Letters

Rutgers used

by pandering pol
To the editor:
   Gov. Jon Corzine and the Democrats in Trenton reduced by $80 million the support for Rutgers in the current budget. This reduction forced the university administration to make budget reductions at all levels. The vast majority of the reductions were in academics.
   Athletics was included in the reductions, with plans to eliminate six Olympic sports.
   This past week, the Democrats headed by Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan, of South Plainfield, held a hearing to chastise Rutgers for not spending enough money on athletics. Assemblyman Diegnan needs a lesson in Economics 101, which he would have learned if he had matriculated at Rutgers. The lesson is that you cannot spend what you do not have.
   This hearing was cheap political pandering at its worst. It was nice of him to endorse more spending on athletics, but why did he not endorse more spending on academics.
   The purpose of Rutgers University is to educate, not be a source of cheap headlines for politicians. The students and their parents that attended the hearing actually think that Assemblyman Diegnan will do something, other than a resolution asking Rutgers to spend what it does not have.
   However, I would like to offer Assemblyman Diegnan a solution for the problem that he and his Democrats caused.
   The Democrats raise the sales tax 16.7 percent with the hope of raising an additional $1 billion in revenue. The Democrats then appropriated $350 million of the $1 billion for their own Christmas tree items.
   With Christmas rapidly approaching I would suggest that Rutgers should get some presents under its tree. Assemblyman Diegnan needs to ask his fellow Democrats to transfer 1 percent ($3.5 million) of the $350 million to Rutgers — 50 percent for athletics and 50 percent for general use as directed by President McCormick.
Harold V. Kane
Monroe
Republicans not

prepared
To the editor:
   
It was apparent at Candidates’ Night that the Republican candidates for Cranbury Township Committee were ill-informed and poorly prepared. The article in last week’s Cranbury Press about the traffic accident on Old Trenton Road reinforces that conclusion.
   A man blacked out while driving and his car ran off the road and flipped over. In response, Rob Smithers and Diane Stasi demanded that the township lower the speed limit and reevaluate the bus stops along the road. Old Trenton Road is a county road, and Middlesex County sets the speed limit. The Cranbury school board decides the location of bus stops. They appear not to understand the different levels of government and their responsibilities.
   The investigating officer found no evidence that the driver was speeding. Despite his lack of training or experience in investigating automobile accidents, Rob Smithers insisted that the driver was speeding. This just isn’t much of an issue if the accident occurred while the driver was obeying the law.
   Now, after using the phrase "fiscally responsible" a couple of dozen times during Candidates’ Night, they want the township to clear the sidewalks along Old Trenton Road for encroaching vegetation. Don’t the voters deserve some consistency in the positions that candidates adopt?
   The man blacked out while driving. Neither he nor anyone else was injured. Those are the facts. I’m surprised Mr. Smithers and Ms. Stasi didn’t demand that the Township Committee pass an ordinance outlawing sleep apnea.
Glenn Johnson
Cranbury
Mr. Johnson is the chairman of the Cranbury Democratic Committee
Endorsing

Stave and Panconi
To the editor:
   
I urge Cranbury voters to vote for Pari Stave and Tom Panconi for Cranbury Township Committee on Nov. 7 because they will work best to continue to preserve farmland, protect our historic village and open spaces, and keep our taxes stable.
   Ms., Stave was raised in Cranbury, attended our local public schools, has been a Township Committeewoman for the past six years and was elected mayor with bipartisan support.
   She has been particularly effective at securing substantial money for Cranbury from Middlesex County (more than $1.5 million over the past few years) and the state Green Acres program (roughly $1 million during this time). This money is in addition to the millions of dollars that the township has secured from the state and county for its farmland preservation efforts over the past decade or so.
   Ms. Stave has also worked effectively to preserve our stream corridors for passive recreational use by all our citizens.
   Tom Panconi has worked tirelessly for Cranbury’s citizens, has also fought to preserve open space and protect the historic village, and kept our taxes stable. He has served us well as mayor this year and on the committee for the past three years. He has spent countless hours talking to citizens about whatever concerns they may have.
   Some have criticized the Township Committee for obtaining this money from the county because, after all, we are all county taxpayers as well. Those criticisms are unfounded. The plain fact is that the county establishes a budget for recreational uses and acquisition of open space (as well as their participation in the state farmland preservation program). Towns compete very hard for this money. Thus, if Cranbury doesn’t seek this money, it will go to other towns that do. The county will not reduce its budget and Cranbury taxpayers will not pay lower county taxes if we don’t seek the money. I believe the current Township Committee, with Ms. Stave in the lead, has been the most successful in our history in obtaining these county funds.
   The Township Committee and the Planning Board have done an outstanding job over the past decades preserving Cranbury’s farmland, protecting the historic village, preserving open space and our stream corridors, and complying with our Mt. Laurel obligations (with fantastic assistance from Cranbury Housing Associates). The Township Committee has accomplished all of this while keeping our taxes stable. I urge you to vote for Pari and Tom because they have both a proven track record and commitment to continue these efforts. But whether you agree with me or not, please vote Nov. 7 at Town Hall.
Tom Weidner
Cranbury
Mr. Weidner is a former Cranbury Township Committeeman and mayor.
Vote Stasi

and Smithers
To the editor:
   
We are facing a turbulent period in Cranbury and it matters who is elected to the Cranbury Township Committee. Diane Stasi and Rob Smithers will pay attention to details and help make Cranbury government more responsive to the residents and They will improve the current adversarial climate between the township and residents.
   The taxes paid by township residents will undergo a major adjustment when the results of the reassessment are made known after the election. I am concerned the present committee will use the occasion to increase township spending while blaming the increased taxes on the reassessment. While they have said the assessment will be revenue neutral the only way to make that happen is to prevent increased costs.
   Ms. Stasi and Mr. Smithers are dedicated to controlling both the direct cost of government and the indirect costs imposed on residents by township actions.
   Join me in voting for Ms. Stasi and Mr. Smithers.
Jack A Frohbieter
Cranbury