GUEST COLUMN
By:Bill Gold
As a former Township Committeeman, I want to present Beacon readers with the truth relating to last week’s cover story "Road resurfacing drives up capital spending plan." The article presented only one side, and did not present any information to contradict the fiction included therein.
Fiction: Mayor Tony Gwiazdowski stated," We should be doing road overlays every year, but by doing almost nothing over the past three years, we’re now faced with a very big problem …"
Fiction: Public Works Supervisor Buck Sixt stated, "The township has resurfaced only a very small number of township roads in the last few years …"
Facts: From 1999 through 2001, the Democratic-controlled Township Committee spent almost $900,000 for the upkeep and safety of our roads. Over 15 miles of Hillsborough’s secondary streets were repaved out of approximately 70 total miles. That’s 22 percent of township owned roads that were upgraded.
In addition, Hillsborough’s major roads are being maintained by the state and county.
More fiction: Mr. Gwiazdowski stated, "Their decision not to resurface any roads last year has put a strain on this year’s capital improvement budget …"
Fact: Last year’s Township Committee allocated tax money to resurface Hillsborough Road. Due to weather delays, the work was postponed to 2003.
More facts: Also, last year’s Democratic-controlled Township Committee made a request to have a certified engineer review our infrastructure to prioritize their needs.
We therefore saved the township $195,000 by not spending taxpayer’s money carelessly.
Why did we take these actions? Because we promised Hillsborough’s citizens that we would run Hillsborough’s government like a business, and not a like a corner grocery store.
We decided to postpone non-critical expenditures to avoid raising taxes. Let’s face it: government, just like you and I, must tighten its belt when funds are limited. Hillsborough’s infrastructure remains in good condition.
Conclusions: The Republicans should stop making fictitious excuses and fulfill their promise to reduce our property taxes this year. Also, I urge the Beacon to get all the facts before including fiction in their articles.
Bill Gold served on the Township Committee from May, 2002, to Dec. 31, 2002. He is a candidate for the Democratic nomination to the Township Committee.

