For the Week of May 25
Officials hope
to move forward
To the editor:
In light of recent events, we, as Washington Township Council members, would like to take this opportunity to assure the residents that we are committed to moving forward and doing the job we were elected to do.
Though we do not condone the negative tenor of comments posted on www.nj.com’s Internet forum, we do not feel that dwelling on the content of those postings would be in anyone’s best interest, least of all the people of Washington Township.
The published postings occurred in the past, at a time of great emotional turmoil over a proposed ordinance that eventually was passed unanimously by the council. We have left this issue behind and hope the residents can do the same.
Thank you for your understanding.
Sonja Walter
Larry Schneider
Ronda Hyams
Bill Lesniak
Washington Township Council
Alexander’s record
speaks volumes
To the editor:
I am writing to urge all Upper Freehold voters to join me in voting for Steve Alexander for Township Committee in the upcoming June 6 primary election.
The two incumbents in this year’s primary, Steve Alexander and Sal Diecidue, both successfully ran for Township Committee in 2003 on the same platform of slow growth and open government. Mr. Alexander has demonstrated his commitment to slow growth through continued dialog and actions to progress zoning changes to stem the ever-increasing development pressure in our town.
His fellow incumbent has not. In fact, Mr. Diecidue has dragged his feet and requested that we study and review and delay and so forth. Mr. Diecidue, in fact, left one meeting in late 2004 stating that he "felt sick." The sudden illness appeared to be brought on by a request for the committee to vote on a motion to draft an ordinance to consider 6-acre zoning. Prior to his sudden illness, earlier in the meeting, Mr. Diecidue had requested a one-week delay in the vote so that he could talk with the proponents of the status quo (3-acre) zoning. This was the same status-quo zoning that candidate Diecidue said, in 2003, should be "4-acres, and I am willing to entertain more." Rather than officially go on the record as either for or against zoning, Mr. Diecidue chose to avoid the issue.
As for open government, Mr. Alexander has clearly been the thoughtful and respectfully questioning voice on the committee during his tenure; just as he campaigned back in 2003. Mr. Diecidue, on the other hand, initiated the unprecedented measure in December 2005 to deny Mr. Alexander the right to public privilege (public discussion of issue) during a committee meeting simply because Mr. Alexander had arrived late to the meeting. This action was so outrageous that no less than four former mayors of this township (Fred Kneisler, Richard Osborne, Bob Abrams and David Horsnall) voiced their shock, displeasure and disappointment to the media.
Finally, I would also like to remind everyone of Mr. Diecidue’s most revealing quote: "Upper Freehold used to be run by two farmers and a rocket scientist. Now it is run by professionals." This galling statement is clearly a slap in the face to all of those who made Upper Freehold the community you and I chose to move our families to. I have changed my voting affiliation this spring so that I have the ability to cast a vote in the upcoming Republican primary. I also feel, as stated previously by former Mayor Bob Abrams, "God help us if we have to go through another three years with (Sal Diecidue)."
Please join me, whether you are a registered Republican or an unaffiliated voter, like me, on June 6 to cast your vote for Steve Alexander. We need to have people with character and integrity, like Steve Alexander, on our Township Committee.
Brian Williams
Upper Freehold
Project could
benefit region
To the editor:
After reading Purvi Desai’s piece on the 1.8 million-square-foot warehouse project proposed in Upper Freehold, I’m unsure what people are complaining about. A taxpayer of this magnitude that does little to drain services from the town is exactly what is needed. That they will only develop 79 of the 254 acres should be considered a positive and one you would not see from a housing developer.
If people are concerned about the historical nature of the area, why not ask the Rockefeller Group to install a sewage treatment plant in the Imlaystown section of Upper Freehold, which is already a historic district that is in imminent threat of collapse. The town could probably receive grants and tax breaks from the federal government for bestowing this much needed service while providing for the longevity of a true piece of American history.
Michael McCloskey
Freehold
Diecidue doing
a good job
To the editor:
Three years ago, we elected to the Township Committee a newcomer to Upper Freehold, Sal Diecidue. He was elected by his fellow committeemen, to be the mayor of Upper Freehold Township in his second year on the committee. No small thing for a community like ours. And guess what? He did a good job!
He directed the township to create the Recreation Committee, a forum where all township recreation organizations are represented (including three residents at large) so we could work together to make Upper Freehold recreation the best. As Mayor, Mr. Diecidue guided the Township Committee during a time of animosity between newer and older residents. He offered new ideas to the township in an effort to control growth in a time of rampant demand for new development. Mr. Diecidue has worked tirelessly researching and proposing solutions to some of our township’s most divisive and difficult problems.
In other words, Mr. Diecidue did what he was elected to do, address the issues he said he would. He doesn’t have a hidden agenda; he listens, meets with residents, and suggests change where change is needed. He understands how local government works and knows how to get things done.
I have had a chance to work with him and even though we don’t always agree, I have to say I am impressed with Sal Diecidue. I think he is just what the township needs during a time when there are many changes on the horizon. Elect a leader, someone with the knowledge and experience of how to get things done.
