Time to heal
Lisa Hartmann, Bordentown City
Plato said, “The punishment which the wise suffer who refuse to take part in the government, is to live under the government of worse men. “
Recently, Bordentown City and Township leaders have been in the paper for less than flattering events. Recently there have been letters to editors regarding the controversial website that has been taken down for well over a month. Rather than people moving on and trying to heal and put the city first, people continue to bring up the website. I guess that is easier than addressing any real issues.
A school board member was voted in by a mere 40 votes on a write- in basis. The Business Administrator/Board Secretary, Peggy A. Ianoale, who managed to find the money for a 5 percent raise for herself in this economy, insulted all the school districts’ secretaries when asked a question about in-service days. The secretaries are the frontline for every school building and I would like to see the district run efficiently for one day without all of them.
Ms. Ianoale owes them an apology. Especially since the board meeting minutes that are to be posted to the website are consistently late under her tutelage. The school board quietly brought back sports to the middle school, while the playground at Clara Barton School sits in a shameful disrepair.
When I read the papers, attend the meetings, and talk to my neighbors, I can’t help but wonder where is the outrage? Where are the community members holding the elected officials accountable? People say they don’t have time, people say, they won’t make a difference, they are afraid of retaliation. Imagine if our forefathers said that? Bordentown would not have its place in history today.
Civil disobedience is what made this country what it is today. Questioning authority is more than a slogan on a T-shirt. It is something we must do to ensure the future of these great communities. To do that, we must show up at meetings and hold our leaders accountable. We must tell them the infighting among them has to stop so that we can heal and move forward as a community. This will not happen as long as the residents of both towns continue to be apathetic towards the government that runs their community.
If we gather as a community and hold the elected officials accountable we will have change, we may be able to preserve our property values; we will have safe streets for our kids to walk on, enhanced economic development in the area and a school district that will be one of the best in the state. It starts with a simple commitment to attend meetings that are open to the public.
Visit the school board and your local municipalities websites to find out the time and place.

