Taxpayers are taking a hit for all this political bickering

Ihave not been a fan of Manalapan’s dysfunctional government for some time, but now it has sunk to new depths that are making me poorer and angrier.

When the level of political discourse in town is determined by two mercenaries with egos the size of Wyoming, whose sole purpose is to climb over as many warm bodies as necessary to reach higher levels of power, it is time to tell our officials to focus on the work they were elected to do with some dignity and professional responsibility.

I have said repeatedly that Manalapan has many full-time professionals and volunteers who devote countless hours of effort to maintain our status as a “Great Place to Live.” It is deplorable that a few predators have overshadowed much of their earned goodwill.

Apparently, the judge did not shove a gag order far enough down the throats of Drew Shapiro and Stuart Moskovitz to keep either of them quiet. Now, escalating lawsuits will waste more taxpayers’ money with no end in site and no hope of recovering the funds.

Here is some information that may be useful in explaining the mind-set of our fearless leaders.

If all politics is local, then everything that happens locally in Manalapan is political.

Most things political have, historically, been predetermined by the unelected leadership of the party clubs. By the time an issue reaches the public, it has been dissected and resolved by the members. While that is not wrong in itself, it becomes notable when the loyalty of elected officials leans more to internal partisan politics and personal vendettas than to the community, which is what we are experiencing now.

Understanding Manalapan politics is easy. All you have to know is how to count to four. It takes three votes to pass a law. That is important. Four votes pass a bond issue. That is major. What you are watching is two political organizations maneuvering to acquire the four votes necessary to distribute patronage dollars, positions and contracts to their supporters. Again, this is not illegal. But when elected officials and the “wannabes” become as isolated from residents as our current crop, the results are irresponsibly expensive. Witness our rising taxes.

Partisan politics in Manalapan is so venomous that I have seen the one independent on the board continuously complain that no one tells him when meetings are being held. Hopefully, the clubs can cooperate enough to take turns calling.

Recap – Shapiro: Democratic candidate, an ex-mayor who used to be a Republican, is attacking Moskovitz: Republican politician, an ex-mayor who used to be a Democrat, for improper billing and incompetence involving contracts to purchase parkland for the town. Lawsuits are flying in all directions.

In this epic battle between Voldemort and Darth Vader, the committee will strike back by hiring an outside attorney, other than the current township attorney who is on retainer and the elected attorney on the committee, to sue Moskovitz, the old attorney, who had no problem suing the town while he was a sitting committeeman. Deep breath! There are no good guys or great philosophical principles involved. This is all about money, power and ego.

Why is this happening? Connect the dots between a lawsuit in which Moskovitz is representing Shapiro’s father in a private business dispute to the public, political jockeying for position between the Republican and Democratic organizations in the upcoming election campaign.

What does it mean to us? As a township without effective ethics laws, voided while Moskovitz was attorney and Shapiro was a committeeman, we are financing the personal feuds of local politicians with our tax dollars. I am sure that anyone trying to get from Point A to Point B on a weekend has quality suggestions on alternative uses for our dollars.

The issue at hand is serious. A safe, healthy, fully used park is essential to the quality of life for Manalapan families. Completely cleaning oil spill damage at the lowest possible cost is important. In the rush to sue, no one has shown how that will happen. How much will the cleanup cost? How much will we pay an attorney to sue? How much are we paying, in retainers, to a township attorney to not sue? What are the realistic odds of getting money from Moskovitz in any of our lifetimes? Why are the professionals not stepping up to resolve this problem?

Is it because cynical politicians are using this matter to advance their personal agendas? Unacceptable. Club leaders, in their never-ending quest to get something that sticks to the other guys, need to step out of their back rooms and get together quickly to remedy this problem. If that can be done, maybe there is hope for positive solutions to other development related issues.

What to do? With all of the growth in town, there must be new families with a sense of community spirit, looking forward to public service who can replace this group of underachievers. Please step up and take over.

David Finkelstein

Manalapan