This letter is in response to the unfair attack on Sue Scherler, founder of Concerned Citizens of Brick, which appeared in the Bulletin’s opinion page on Sept. 5. I am appalled at the tone of the letter written by John Barrett, a former mayoral candidate and active participant in the local Republican council race this year.
As a citizen, Sue Scherler has every right to express her displeasure concerning the actions of an elected official, in this case the local GOP’s tax protest at Town Hall that included Councilman Stephen Acropolis. Mrs. Scherler was making comment about a political event. She was not making a personal attack.
Conversely, Mr. Barrett’s letter is a scathing personal attack. According to his letter, the local GOP checked Mrs. Scherler’s voting record, and then published it. They tried to take credit for all the work Concerned Citizens of Brick did in stopping the development of the Foodtown site into a Home Depot. And then, they criticized Mrs. Scherler for working in a Point Pleasant Beach real estate office, rather than one in Brick. It is disheartening to me that a political party could do this to a citizen.
I am a registered Republican, and this type of personal attack on a private citizen is a very bad reflection on the party. (So, are you now going to go check my voting record?) I agreed with Mrs. Scherler when she criticized the tax protest. It was a horribly divisive course of action that will result in pitting senior citizens against families seeking a good quality of life. And all for a few votes.
As a single mother with two small children, I am ecstatic that Brick Township is rated among the safest in the U.S.A. I’m thrilled about the land acquisition program. And I’m grateful for the many hours of enjoyment I’ve been able to share with my family at the SummerFest concert series.
If the local GOP was so concerned about the tax rate, there are a lot of better things they could do with their time than carrying picket signs and checking Mrs. Scherler’s voting record. They could join Mayor Joseph Scarpelli and all the other mayors who are lobbying Trenton for property tax reform. That’s the real answer to the problem. But I doubt the local GOP is interested. They are too concerned with grabbing headlines.
Mrs. Scherler, don’t let these people intimidate you. You’ve got an army of moms behind you.
June Thorpe-Kaufman
Brick