By: centraljersey.com
On Feb. 10, Democrat Freeholder James Polos, when speaking about the Sheriff’s Department, stated that "numerous specialty services are not being provided to the municipalities" and "the department needs new leadership."
Truer words were never spoken!
Since all political parties involved agree that there must be a change in the Sheriff’s Department, the question arises as to how to best implement this change.
The Democrats solution is to offer Mildred Scott as their agent of change. Ms. Scott, who is a retired sheriff’s officer, learned her trade under current Sheriff Joseph Spicuzzo. The defining issue becomes how can a former sheriff’s officer, who retired 15 years ago and learned her trade in what Polos described as a dysfunctional department, have the management skills to be effective in today’s law enforcement environment.
Ms. Scott, based upon current pronouncements, seems content to perpetuate the policies of Sheriff Spicuzzo. She is going to do this because her experience is based upon serving under Sheriff Spicuzzo and having Sheriff Spicuzzo as her mentor. Dysfunctionality is all that she knows.
The Democrats have offered a candidate with no qualifications to be a county sheriff in New Jersey in 2010. Ms. Scott may have the qualifications to have been the Sheriff in 1910, but definitely not in 2010.
Conversely, the Republicans have offered a candidate that has an impeccable 27-year career in the NJ State Police, a member of the state police superintendent’s cabinet and a graduate of the FBI academy.
Keith Hackett brings the professional qualifications that the Sheriff’s department desperately needs. Keith Hackett has the qualifications for Middlesex County Sheriff that James Polos was speaking about in February. Mr. Hackett will bring to the office of the Middlesex County sheriff something that has been sorely lacking for the past 30 years – a trained, experienced, law-enforcement professional.
Thomas Nothstein Monroe
Greenstein and COAH
To the editor:
When Cranbury residents voiced their concerns over the current affordable housing policies of COAH, Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein was no where to be found.
Cranbury should have been looked upon as a poster child for all of its past work in building and integrating affordable housing within its community. Instead we were demonized by the press and outside activists for voicing our concerns over a failed and unrealistic policy. Ms. Greenstein’s silence in this matter was deafening and quite noticeable.
For Cranbury, the state unfunded mandate from COAH continues to be the largest open financial issue facing its residents. With each new round came new changes, each of which was different and more onerous than the last. At this point COAH has changed horses in the middle of the stream so many times that they don’t know what horse they’re on nor what stream their in.
Because of the constant changes and escalating costs for projects the current program should be halted until the state figures out where the funding will come from to support it. That’s what Tom Goodwin is proposing to do and not Linda Greenstein.
Mr. Goodwin’s plan is simple; put the control of affordable housing back in the hands of the local communities where it belongs with the state being an equal partner in the process. Ms. Greenstein’s plan is simple, too; status quo with Trenton telling our community what to do.
For the citizens of Cranbury, the status quo equates to a huge increase in the size of our town along with tens of millions of new tax dollars.
In conclusion the way COAH is currently set up is broken and needs to be fixed. Tom Goodwin has publicly said that he is willing to do that, Linda Greenstein has not. Remember this as you enter the voting booth on Election Day.
Wayne Wittman Cranbury
Vote ‘yes’ on trash question
To the editor;
On Nov. 2, there will be a local proposition on the general election ballot. The proposition will ask whether the residents of Cranbury are in favor of the Township Committee exploring whether it should negotiate a garbage hauling contract with one company on behalf of the entire town.
Tonight I attended a presentation by Township Committeeman David Cook of the preliminary findings of the garbage subcommittee, and based on what I heard I urge everyone to vote yes.
There are several advantages to having the township negotiate a contract on behalf of the entire town.
Because Cranbury is served by three garbage haulers, each of which has a different collection schedule, we have garbage trucks on our streets five days per week. A contract with one hauler could reduce this traffic dramatically.
We can stipulate in the contract that collection is to be done by propane-fueled trucks, which run cleaner and are quieter than traditional garbage trucks. We can include in the contract curbside pickup four times per year for large items, and save the $25,000 the Township now spends on the two "Dump Days" it holds each year.
Based on the experiences of other towns that have contracted with one hauler, it is estimated that the cost per household would be around $270 per year.
Remember that a "yes" vote simply authorizes the township to solicit bids from the haulers. There will be a second referendum in the fall of 2011 in which a specific contract will be placed before the voters for their approval.
Glenn Johnson Cranbury
Glenn Johnson is the Democratic candidate for Cranbury Township Committee.
Infrastructure needs new plan
To the editor:
I recently read the editorial "America’s economic ‘backbone’ is crumbling," posted Oct. 6. As the chair of the 2007 New Jersey Infrastructure Report Card Committee, I want to thank you for raising awareness of the imminent crisis of infrastructure decay.
Recent news events tell the story. Modern ships cannot enter NY/NJ ports because the Bayonne Bridge is too low to allow ships to cross safely. Crowded NJ Transit trains struggle to keep up with demand. Traffic jams on highways and interstates are increasing. Posted bridges force truckers to detour their routes through local roads. Posted bridges can also affect school bus and emergency vehicle routes. The list goes on and on.
New Jersey is in a precarious position, with many of the funding sources simply drying up. The Transportation Trust Fund is broke, the Environmental Infrastructure Trust Fund lacks the staffing and funds to secure financing for all eligible water/sewer projects, and the AmericanRecovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has been sufficient to fund only a small fraction of the overall infrastructure need.
New Jersey needs a new plan.
Andres M. Roda, P.E. Director, NJ Section American Society of Civil Engineers

