Edition of Oct. 26
‘No’ voters thanked
To the editor:
I would like to take a moment to thank all the voters who voted against the proposed new fire station. It is so good to see that there are still some people in Hopewell Township who won’t be duped into voting for something they really don’t need.
I really believe that $900,000 plus the contributions that where promised is way too much money for a garage and some office space. I think that if that money were split between the three fire departments and rescue squads already serving the Valley, some good would come of it.
With that said, I also have to look at the other side of the coin. Voting down this fire station did not solve the problem in the big picture. I must confess that all three fire departments and rescue squads are in fact very short- handed especially during the daytime hours. This is where you, the citizens of the Valley, can help the most. For once we are not asking you for money but rather for some of your time.
Back in 1875 if Randolph Stout were to lose his barn to a storm or fire, the Valley farmers got together and volunteered to build him a new one. This act of volunteerism is alive today. We are all walks of life. We are doctors and lawyers, plumbers and painters, salespersons, high school and college students. If you have some time, or are an employer who could donate an employee for an hour or two during the day, a mom whose children are now in school, we want to meet you. Come down to your local firehouse and/or squad building. Bring the spouse and children, meet the guys and girls who are doing there very best to keep the Valley "volunteer."
I have to admit some of us are a little rough around the edges, but then we don’t live in a perfect world. If we did this letter would not have to be written. Come join us in answering the call from someone in need. If each squad or fire department could get just five new members who are available during the day, the paid guys could go back to doing what they where hired to do in the first place and that is tire inspections.
My name is Herbert Ruehle and I am the deputy chief of the Hopewell Emergency Medical Unit in Hopewell Borough. If you are the least bit interested in joining, no matter how much time you can give or where in Hopewell Valley you live, give me a call at 466-3074 or 466-0168. I would love to talk to you and will direct you to the district and people you need to see.
There should be a bumper sticker that reads: "Hopewell Valley Volunteers Save Lives (and taxes, too)"
Herbert J. Ruehle, deputy chief 152
Process inappropriate
To the editor:
On Oct. 10, we participated in a referendum vote at the municipal building, which was disturbing at several levels. The referendum called for approval of a significant amount of money for a new emergency building. The very fact that this important issue was being decided, which would affect all tax-paying members of the township, without any prior notice, information, or publicity to potential voters is unfathomable. These expenditures should be the decision of all members of the community, not of a small subset, and should be decided in a referendum in a general election where the public is informed and participates.
Furthermore, the process at the polls was not what we have come to expect in ensuring the fairness of elections. There were no obvious "poll watchers" to ensure proper procedure. We were not asked for any signature or identification before voting, and our names were merely checked off on a master list. The possibilities for irregularities with this "system" are boundless.
There was no mention of the election or the results in the daily newspaper the next day, further enveloping the whole process in secrecy. Why? We, as constituents of the township, have a right to know and a responsibility to take an active role in these decisions. We cannot do our part under these conditions and feel strongly that the process, as it now exists, is highly inappropriate. A procedural change is imperative to ensure fairness and informed participation in the allocation of taxpayer’s funds.?
Carole Levin, Simon Levin, Hopewell Township
Mean-spirited letters
To the editor:
What funny letters your readers submit. It must be a real howl to read all the witty comments about Stanley Stolarski and his archaic perspective.
Forgive me if I forget to laugh.
If we all had the same lockstep viewpoint as the majority of the writers on these pages, we would have to suffer the indignity of sarcasm, which in my humble opinion is the lowest form of comedy.
Mr. Stolarski may let his emotions get the best of him in his writing, but he offers a perspective that deserves respect, not derision. I think that recent images from the Middle East ought to soften, rather than embitter our own discourse in this forum.
Shame on you for printing such mean-spirited letters. We deserve better.
Marc Moran, Hopewell

