From the issue of April 27, 2006.
Push brooms needed for streets
To the editor:
Your headline, "Celebrating cleaner streets" caught my attention. I thought, "Great! South Brunswick is finally going to sweep the streets. We can finally be proud of the conditions of our streets."
The older streets of South Brunswick usually have tree debris along the curb, which makes the area look bad. Can push brooms be added to the gloves and garbage bag list?
Eileen Pall
Kendall Park
Playing field needs leveling
To the editor:
I read your editorial of April 20 with great interest. To paraphrase the great Mississippi River humorist Mark Twain, "The reports of our demise have been greatly exaggerated." Yes, it is true that the Republican Party in South Brunswick faces adversity. Like most towns in Middlesex County, we have been overwhelmed by the machine that is called the Middlesex County Democrat Organization.
The Republican organization did not fail to find a mayoral candidate for this election we had good Republican candidates for mayor come forward and screen. However, when they looked at the kind of money they would be up against, they declined. This is what running for office in New Jersey has come to money dictates who we will vote for.
Remember the Corzine-Codey primary that never materialized? Democrats never got a chance to decide who they wanted to run for governor because the party told them how they would vote. And that was determined by money.
South Brunswick desperately needs a new voice on the council. Since losing the last Republican seat in 2004, we’ve seen the number of open council meetings reduced and more decisions now made behind the scenes. This isn’t good for anyone, regardless of party.
What can we do to give both parties the opportunity to get their message out; in essence, to level the playing field? I can offer a few suggestions.
First, let’s call for campaign spending limits. In 2002, the Republican Party spent about $24,000 on its campaign. While that alone is a ridiculous amount for a local election, it pales compared to the $120,000-plus spent by the Democrats. Is that kind of spending necessary? Voters are sick of seeing a million road signs and daily glossy mailings. Let’s save a lot of money and get rid of them.
I would also recommend a series of debates sponsored by different organizations in our community. Let’s give the voting public multiple opportunities to ask their candidates the questions that matter to them.
And I would encourage the local papers to run a series of articles/forums/etc. about the candidates and their issues.
All of these efforts would cost little and would give voters a better picture of who is running for office in their township.
I would also ask, that the South Brunswick Post be true to its stand on the blackout period before the election (when it refuses to run last-minute campaign information), and also refuse to take paid advertisements. In 2002, during the last week before the election, the Democrats claimed in their expensive full-page ad that Republicans laid off police officers. They never did. Of course, we were never able to address that and other misinformation in that ad.
Let’s work together to have a reasonable, issue-driven campaign without lies, cheap shots and the kind of nastiness that has permeated previous campaigns. I look forward to working with the Democrat party chair to set parameters and make our campaigns the model for other communities.
Dawn Smith
Monmouth Junction
Ms. Smith is the chairwoman of the township Republican organization.
Celebrating senior centers
To the editor:
Many older adults feel they are too young to use a senior center and have the perception that centers are a place for "old people" to play bingo and cards and sit all day
You will find quite the opposite at the South Brunswick Senior Center. Older adults attend discussion groups, museum trips, educational seminars, school events and feng shui, Pilates, tai chi, computer and art classes, and are active volunteers in the community.
I am writing to invite the public to the South Brunswick Senior Center in May in the hopes of increasing awareness of the broad spectrum of programs and services we offer adults age 55 and older and to break through these stereotypes. On Saturday, May 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., we will host a open house with tours, class demonstrations, a flea market coordinated by our "Friends" organization, an art show, File of Life and health information from the Health Department and so much more. Inquire for yourself, a family member, friend or a neighbor.
May 14-20 is National Senior Center Week. This year’s theme is "Senior Centers: Our Community Investment." At the May 9 Township Council meeting, a resolution will be made honoring this occasion.
Older adults today are redefining the word aging and have come a long way since the first senior center opened more than 60 years ago. We will have many special events throughout the month and we welcome everyone to stop by, attend a program, take a tour and become acquainted with the friendly staff and the vast array of services the center offers.
We continually strive to meet the changing needs of this new generation of older adults and to ensure optimal quality of life through physical, educational and emotional well being with active participation in community life.
We have something for everyone.
Our township is fortunate to have a beautiful facility filled with at least 175 active participants daily, a dedicated staff, volunteers and the generous support of our mayor, manager and Township Council, especially our liaison Carol Barrett.
I hope you take this opportunity to discover first-hand what our center and its members have to offer.
Please call (732) 329-4000, ext. 7670, for hours and event information and I look forward to meeting you soon.
Christine Wildemuth
Director
Office on Aging
South Brunswick
Intern program offered education
To the editor:
I would like to take this opportunity to confirm the comments made by Shilpn Patel in his recent letter. The Mayor’s Summer Internship Program started by Mayor Debra Johnson was a great learning experience that I have built on through the years.
I have recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq. I am proud to be a United States Marine. I am fortunate to be part of a loving and supportive family, the product of the South Brunswick school system, and fortunate enough to have grown up in South Brunswick. All of these experiences and many more have contributed to my success. One of the positive experiences that made a favorable impression on me was the Mayor’s Summer Internship Program.
