MANVILLE: Democratic councilman responds to GOP letters

To the editor:
   After reading letters to the editor over the last few weeks, I felt compelled to write this response.
   First, in response to Joseph Lukac, I would like to know if Mr. Lukac was even at the last council meeting. The facts he stated in his letter are so farfetched it leads me to believe he was not paying attention or he is just trying to mislead you.
   After listening to the public, and going into closed session, the mayor and council returned and the mayor pulled the resolution to hire a new police officer and ordered it back to committee for review and comment. Mr. (Councilman Richard) Onderko’s motion was not ignored, and the matter was never moved upon.
   I guess with the start of campaign we can expect to read the usual half-truths and outright lies from Mr. Lukac and other members of the Republican Party. However, I will not sit back and let them continue to deceive the residents.
   Secondly, in response to Councilman Onderko’s letter, he keeps mentioning how our mayor appealed his taxes. I guess his philosophy is “do what I say not as I do” since Mr. Onderko has appealed his taxes not once to bring his home to a value in line with the times we are experiencing, but now a second time to have the taxpayers carry the load of his tax appeals.
   For 2014 we have received 280 tax appeals from property owners. Sure, we will have to make up the loss of income. Tax appeals will stop when property values start increasing. How do Councilman Onderko and Szabo expect the values to increase when all they speak about are negative issues with a doom-and-gloom attitude?
   He also talks about nothing being done to lower taxes in Manville. Again, his memory is short. We have had two of the lowest tax increases in our history for the last two years, under the leadership of Mark Gregor and the Democratic majority on council.
   When asked what programs he would cut to lower the budget, his response was that he will write a letter to the editor. Councilman Onderko has been on council long enough to know that the Manville News cannot vote on the municipal budget. Then again, there were no recommendations in the Manville News or in his letter, rather, just some criticism of what is in the budget.
   Think back to the four years the Republicans had control of the mayor and council seats. Residents were faced with one of the largest tax increase in Manville’s history. The town was going nowhere, and the resurgence Manville felt over the prior years was turned back because of the lack of movement by some members of the Borough Council.
   We were sent so far backwards because of this lack of movement by Mr. Onderko and his followers that we are just starting to see the turnaround on the road to recovery and prosperity.
   If the Republicans do get the majority as Mr. Onderko states, can you imagine the “no” votes promised by Councilmen Szabo in his interview for running for Council? Our police will be downsized. Public Works will have to privatize garbage (collection), and this community will become a haven for undesirables.
   We are talking about the Republican members automatically voting “no” to progress, to development and to recovery. If anyone cares to check the records, the Republican members, including Mr. Szabo, have not come up with one viable idea or solution during their entire time on council. I believe it’s time for the voters to say no to Mr. Szabo and no to a Republican majority on the Borough Council.
   I am proud to say that I am running for re-election along with Harry Bugal. We are a Democratic team that is not afraid of hard work. We will do whatever it takes to get the job done, and done well. We will not be puppets, and will vote for the people, not for our own special agenda.
   The voters deserve the truth, and I will be first in line to bring it to them. To verify the facts of this letter feel free to stop by Borough Hall and review the CD from the council meeting of March 24 and previous meetings to see who is fabricating the truth in an attempt to win an election.
Ed Komoroski
Borough Councilman
Manville 