Mayor (Michael) Kafton and Township Committee: You are supposed to represent our interests and look out for our tax dollars. After three years of planning for an indoor swimming pool, how come the taxpayers of this town can’t get a straight answer?
When tough questions are asked, the residents are shuffled from one committee to another.
Mr. Kafton, who is a known real estate investor and frequently invested in properties throughout this community, why can’t he answer the basic questions about a proposed public building project and its land use?
I read that no one on the Township Committee could answer how many towns in this state actually have a municipally operated indoor swimming pool or rec center. After being told that the rec center’s first phase could be almost $4 million, I am horrified to learn that no one on the Township Committee could tell us who they spoke to in coming up with these numbers.
I find it hard to believe that Deputy Mayor (Sean) Giblin spoke to a person about the rec center project in Brick, doesn’t remember his name, but does remember that he went bankrupt. What doesn’t he want us to know?
Taxpayers deserve straight answers from our Township Committee. We’re going to find out anyway, so why not answer us directly and save the run-around? What are you trying to hide?
I think that every member of this Township Committee has an obligation to tell the taxpayers if they or their business partners or their families are involved in any swimming pool or recreation center project in Jackson or any other town. They should tell us if they are involved in any way in these deals. We want them to be forthright.
For the taxes we pay in this township, we want the right to vote on this question in the upcoming election. Whether we support the recreation center or not, we want more than the opportunity to voice our ideas to a committee. On a project this large, we want the right to vote and decide where our money should go.
Jennifer Tokarz
Jackson