mayor and Township Council with some principles of democracy.
In the meantime, perhaps I can impart one: If a constituent brings a problem to your attention, you owe him or her at least the courtesy of a reply.
I wrote to the mayor and council several weeks ago about a serious offense — a builder on Tennent Road who has destroyed hundreds of trees to make way for a little industrial park. The trees were supposed to serve as a buffer for the residential zone across the street, where I live.
In taking down these trees, the builder broke a promise made to me by the property’s previous owner that they would remain, ignored the Planning Board’s requirement that they be left in place and flouted a state Superior Court judge’s ruling.
I explained all this in my letter. I got no reply. Puzzling, since at least one council member made a campaign issue in the last election about the need to stop developers from doing this.
At campaign time, my mailbox overflows with literature from candidates of all parties, promising to rein in builders and protect Marlboro’s quality of life. Now, with a chance to practice what they preached, our elected officials can’t be bothered to even make a phone call.
The tree buffer is important to me and my neighbors, not only to shield us from the industrial park, but even more for what may follow.
This same builder has applied to move a concrete "recycling" plant — machinery that crushes concrete blocks and chunks — right behind the industrial park. That will mean noise, dust and rumbling truck traffic.
I intend to fight this atrocity, as do neighbors in Triangle Estates and Alexander Woods. But if we don’t win, I’d like as many trees as possible between me and the crusher.
I’d like to talk in person to the mayor and council about these concerns, but my work schedule doesn’t permit going to night meetings. I thought perhaps a letter might nudge them into action, but not yet.
Marlboro taxpayers may want to advise these elected officials which of these conceivable expenditures they’d prefer in the upcoming budget: a 33-cent stamp affixed to a reply after local government takes a few minutes to review the matter or the lawyers’ fees for defending a lawsuit.
Alexander Ingham
Marlboro

