Tom Molnar of West Amwell
I am responding to some of the letters written in support of my opponent last week.
Although I disagree with most of them, that does not necessarily mean we can’t work together should I be elected.
To Carol Cavenaugh — My appointment to the Planning Board was made before I announced my opposition to Ron.
I’m sure he regrets his “mistake,” and since it was only as an alternate member term that expires this year, I fully expect to be gone next year.
Every other person on the board who expressed opposition to Ron’s agenda certainly is. He has certainly not been a “unifying force,” but one of the most divisive in the township.
I total disagree Ron has worked to keep our taxes low. The municipal tax rate has gone up substantially every year he has been in office, and this year alone it increased 60 percent, even after recovery of the state funding, unexpected extraordinary aid and a large road improvement grant.
Ron has not made any real effort to improve our revenue or trim our expenses.
The shared court is a mess, the proposed shared police force a disaster in the making and the failed landowner negotiations are examples.
The revised recycling plan may have some benefit, but the fiscal savings are fairly small at best.
Going to the state hat in hand is not good enough for me. Taking for credit for the work of many in recovering the funding this year is wrong.
To Joanne Speranza — Your statement that “farmland preservation is in full swing,” neglects to mention that the program was halted for over two years by Ron while he pursued his stated number one priority when he took office in 2006 — that being the buyout of the Fulper GDP surrounding your home.
In this he has failed. We are now headed to court with all of the risks to us that entails.
After abandoning that goal, Ron resumed the program as laid out by the original Open Space Committee, but the state funding has now dried up.
We can’t get those two years back, and I fear that we are now in the process of using our remaining open space funds to bail out Toll Brothers.
Although this deal might be good for the township, I have questions. Does anyone really believe that Toll would be cutting a deal with us if they had any option?
Who is going to buy this rundown farmland from us in this market? Do we really want to be in the business of buying and reselling land right now?
Will we have sufficient funding to pursue other projects?
Unfortunately, this is another example of the lack of public involvement in important decisions. The entire negotiation process with Toll has been in closed session, and now on the eve of the election, a deal is announced.
There should be a full public hearing before the township commits to this deal.
To Dave Beaumont — I would like to commend you for all your work in keeping the West Amwell Web site up and running.
However, I must remind you that the Township Committee approves everything that is on the Web site. If there is anything controversial or anything that does not make the committee look good, it won’t be on the Web site.
Also, the real problem lies with the hundreds of meetings Ron held that were closed to the public. These sessions are not recorded, and the minutes are scrubbed to the point of being useless even when they are made available to the public, usually years later.
To Pat Masterson — I really think you should identify yourself as the treasurer of Ron’s campaign, which you are according to the ELEC filings, as well as the head of the West Amwell Democratic Party.
Do you really think that I have changed my position on over-development? My record here is clear, as you say yourself.
The “pro-development people” you allude to are nothing of the sort either, and I think you know it. They include the former mayor who founded the open space program, the former mayor who encouraged many long-term township landowners to enroll their lands in preservation and the guy who built the program into one of the best in the state.
To characterize these people as pro-development is simply ludicrous. Ron has been fear mongering about this for years, and it has to stop.
I am really looking forward to serving the residents of West Amwell as their committeeman again. We have a lot of challenges to face, but with the hard work and the support of the many talented people here, I am fully confident we are up to it.
That’s the real message I am trying to send. If any resident has questions or concerns, I would welcome the opportunity to hear from you.
I can be reached at 397-6203 during evening hours or you can e-mail me anytime at [email protected].
Tom Molnar
West Amwell

