There’s hope politicianswill work together

EDITORIAL: Parties must work togetherfor community to progress

   As governing bodies everywhere ring in the new year with annual reorganization meetings we expect to hear lots of talk from elected officials calling for bipartisanship.
   Officials will speak of the need to put politics aside and work for the best interest of our community without allegiance to a preconceived political agendas.
   When it comes to displaying true bipartisan spirit, however, there is often much more rhetoric than cooperation.
   Bipartisanship, it seems, is in the eye of the beholder.
   Ultimately, actions speak louder than words, and based on the actions of the Township Committee last year, no member of the committee seemed genuinely intent on balancing his or her own views with the ideas coming from the other side of the political fence, or explore ideas that may be found there.
   One year ago, Democrat Joe Tricarico, then the mayor, and newly elected GOP Committeeman Tony Gwiazdowski both called for putting aside political allegiances to work together towards the betterment of Hillsborough Township.
   The Township Committee’s actions last year were anything but bipartisan as political tensions between Mr. Gwiazdowski and Dr. Tricarico, as well as the rest of the committee’s then Democratic majority, seemed to reach the boiling point.
   As we’ve said before, politics can certainly get ugly and clearly things got very ugly in Hillsborough Township last year.
   Just because things can get ugly, however, doesn’t mean they have to.
   We sincerely hope that all five members of the Township Committee will make genuine efforts to put aside old issues and work together in true bipartisan spirit in 2003.
   Political differences in ideologies will always be evident and we’re sure that when it comes to controversial issues, politics will come into play more often than not.
   As long as committee members "agree to disagree" respectfully rather than by slinging mud and levying allegations against one another, the committee’s objective of making progress and achieving "the good life" in Hillsborough will be much more within reach.
   The Republicans, as the majority party this year, bear more of the burden in this challenge this year — it would be easy to lock out the Democrats, but we hope they will resist doing so. In the four years since a Republican was last chosen mayor, the Democrats learned a lot about how the township functions and they have gained a lot of valuable knowledge.
   An occasional acknowledgement of the Democrats’ contributions — visible enforcement of the tree ordinance, for example, or inclusion of prominent Democrats on various panels, commissions or other entities — may be their best gesture towards this goal.
   For the Democrats, bipartisanship will mean staying actively engaged as the committee works through the year, continuing to bring ideas and perspectives to the committee. We hope to see Dr. Tricarico and Sonya Anne Martin offer constructive ideas to improve the ordinances and resolutions placed before the committee.