Resident questions freeholder ethics

Jim Specca, Springfield Township
To the editor:
This letter is written in response to comments made by Freeholder William Haines in recent Burlington County Republican election circulars.
    These articles talked about “targeting” the Romeo Specca Estate in Springfield Township and their strong stand on ethics. Freeholder Haines must be referring to unethical conduct and the abuse of power and publicly funded programs when he mentions “targeting.” I challenge the freeholders to answer the following questions.
    * How can a land use attorney who has a client interest in the purchase of the Romeo Specca Estate debate for and ultimately vote in favor of the very controversial 10-acre downzoning plan that would benefit his client?
    * Why would the same councilman abstain from debating or voting on the “reworked” 10-acre zoning ordinances a month later?
    * How does a fraudulent Farmland Preservation application for our property get accepted by the Burlington County Board of Agriculture without the approval of our estate?
    * Why was the Springfield Township Council allowed to adopt a third 10-acre downzoning ordinance after their first two attempts were overturned by the Burlington County Superior Court?
    * Why wasn’t the Township Council held accountable for using “illegal subcommittees,” not providing “official minutes of meetings,” going “above and beyond their legal powers,” and not “protecting land values as required by New Jersey Land Use Laws”?
    * Why is a developer paid $15,000 an acre in Springfield while long time landowners are only offered $1,800 an acre for comparable ground? Could it be because that same developer held a lawsuit against several Springfield Township officials for unethical conduct?
    * Are the Republicans in Burlington County and Springfield Township using tax dollars intended for farmland preservation as a slush fund to protect unethical politicians?
    * Why did the freeholders allow County Clerk Phil Haines to separate the Springfield Township New Republicans into two different columns in the 2006 Republican Primary elections?
    * Why was Acting County Clerk Wade Hale able to place the Springfield Township New Republicans in the far right column in the 2008 Republican Primary elections, while placing himself in column 1 in the same township election?
    * Should county officials be allowed to use arbitrary ballot setup guidelines to influence the outcome of an election?
    When elected, you took an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States, which guarantees every American certain rights.
    How can the Burlington County Freeholders lie about ethics when they continue to look the other way?
    The Republican Party in Burlington County no longer has a single ethical leader, only a hierarchy of pawns playing good old boy politics.
    I challenge the freeholders to open an investigation into the events surrounding the 10-acre downzoning in Springfield Township, the political and legal connections between our estate and local politicians, and the election misconduct in the County Clerk’s Office. Springfield Township landowners are opposed to disrespectful treatment, not preservation. It is time to stop sticking it to the American farmers and start putting it to unethical politicians.