To the editor:
I have always believed our town spent too much but it didn’t do enough to help mitigate the flooding problem that has plagued it for decades. I decided to get involved and help do something about it. Here are some of my recent accomplishments:
From day one, I refused free health care insurance and the 50 percent benefit credit for serving on council to save all taxpayers thousands of dollars and, more importantly, to set an example that others can follow. We had council members compensated as much as $16,000 a year, a very nice salary for a parttime position which requires attendance at two meetings a month and an occasional committee meeting.
I really had no plans on taking a council salary either but later changed my mind. Giving my council salary back to the community in the form of high school scholarships or other charitable contributions is an honor and privilege I cherish. I didn’t get involved for the taxpayer money paid for serving on this governing body. I got involved to help change things for a better future and give back to the community.
Within months of taking the council oath in 2010, I made a trip to Washington, D.C., on everyone’s behalf with a message of urgency concerning our flooding issue. Well before Hurricane Irene devastated our borough, our senators and congressman got the hand-delivered message that our flooding problems were getting much worse.
I held local flood committee meetings in town that resulted in having a full-fledged multi-town flood commission in place today. The flood commission is better late than never and so much more important than our new “Shade Tree Commission” our mayor instituted this year.
However, our elected officials in Washington have let us down by providing limited funding to help fix our problem. I will continue to fight to have Manville’s flood levees be constructed on our side of the rivers that border our town with a sense of urgency. I will also continue to fight for more money for future buyouts or elevations. Manville residents deserve better!
With our country’s continued economic crisis, I believe our property taxes must be stabilized or lowered as Manville’s home values continue to fall and homes are abandoned and knocked down. Where is all this future money going to come from? In addition our town is over $10 million in bonding debt even after receiving $5 million from the sale of our water company assets.
It is no longer the economic boom of the early 1990s. Yet some continue to feel its ok to continue “business as usual” in Manville. Providing borough vehicles so employees can commute to and from work on the taxpayer dime no matter how high the cost of gasoline or some feeling entitled to free health insurance for life no matter how high premiums increase each year are just two examples of where savings can be achieved in our town’s budget.
It is way too easy to just raise property taxes when no tough decisions are ever made. That is exactly why I will never vote for a tax increase when waste is present and more “belt tightening” is required.
If you are truly unhappy with the outcome of the last mayoral race and don’t want business as usual in Manville, your choice is very clear this election. Our opponents will continue down the wrong road, “rubber stamping” the mayor’s every wish. This town simply can no longer afford it.
Council candidate Susan Horensky-Star and I will work with this council to curtail spending and fix bad policy decisions of the past that no longer make sense in our current economy. With our election, we will have the necessary four votes to work for your best interests. You can count on us to do what’s right for the taxpayers of Manville at large, not the select few employees who benefit by bad policies and higher tax bills.
Sue Star is the current president of the Board of Health. She will continue the fight to have the Main Street of town and the Lost Valley mold-infested and abandoned homes cleaned up. I look forward to working with her on these challenges.
Change will come to Manville this November only with your support. A strong council is what this town needs today. Sue Star and I love our community. We both want to retire here and help work towards a better future.
I look forward to re-election and the challenges Manville faces in the years ahead with flood prevention and stabilizing taxes at the very top of our list. We have the council experience to get things done and more importantly the common sense to vote in your best interests. Only then can Manville’s comeback begin.
Richard Onderko
Manville

