Letters (08.23.07)

Resident on council elections: dispense fears of rocking the boat
To the Editor:
   
As a former candidate for Township Council in 2003, I am amazed at how this year’s elections seem so silent on any major issues. Is it possible that attempts to remain non-confrontational are overshadowing the need to at least be observational?
   I recall observing public concerns early in our 2003 campaign that focused attention on issues in need of resolution; i.e. the inadequate recreational playground on Ohio Avenue, deplorable condition of the EMT Rescue Squad facility, the need to expand the Main Street Commercial Zone and mobilize the Route 1 Redevelopment efforts. Looking back at my own candidacy for public office, it was enjoyable to watch some of these issues be addressed so quickly, and how by just bringing them to the public’s attention we all made great progress for the community’s benefit.
   As cited in last week’s Lawrence Ledger article ("GOP calls for clean council campaigning"), the benefits of a campaign where concerned and dedicated citizens like Mary Tanner and Doris Weisberg called both parties to task was laudable then, and seems conspicuously absent in this year’s election campaigns.
   With the commitment and progress Lawrence citizens have made toward getting our schools back in shape, both physically and academically, recent headlines of social problems suggest a renewed focus on "civic responsibility" should not go unexplored. Perhaps we’d all like to hear from the candidates of both parties in a reflective manner with creative ideas on this, other headlines and obvious issues of the day.
   I’m reminded of an old adage: "a calm sea does not a seasoned sailor make." Well, times are rough, we have seasoned incumbents and candidates, so let’s hear their views on calming troubled waters, and dispense with any fears of rocking the boat a little. If all candidates have the publics’ best interests in mind, views and opinions won’t be taken personally, and just maybe, it won’t be politics as usual.
Victor Murray
Melvina Drive
Councilman to councilman: three strikes means you’re out
To the Editor:
   
Last week, Councilman Michael Powers is quoted as saying, "It goes without saying that there would be no mudslinging" in Lawrence Township political campaigns. While that sounds nice, it’s far from the truth. I’m happy to help Mike refresh his memory of his unsuccessful 2001 campaign to unseat me.
   During that race, Mr. Powers and his campaign knowingly distributed three fliers that distorted my council record.
   The first campaign piece told voters that a community meeting, hosted by Councilman Mark Holmes (who at the time was running as a Republican for council, he is now listed as a Democrat) and me violated the Open Public Meetings Act, or Sunshine Law. The truth is that I didn’t violate any law, but rather brought a community together to discuss the redevelopment of their neighborhood. Then-township Attorney Joseph Stonaker agreed that the meeting "amounted to an informal discussion" (Lawrence Ledger, Aug. 23, 2001). – Strike 1.
   The second distortion appeared on a flier that was distributed at that same meeting. It claimed that I hadn’t supported the preservation of Drexel Woods as open space. The record clearly shows that I voted for preserving Drexel Woods as open space (Lawrence Ledger, Oct. 11, 2001) – Strike 2.
   Mr. Powers’ third distortion claimed that only the Democrats worked to save the Brearley House. This distortion was corrected in the Lawrence Ledger on Sept. 13, 2001. In truth, not only had I supported the grant application to restore the Brearley House, but I was also part of a committee which during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s attracted money and interest to restore the historic house. And as mayor, I encouraged the Lawrence Township Historical Society to raise private money to help the town defer costs of purchasing this historic treasure. – Strike 3.
   Mr. Powers acknowledged that he distorted my council record and blamed the inaccuracies on a "rush" to get fliers out to voters. He told the Lawrence Ledger on Oct. 11, 2001, that someone else prepared the flier. "He said he did not see the flier before it was printed and distributed." This is no excuse.
   To claim that a clean election pledge is not necessary is to ignore the facts of previous elections. History has shown that some campaigns knowingly twist the facts and even flatly lie in an attempt to gain an advantage.
   It may be nice to believe that Lawrence Township is an honest little hamlet where everyone plays by the rules, but we have learned that just because someone says something, it doesn’t make it true.
   Mr. Powers suggests that we judge him by his prior campaigns. I agree. That’s why it’s clear that Lawrence Township needs the clean election pledge proposed by Bob Bostock, Falk Engel and Marie Tagliaferri, the Republicans running for council this year. It’s also clear that Councilman Powers needs to be the first one to sign it.
   In baseball, three strikes means you’re out. Voters should take their lead from America’s favorite past time and vote Mr. Powers out of town hall.
Rick Miller
Lawrence Township Councilman
Carter Road
Resident questions why campaign agreement would be considered contentious issue
To the Editor:
   
Bob Bostock wants the Democratic council candidates to join him and his running mates in signing a clean campaign agreement. Why would anyone have a problem with that?
   It was not that long ago that Bob Bostock, as a concerned citizen, questioned a potential conflict of interest when Pam Mount tried to persuade the Mercer County freeholders to throw the owners of Little Acres Farm stand off land their family had farmed for nearly 100 years, knowing she is the owner of a competing farm stand only about a mile away.
   At the time, Bob Bostock was not a candidate for public office, he was a citizen asking what any fair-minded person would see as a legitimate question about an important issue confronting our community.
   By way of response, in a letter appearing in this paper on Oct. 6, 2005, the vice chair of the Mercer County Democratic Organization, Trenton resident Marge Caldwell-Wilson, unleashed a bombastic personal attack on Mr. Bostock, calling him, among other things, a "political operative" who was practicing "below-the-belt, beltway politics."
   And yet, interestingly, Ms. Caldwell-Wilson never addressed the issue about the possible conflict of interest. In the end, Ms. Mount announced that she wouldn’t participate in the matter because of the appearance of a conflict of interest and the freeholders backed-off the idea of turning this farmland into recreation fields because it became such a political hot potato.
   Ms. Mount’s statement that, "We have never done a negative campaign" may be technically true, since the attacks by her political ally on Mr. Bostock didn’t occur during her campaign. But this recent history raises a question: If she would sanction personal attacks on a private citizen when she isn’t even running, what tactics might we expect her to permit when she is on the ballot?
   I want ethics and accountability in Lawrence government. I want Bob Bostock on the Council.
Pepper Evans
Slack Avenue
Read with your children and watch scores increase
To the Editor:
   
Parents can help raise reading scores so that our schools don’t fall short on test reports by simply making sure their children are reading every day.
   Support your community to increase school reading scores by trying some of these suggestions with your own children, or cutting out the suggestions and passing them along to someone with a child. Providing reading time and having books available are keys to a child’s reading success.
   Parents can support a child by providing opportunities to read alone and with others. Reading at home should be a positive experience for both the adult and child. One of the most challenging aspects of reading at home is choosing books that appropriately support a child as they move toward being an independent reader, allowing them to gain confidence as a reader and encounter more difficult texts.
   Help your child choose appropriate books, not too hard, not too easy, but just right. Read with your child by taking turns reading aloud — even with older children. Talk to your child about the books they are reading. Students should read daily at home, at least 20 minutes for elementary aged children and 40 minutes for middle school students and above. Talking about books and reading is an important part of any child’s learning. These conversations enable children to become lifelong readers and build our reading community.
   Try some of these conversation starters next time you read with your child.
   Why did you choose this book? What do you think will happen next? What part of the text makes you think that? Does this book remind you of anything that has ever happened to you? What have you been wondering as you read this? Does this book make you think of anything else you have read? Were there any words or phrases in your reading that you really liked? Which ones? What has been your favorite part of the book so far? Why? Would you like to read another book by the same author? Why or why not? Was there a part of the book that surprised you? Why? Can you think of someone else you know who would like this book?
   Do this daily, and watch our reading scores increase.
Kari McGann
Lannigan Drive