EDITORIAL: Township Committee’s preference for study after action won’t work for public interest
Last week’s Township Committee resolution handing control of the township’s Web site to the mayor provided another shocking view of the committee’s new approach to governing.
We’re not talking about the fact the committee voted to allow the mayor to have final input on what gets posted, which, while we disagree with it, does appear to be a legal action committee members can take.
Laws governing the powers of committee members and mayors in the township committee form of government leave enough room for committee members to cede powers to the mayor. But by law, the mayor does not have any powers above the other committee members except to preside at meetings and perform ceremonial functions.
But what happened at the meeting was an example of bad management practices in action and not for the first time this year.
The usual method of addressing a problem is to study the problem, formulate an action plan, then take action.
In Hillsborough, we appear to prefer the reverse identify problem, take action, study the problem.
This was the process used by the committee’s Republican majority in addressing staffing (both with the ordinance setting municipal employees’ hours and in placing a hiring freeze), a plan to purchase the 30-acre Bibeau property for open space and then a "problem" with the Web site.
Whether or not residents agree with the actions taken by the committee, all should be upset at the way the decisions are being made.
The "problem" with the Web site that had to be addressed was the decision to post the township newsletter on the site before it had been approved by the committee as a whole.
The newsletter included language Democratic committee members Sonya Martin and Joe Tricarico believed were political. For example, the mayor’s statement says: "We need to put the brakes on the spending and borrowing that has gone wild in as many years," a statement that cannot be denied is not factual but editorializing.
If the newsletter had stated "Spending increased from $18.2 million in 2000 to $20.7 million last year, a 13.7 percent increase in three years," it would have been stating facts. Some may view that as "wild," but it is nonetheless a different accounting of the budget than was included in the newsletter.
Which is why committee members Martin and Tricarico objected to it.
Having identified the problem, the committee took action by passing the resolution giving the mayor power to make the "final review and give the final approval of the nature and contents of all information and any other material" for the site.
Now, they are establishing a committee to review the Web site’s policies and guidelines.
Until this month, the Web site had been handled by the municipal clerk’s office and township administrator, featuring postings of meeting schedules, agendas and department announcements. Not always up-to-date, but never less than factual.
If the township wants to stray from that format, fine open the doors for each committee person to post their views on matters. Otherwise, keep it simple.
When the dust settles, and the mayor begins to think about this new power, we’re sure he’ll begin to wonder how he’ll moderate the forum postings, and clear the community groups sending announcements for the site’s calendar.
We hope the committee can get back to him quickly enough postings in those forums can get nasty in a hurry.

