MANVILLE: Manville bond ordinance not necessary

He wants control over budget and finance committee

To the editor:
   I hope I have the opportunity in the near future to be the finance chair of Manville’s municipal budget committee on Borough Council. Manville Democrats have lied and accused me of being in that position, which I never held. I voted against the budget three years in a row since no cuts were ever made to it.
   With more than 30 years of real world finance experience and a master’s degree in business administration, they fear my leadership and my attempt to balance the municipal budget without a tax increase. And don’t let anyone tell you it cannot be done. I really want the job so I can save the money of Manville taxpayers.
   For one, Manville as a flood-affected town has never applied for any extra-ordinary state aid under Governor Christie’s program to help offset the flood expenses that are passed on to all residents. Nor have any changes to borough policies been put in place to save budget dollars. The two are most likely linked; you can’t get aid without making common-sense changes to policies. It’s simply business as usual in town and it needs to stop.
   Recently maximum salary levels by job classification were raised that make it clear it’s much better to work in the public sector of a two-square-mile flood town than in private industry. In addition, a $1.3 million bond offering by Mayor Corradino will push the borough further into debt, which will hurt our tax bills down the road.
   Everyone seems to want lower taxes these days. The best way to achieve this is to curtail spending and fix bad policies, which are long overdue.
   Your choices for two council seats this November will dictate either keeping Manville on “auto-pilot” (i.e., higher taxes with fewer services) or mandate a change in fiscal direction. I hope you will vote for a mandate to change fiscal direction and support the Asher/Onderko ticket — “leadership you can trust.” Help us make Manville affordable. Please don’t believe the Democratic lies spread as to what we really are all about.
   We stand with Governor Christie who also wants lower property taxes in New Jersey. Our council opponents will continue to vote to raise your taxes as they have done in the recent past. They sadly justify it as “only another 10 dollars a month.” Please remember come this November. It is your $10 and we want you to keep more of your hard-earned money.
Richard M. Onderko
Manville