The program began with a serious interview process. Then we were partnered with other interns we do not know and may not have naturally been friends with in school. We were given specific municipal government tasks and attended community functions. It was truly beneficial.
Also, Mayor Johnson spent much of her own personal time with us, and was a fair and accessible supervisor. Discipline, honor and duty are not just words to me, but a way of life and essential elements of the Mayor’s Summer Internship Program. I am sorry it no longer exists in its original form, and I join Shilpn in advocating for it.
Tanya Santana
Kendall park
Appreciation for blood drive
To the editor:
South Brunswick’s Blood Bank Committee would like to say thanks to the 150 folks who braved the wet weather and came to our Blood Donor Drive. We appreciate their giving us part of a soggy spring Saturday.
We collected 117 pints of much-needed blood.
We’re looking forward to even more of you joining us on July 16 at Congregation B’nai Tikvah and Oct. 14 at the Community Center.
We also want to thank those who helped us with this drive: Scout Troops 269, 1011, 1554 and 2064 delivering fliers; all the volunteers who put up billboards and posters, handled the registration of donors and feeding the staff. We also appreciate teenagers Omar, Yasmin and Ali Fahmy, Swapnil Patel and Daniel Menz, who shared duties at the refreshment area.
We’re grateful for support from local businesses: Bagel Time & Deli, Beiler’s Fresh Meats, McCaffrey’s, Pierre’s Bakery, Shop-Rite, Subway, Super Stop & Shop, Tastee SubShoppe II, Theo’s Family Restaurant, Wegmans and Wild Oats. And thanks for the special treats for our donors from Cold Stone Creamery.
If you’d like to join our committee and/or lend a helping hand with our coming blood donor drives, please call me at (732) 297-3198.
Martin Engel
Chairman
Community Blood Bank
South Brunswick
Scouts rise to the occasion
To the editor:
It was with great pleasure that I read Joe Harvie’s article about the Scout mission to D’Iberville in last week’s edition. Wasn’t that an outstanding task for them to take on?
I would like to publicly thank Boy Scout leaders Arnold Herbach, Chris Hurley, Robert Rullo and Scott Williams for their donation of personal time and effort, as well as their example to the Scouts themselves. Without their generosity this venture would not have been possible.
And to Troop 10 and Troop 90 Scouts, Andrew Herbach, Chris Hurley, Steven Josephson, James Kaminski, Evan Koch, Andrew Rullo, and Michael Williams, and also the young woman who so wanted to go down and help that she had to go through the rigors of joining the Venture Crew, Jennifer Herbach, we salute you. Not only did you give up spring break, but you are now making plans to raise money to continue assisting those you found to be so very much in need. We are very proud of you!
We are sure it was a life-altering experience for all of you and you came away with a greater sense of being grateful for the blessings you have, but it was also a gift to your own community in that you brought our concerns and best hopes for the residents of D’Iberville directly to them. I was touched by the stories of your making friends with so many of them and how they appreciated your help.
I would also like to sincerely thank the people who donated candy, cookies, snacks, water and Gatorade to the Scouts for the trips down and back: Diane Calistro, Councilman Joe Camarota and his wife Charlotte, Police Chief Raymond Hayducka and his wife Suzanne, Jo and Stan Hochman, Jake Rodriguez, Arthur and Debbie Roedel and the St. Augustine’s Columbiettes. Their generosity stretched to the point of accommodating other volunteers who were sharing Tent City in D’Iberville.
All of the above named are so typical of the generosity expressed by South Brunswick residents when there is a call to help. But it does not end there.
Our community has been absolutely wonderful in its response to our message regarding helping Katrina victims. Our churches, township schools and St. Augustine’s School, our businesses, our organizations and our citizens in general have been only too ready to furnish what D’Iberville has indicated its needs are, not to mention aiding two other families forced to re-locate who have been touched with help.
As the saying goes, "We couldn’t have done it without you." And that is so true!
Finally, let me take this opportunity to thank the South Brunswick Rallies for Relief Committee. These are the people who drive the effort and who have been so faithful all these months: Mayor Frank Gambatese, South Brunswick Post Managing Editor Hank Kalet, Councilman Chris Killmurray, school district communications director Rebecca Leonard, the Rev. John Maltby of Miller Memorial Presbyterian Church, Al Nardi, Danie Peloquin, Arthur Roedel, Police Detective Jim Ryan, Marlene ScanLon of the St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Augustine of Canterbury R.C. Church, township Public Affairs Coordinator Ron Schmalz, and township Social Services Director LouAnne Wolf. I am so very grateful for the "yes" they gave me when getting this committee started because their interest has been genuine and heart-felt and their talents and resources have been invaluable.
We are not finished. There is much still to do before Katrina victims can restore their lives. Not the least of which is to pray that this hurricane season is kind to all of us.
Ellen Gambatese
Chairwoman
South Brunswick
Rallies for Relief

