Green Party is
not going away
To the editor:
In the District 12 Assembly race, the Republican team (Jennifer Beck/ Declan O’Scanlon) defeated the Democratic team (Michael Panter/Robert Morgan) by a very slim margin, less than 1,500 votes. Meanwhile Green Party candidate Ann Napolitano received 2,303 votes and her running-mate, Judith Stanton, received 2,044 votes. Arguably, had the Green candidates not been in the race, the outcome would have been reversed, with the Democratic incumbents returning to the State Assembly.
Since 2000, when Ralph Nader was labeled a "spoiler" for "taking votes away" from Al Gore and thus influencing the presidential election, the Green Party has been urging the Democrats to help advocate for a solution to the "spoiler" problem. In the city of San Francisco, to cite one example, Greens and Democrats were successful in passing legislation for instant runoff voting. This is a system where voters can rank their choices. If we had it in place for the last election, someone could have ranked Napolitano(GRN) #1, Panter(DEM) #2. In a first round of counting, if Napolitano had the fewest votes her ballots would be re-allocated according to their second-place choices. So the majority of ballots listing Napolitano as choice #1 probably would have gone to Panter in the second round of counting and Panter would have gained enough additional votes to win.
In a race for a municipal office in San Francisco, there can no longer be a "spoiler" effect.
Also: Due to the presence of third-party candidates in the race, Beck and O’Scanlon won without achieving a majority of votes. With IRV, where votes are reallocated round-by-round during the counting, all winning candidates do achieve majorities in the end.
The Green Party is not going away. It has a distinct message for ecology and renewal of community which resonates with more and more voters. Our electoral system could be opened up to accommodate "more voices and more choices" (as Ralph Nader said) and everyone could benefit, even the major parties, if reforms like Instant Runoff Voting were adopted.
Steve Welzer
East Windsor
Work together for
business growth
I would like to thank those such as Al Wally who support new ideas as I do. Maybe I had better clarify myself when I say "new ideas." This means I am in favor of promoting business growth in our community. In addition to any incentives which are in place now, I will welcome additional tax incentives and ideas for businesses that are willing to take on distressed properties. Businesses then might tackle "a rundown unsightly Route 130," which was verbalized by Marsha Weinstein in her last letter. In turn, this one of many possibilities will provide employment and attract new business to East Windsor. The product of this action will be a thriving community and a more self-sufficient capitalistic system existing and reproducing its own "fuel" to move beyond.
Instead of concentrating efforts on what looks "unsightly" and harping on past politicians, shouldn’t we redirect the negative assessments and invite new proposals to make the land more attractive to potential business? Let’s see what new ideas Republican candidates have on their plate for increasing revenue to our community. I am sure they would welcome all new positive ideas from every political party. We should never be too proud to hear another viewpoint. Lets build on our present accomplishment!
Mark Camiscioli
East Windsor
New councilman
offers his thanks
To the editor:
To the residents of Hightstown, I want to personally thank you for electing me to the position of council member of the Hightstown town council. Considering my wife, Amanda, and I are relatively new to Hightstown, it makes it even more of an honor and a truly humbling experience that you would trust me with this responsibility.
As I said in the town forum, I feel that I can provide new ideas and a fresh perspective that will compliment some of our more seasoned council members. Being part of the changing demographic in Hightstown, I also look to give those residents a voice on our town council.
I also wanted to specifically thank the people who have guided me during the election process. I promise to make you proud as I govern with honesty, fiscal responsibility and with my ears open. I look forward to working with our mayor, our other council members and all of you to make Hightstown a better place for us to live. Thank you.
Ryan Rosenberg
Hightstown
Congratulations to
council newcomers
To the editor:
Congratulations to the newly elected Democratic Hightstown council members, Connie Harinxma and Ryan Rosenberg. They carry the burden of high hopes for continued progress in town. And a sincere thank you to Nancy Walker-Laudenberger for her years of dedicated service to the borough. In losing, she demonstrated the grace and bi- partisan cooperation that marked her tenure on council.
Local elections are not necessarily about "who’s a Democrat and who’s a Republican," as losing candidate Ron Sackowitz observed. That remark denigrates the 563 people who did vote for him.
Bruce Conord
Hightstown
Editorial did not
honor veterans
To the editor:
As a veteran who proudly served in the U.S. Army, I found your editorial "celebrating" Veteran’s Day "Honoring veterans for preserving our freedoms" to be outrageously hypocritical at best and obscenely immoral and vicious at worst.
The focus of your editorial clearly was not the honoring of American veterans who have served to allow you the freedom to express your opinion no matter how historically erroneous or harmful to the interests of this country. Your words start not with celebration and honor but with the criticism that has become the mantra of those who refuse to accept history. The same so-called "lies" you accuse this administration of concerning the reasons for the Iraq war were said frequently by President Bill Clinton, Sen. John Kerry, Sen. John Edwards, the United Nations, and the intelligence services of many other countries. But you hold only President Bush responsible while failing to acknowledge and certainly not reporting the achievements of the United States.
Another gross misrepresentation in the editorial is saying that "Democrats have only recently began to question his (President Bush’s) policies." Those opposed to this administration for the most shameful political reasons from the very beginning did and continue to do everything possible to demonize the leadership and undermine any support for the men and women fighting against the people determined terrorists, not militants, not insurgents, or any other sanitized label who want to kill you, me, and all our families.
Yes, more than 2,000 military members have died and many more have been wounded but, unfortunately, the sad truth is that people die in war and, whether you have the insight to realize it or not, we are in a war for many reasons including protecting your freedom to be so blinded by hatred that you could not just have a true commemoration of Veteran’s Day without filling your editorial with criticism and extreme distaste for what is being done to safeguard our country.
One last thought. It is not, as you wrote, just "the ones who have never served" who have reaped the greatest benefit by the commitment and sacrifices veterans have made. It is all of us, veterans and nonveterans alike, who have reaped those great benefits.
Lawrence H. Zisman
East Windsor
Donations to club
much appreciated
To the editor:
The Jr. Friday Club of Hightstown Inc. would like to thank the following businesses and individuals for their generous donations: Sal’s Pizza, Avanti Salon & Spa, Artiko, E-Jam paintball, Slim & Tone, The Kneading Garden, Snelling Personnel Services, Shiseido, Allen & Stults, and the Williams Family, Avon.
With the combined efforts of our members and the support from these businesses our first Halloween Dance was a great success! Their generosity enables us to continue to support many programs within our community and state.
Deborah Wimer,
Angela Henderson,
co-chairwomen,
dance committee
Losing candidate:
criticism warranted
To the editor:
On behalf of my running mates, Shari Benson and Marc Pollack, I want to thank all those who supported us in our recent candidacy for East Windsor Council, and who voted for Jen Beck and Declan O’Scanlon, who won Assembly seats. During our brief campaign we met many great people in our town and county. We made new friends and got assurances from many that they would help in future Republican efforts.
Our campaign to point out the bad effects of one-person rule in East Windsor was met with agreement in all areas of town. As a former soldier, I admire the strict military discipline employed by Miss Mironov over her minions on the council, although she did permit Mr. Rosenberg to state in print that he is pro trees. I am sure, however, he had to pass his bold stance before Miss Mironov to get her approval. I like to sum up the fact that government by ego is not good for East Windsor with this quote: "If you ask our police chief the time, he can tell you. If you ask him the time in East Windsor, he cannot answer, but must refer you to the town’s official spokesperson, Miss Mironov."
During the campaign we labeled the council the "Stepford Council." They had 1,526 chances from January to May to cast a vote in council against Miss Mironov, yet not one ‘nay’ vote was cast. The only requirement to be a Democratic nominee for council seems to be the ability to say yes to whatever Miss Mironov desires. You may well imagine, that a council under one person and one-party control for eight years has many things they don’t wish to see the light of day.
We encourage township residents to contact us. Lord Acton said many years ago "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." He may have been looking to the future and seeing the current situation in East Windsor.
Again, thanks to those who supported us. The encouragement we received from you is appreciated more than we can say. And congratulations to the election victors. You will be collecting a paycheck from the township for merely saying "yes" to everything Miss Mironov tells you to say yes to. Easy job.
By the way, this letter was not passed by anyone for approval. Any to come from the Democrats (and they will come), will be edited beforehand no doubt by East Windsor’s "official spokesperson." The phrase "buy one and get six free" comes to mind.
David Bock
East Windsor
Township councilmen
offer gratitud
To the editor:
We wish to thank the voters of East Windsor for their strong show of support on Election Day.
Working together as a team and with the professional efforts of our township staff and involvement of many volunteers, we have worked to get good things done for the people of East Windsor and to create an open, positive atmosphere for our residents and our businesses. We will continue to strive to hold spending, preserve open space and farmland, enhance our programs for young people and senior citizens, attract new quality businesses, and provide a high quality of services to our residents. We continue to welcome and encourage all ideas and input into your government.
Again, we thank East Windsor residents for their vote of confidence, and we will work hard to continue to earn that trust.
Hector Duke,
deputy mayor
Perry M. Shapiro,
Township Council member
Alan Rosenberg
Township Council member

