Candidate
lacks leadership
To the editor:
I find it troubling that Wayne DeAngelo, a candidate for state Assembly, commented to the South Brunswick Post that he does not think that indicted officials like Sharpe James and Wayne Bryant should step down from office.
Sharpe James was indicted on 20 counts of political corruption and stealing from taxpayers, and is still on the taxpayer payroll.
If you are running for state Assembly, I think you should take a leadership role and stand up for the taxpayers. I urge readers of the South Brunswick Post to take note of this lack of leadership and I hope that Wayne DeAngelo explains what he means when he said that Sharpe James and Wayne Bryant only made "mistakes."
Shirley Osipov
Monmouth Junction
Clean election
a real success
To the editor:
When you ask most voters if campaign contributions are a driving force in political corruption, the answer is yes. That’s why I am enthusiastic about taking part in the clean elections pilot program that focuses on greater voter participation to bring about public financing.
As the Democratic Party nominee for state Senate and first-time candidate, the clean elections program has afforded me with the amazing opportunity to directly reach out to my would-be constituents.
The mission of the clean elections is twofold: to replace special interests in elections with greater public interest, and to encourage non-traditional candidates to enter into the electoral process. The clean elections program has been a wonderful tool for me as I strive to be the first Asian-American woman in the Senate. From going door-to-door to house parties to reaching out to friends and neighbors, I have met with an extraordinary cross-section of voters that I might not have if I were forced to fundraise in the "traditional" way. The support from every corner of the district has been extremely encouraging.
Now that my running mates, Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein, Wayne DeAngelo and I have qualified under the clean elections program, we look forward to the coming months. Our campaign will highlight our years of public service and commitment to the 14th District and the state. We will communicate directly with voters and focus on meeting as many families as possible leading up to Election Day.
I encourage voters to take part in the clean elections program to send a strong voice to Trenton that they, not the special interests, control their choice for state legislators.
Seema Singh
Monmouth Junction
Ms. Singh is the Democratic candidate for state Senate from the 14th District.
Matrix plan
bad for region
To the editor:
We want to voice our strong opposition to Matrix’s proposal for the warehouse complexes on Rt. 130 and Friendship Road in South Brunswick. This will only add to an existing glut of vacant warehouses in the area. To see the complete Matrix Business Park at 8A go to www.matrixcompanies.com/matrixbusiness8a.html.
As concerned citizens, we fear the increase in traffic will result in back-ups and delays, producing more congestion and noise in the already crowded 8A corridor.
With more big rigs on the road traveling at 55 mph or more, accidents are inevitable. And, as the complex encroaches on the woods, deer will be driven out and onto the hoods of our cars.
Idling big rigs attempting to turn at inadequate intersections is a recipe for disaster. The increase in diesel fumes emitted from these trucks will affect not only the senior communities nearby, but also young families in adjoining developments as well. In fact, it affects everybody.
And speaking of air pollution, the average lifetime diesel soot cancer risk for a resident of Middlesex County is already one in 1,788. This risk is 559 times greater than EPA’s acceptable cancer level of one in a million according to CATF. Lung cancer is not far behind.
Part of the proposed complex infringes on designated wetlands. Drinking Brook and its unique flora and fauna, along with its tree frogs, will be destroyed. Furthermore, the presence of these large impervious surface will increase the potential for flooding in an already flood prone environment
We have a responsibility to future generations to protect and improve the environment, not to destroy it with superfluous structures. After all, do we really need an additional 1.5 million square feet of warehouse/light industrial space when we currently have 1.96 million square feet of vacant warehouses between the Turnpike at 8A and Routes 130, 522, and 32?
We urge the public to stand up and be heard on this issue at the Planning Board meeting scheduled for 7 p.m., Aug. 15, at the Municipal Building. For more information, or if you would like to become more involved contact Carol James at (732) 329-6642 or [email protected].
Judith Caccavale, Lynne Hyman, Elisabeth King, Elisabeth Nisbet, Carol James
Dayton
The writers are members of Friends of Southern Middlesex County.