John Swanekamp
Upper Freehold
Resident sees Diecidue
as indecisive
To the editor:
Residents of Upper Freehold this June 6, we all need to vote for leaders that make the correct decisions for the future of Upper Freehold. Sal Diecidue is the wrong choice. He is running this campaign like the one he did three years ago, on empty promises of slowing growth.
Mr. Diecidue has been on the Township Committee for three years and there are a lot more homes approved to start building than there were when he started on the committee. He is also on the Planning Board, which has done little to slow growth. He supported the cluster provision, which has only increased the number of homes being built in the township. He supports the three town centers which would put up to 5,000 residents in each town center.
Mr. Diecidue can’t say he did not have the power to slow the growth in our community. During a committee meeting two years ago, the committee was going to vote on the 6-acre zoning issue which had three members of the committee supporting it (Steve Alexander, David Horsnal and John Mele). However, Mr. Diecidue stated he was sick and had to leave the meeting. He also did not support Planning Board Attorney Richard Coppola in the master planners’ idea about increasing the zoning to 6 acres. When Mr. Diecidue become mayor the following year he selected another master planner that has done nothing in the way of supporting larger zoning. Mr. Diecidue has only asked for more studies to look into the zoning issue and has done nothing about it and suggested another wasted revision of the Master Plan. This lack of decision-making has cost all Upper Freehold residents in increased taxes and costs to the school system because of the explosion of growth in the township.
Speaking of the Upper Freehold Regional School District, Mr. Diecidue did not openly support the school board during its campaign to get the votes for the new middle school. Why not, Mr. Diecidue? Where are we going to put all these kids?
Mr. Diecidue has fought against the westerly bypass, but that is out of his hands because Monmouth County has had that on the books long before he moved here. If Mr. Diecidue actually wants to decrease the chances of the westerly bypass being built he has to actually do something to slow the growth in town then there won’t be a need for it. Also, he tried to make an ordinance for the jake-braking issue but it failed because it was not legal, so he just put up signs that mean nothing.
Mr. Diecidue, this an open question to you in three years as a committee member and mayor: What have you done to help Upper Freehold?
Timothy Reilly
Upper Freehold
Remembering
a true gentleman
To the editor:
I grew up on Tindall Road when Robbinsville was a community in the purest sense of the word.
I was sorry to learn of the loss of a gentleman, who, for as long as I can remember, was a true pillar of that community, James Corcodilos.
Mr. Corcodilos was a wonderful friend to the town. As a child, I played on the sports teams sponsored by Jim’s Country Diner. During my college years, I worked at the diner where he and members of his family always took the time and interest in me and the many employees who worked there.
During those years at Jim’s, I gained more than just the ability to be a waitress a skill, I might add, that has come in handy during the ups and downs of my career over the past 20 years. I remember how he used to have a hand in everything that went on there, and how it helped me learn how to work under pressure, ask for help when I needed it and pitch in and help when I had the chance, too.
We greatly benefited from his leadership whether it was through a summer job, a bank, his contributions to the then all-volunteer Fire Department’s fish fry or the other countless ways he reinvested in Robbinsville and its people. Jim Corcodilos was a remarkable man and he made a difference in the lives of many people in this town, especially mine.
Lisa A. Witkowski
Atlantic City
District short-changing
special ed students
To the editor:
I read with disgust the recent policy position of the Upper Freehold Regional school board regarding special education.
It is unsurprising that the Upper Freehold Regional school board would promote an anti-child position. This district has been found in violation of IDEA regulations by the NJ Office of Special Education this year for not providing specified speech services to dozens of special education students.
Yet, I am most concerned about the sentiment being promoted in the following language from the March 15 resolution of UFRSD: "WHEREAS, the resulting rise in local property taxes causes tax payer resistance to pay for increasing costs;"
WHEREAS, the effect of some or all of the preceding factors is a shift in patterns of school expenditures away from the regular population and to the disabled population;"
UFRSD is trying to touch a chord with the anti-tax, anti-education element and focus anger on our special education children. It is attempting to divide the parent and families of regular education students from special education students and turn parents of typical children from those of special education children. They are scapegoating special education children for the problems of higher taxes and shortcomings of local public education.
Special education families and supporters have waged a yearlong campaign and have won some victories at the state level to maintain short-term objectives and other protections in state code. School boards are upset by this achievement and are pushing back.
The NJ Student Advocacy Union continues to organize locally and statewide to protect the rights of children with disabilities and respond to incidents of scapegoating of our children, be it by a local school board, administrator, newspaper columnist or other pundit. On May 17, we rallied over 100 strong for the rights of our children in front of the Department of Education for a better implementation of IDEIA 2004 in New Jersey.
While together with others we have successfully improved the implementation of IDEIA 2004 in New Jersey, we continue to struggle to assure that "stay put" protections are not lost and for better protection of children with disabilities from unwarranted suspension and expulsion given the loosening of discipline protections being proposed by Trenton.
For more information about our efforts, visit: http://StudentAdvocate-NJ.org or call (908) 881-5275.
Bob Witanek
NJ Student Advocacy Union
Montgomery

