I’ve made some mistakes but none as big as the vote I cast for Robert Kleinberg in the last election. I met Kleinberg at a meeting at my neighbor’s house. We organized to combat the Elite Fitness application to build an enormous health club on Vanderburg Road. Kleinberg gave his views on how to defeat the application and so my first impression was positive.
Shortly after the defeat of the above application, I met with the Kleinberg team to offer support and volunteer my 10 years of experience in planning and zoning. I was told he was considering me for the Planning Board. After many discussions, nothing came of it. It wasn’t until months later after several Planning Board meetings that I began to realize Kleinberg’s intent was to appoint the most inexperienced individuals he could control.
Meeting after meeting, members sat quietly without questioning witnesses, repeatedly violating municipal land use laws. It appeared they had no opinions but relied on direction from board professionals who frequently seemed to be testifying on behalf of developers instead of representing our town. It became apparent the board professionals were manipulating applications and executing Kleinberg’s agenda instead of approaching applications objectively.
The most notorious is the Planning Board attorney, Dennis Collins, who was the attorney under former Mayor Matthew Scannapieco. Scannapieco was indicted for numerous offenses involving bribes and corruption. Collins was the attorney during the Scannapieco days of back room deals and dishonesty. So why did Kleinberg want this lawyer on his team while he was supposedly cleaning house of the Scannapieco regime?
Kleinberg exploits the inexperience of the board and allows Collins to run the show as he did during the Scannapieco years.
The mayor appoints all Planning Board members and is a voting member as well. Why then does this mayor rarely attend the meetings? When confronted by the press with these absences, Kleinberg says he does not feel the need to attend board meetings because he “trusts his appointees to do the right thing.”
Unfortunately his “trust” resulted in one of the worst Planning Board disasters in the last four years. Anybody familiar with land use understands the importance of deadlines. Kleinberg’s professionals missed a colossal one. This oversight led to an approval by default of 19 more houses. Who was the developer? No one should be surprised by the names Spalliero, Meiterman and Sherman. Kleinberg, as Marlboro’s self-appointed “anti-development crime-buster,” really botched this one … or did he?
The members of the Planning Board should be thanked for their service. It’s a sacrifice of time that I am well familiar with, yet I recognize that to be effective, we must raise the bar on quality. It is vital that we eliminate political ties with professionals who have little at stake in the future of Marlboro.
Kleinberg made this promise when he ran for office. Now in office, it seems to be a promise he’s unwilling to keep. Kleinberg’s integrity comes into question. My vote in November’s election will correct a past mistake.
Steve Pitchon Republican Party member
Marlboro