Demand truth from your local officials

Joseph Lukac, Manville
To the editor:
I’m writing in response to a letter of April 17, written by Councilman Komoroski.
   The councilman accused me of half-truths and outright lies and of also trying to mislead the public in my personal opinion letter of April 10, even though in the beginning of his letter he stated that I had stated facts in my letter.
   First, I would like to emphasize that my letter was my personal opinion and not that of any political party or group whatsoever. If I were speaking on behalf of anyone, I would have signed my letter in that matter.
   Second, anyone who has read my opinions in the past should be well aware that I triple check the facts by attending meetings and listening to the recordings three times over.
   Now I would like to do my due diligence as a taxpaying citizen, and fact check some of the councilman’s statements.
   In his letter, he stated that under the current Democratic majority, taxes have been increased over the last two years. After checking the tax rates on the Somerset County website, I confirmed that the Democratic majority has indeed raised our taxes. I would guess the reasons for this are the out-of-control spending, hiring and borrowing money we don’t have (because bonding is a fancy word for borrowing money you don’t have). They have given my personal tax bill the two biggest increases I have ever had.
   He also stated that if Republicans win the majority in this year’s elections, our community will become a haven for undesirables. My personal knowledge on this subject, and from reading the police blotters and news stories, show that there is a very large presence of undesirables already operating in our town. I don’t think this should be used as a scare tactic for votes, when it is already here. It should be a call for the entire leadership in Manville to work together to ensure our residents have a safe place to live and raise their families.
   Finally, he stated he would vote for the people, calling Republicans puppets for voting for special agendas. I do attend council meetings, and I do pay attention, and what I’ve witnessed many times that the mayor has come to meetings and attempted to force issues that were not properly put on the agenda or properly been given to committee for proper discussion. Yet, with this great cloud of mystery around these issues, the Democrats vote to approve them without discussion.
   So this means one of only two possible explanations: You are being told how to vote on an issue, or you and your fellow Democrats already had discussed these issues without the entire governing body given notice or proper knowledge of it. In laymen’s terms, you did it secretly without properly sharing it with everyone. Neither is very good and borders serious ethics problems.
   I do hope this letter brings light on why residents should attend meetings as often as they can, ask hard questions and demand hard work and progress from their elected officials. Remember, we are all paying for this each and every year when we pay our taxes. Demand your money’s worth, and demand truth from elected officials, not runaround stories to keep you in the dark or false accusations against anyone who dares to bravely step up and ask for the truth.
Joseph Lukac
Manville