Week of March 23
Tolkien gesture fits two towns
To the editor:
When I read your articles and editorials about Hightstown and Mayor Bob Patten I am reminded of Tolkien’s 3 books called "Lord of the Rings" and the movie trilogy of the same name. The story is about hobbits, elves, dwarves, wizards and orcs and centers on the ring of power. There is a great similarity between the story and our real world. For example these creatures are also the inhabitants of Middle East Windsor or Middle Earth, also known as Hightstown. Of course Hightstown with its hobbits and other residents would be known as Hobbitstown in the Shire.
For Hobbitstown the ring of power is the surrounding ring called East Windsor or the realm of Mordor. Of all the rings, the ring of East Windsor or Mordor is the most powerful. Our mayor of Hobbitstown considers the Mayor of Mordor to be the Dark Lord Sauron. And the mayor of Mordor considers our Mayor Bob Patten a reincarnation of Gollum. So, for you that have read "Lord of the Rings" you can draw the many parallels of the story characters and their living counterparts in this Middle East Windsor or better known as the center of ignorance. For those who haven’t, Wikipedia.org gives an excellent overview.
I like to think of myself as Gandalf, and Larry Quattrone and Walter Sikorski as Frodo Baggins and Samwise "Sam" Gamgee. I leave the rest of the characters to the vivid imagination of the inhabitants of Middle East Windsor.
Why not fictionalize this community when from an outside view, the community of Hightstown/East Windsor could only be fictional? Where else would two communities that are geographically inseparable try to become separate in every way, yet be totally dependent in reality?
The regional school system accounts for 60 percent of our taxes. But when it comes to sharing of services that would be economical to both municipalities, the answer is no. No effort to consolidate police is now being made. We set up an agreement with Washington Township for EMS services at a cost that is more than what East Windsor pays MONOC. We maintain a town of 5,300 residents surrounded by 27,000 residents where Hightstown’s per-capita cost for government is 1.6 times East Windsor’s costs.
Our story does center on the ring of power. Gollum and Sauron are the players as the two mayors that are only interested in their own power. It takes two sides to negotiate and neither side appears to want to do so. Government in this center of ignorance has become only for the governing not for the governed. Congratulations to our Mayor’s Gollum and Sauron.
Eugene E. Sarafin
Hightstown
Board offers fire-safety tips
To the editor:
Fires this winter have been devastating and frequent. Recent fires in the news show tragic scenes of personal loss and homelessness. Since the start of this year, there have been 35 large, tragic, U.S.-based fires involving multiple deaths and injuries, with fatalities on the rise. A total of 134 people, 80 of them children, died from those 35 fires.
The increase in residential fires every winter can be attributed directly to the increased use of space heaters, fireplaces and candles. Prevent fires by leaving 3 feet of clear space around space heaters at all times. Do not leave them unattended. Do not leave open flames unattended, such as gas stoves and candles, and keep them free from debris. Replace batteries in smoke detectors and make sure they are working properly.
As soon as you come in contact with a fire, immediately call your local fire department. Do not, under any circumstance, attempt to put the fire out on your own.
Homeowners and building owners rarely believe that a fire will happen to them and do not take time to prepare or consider fire safety. Fire rates in New Jersey and across the country are rising steadily, making fire a very real and present issue in all our lives. We as a society need to be more diligent and act now to protect ourselves from fire, using fire prevention methods and technologies that are easily available, before a fire occurs and before lives are lost.
Vincent Fichera
executive director
New Jersey Fire Sprinkler
Advisory Board

