To the editor:
Now that the Racing Commission has approved the off-track wagering facility for Hillsborough, the question of what members of our Township Committee might have done to insure Hillsborough residents were fully informed before the public hearing on it is even more relevant.
A recent letter by former Deputy Mayor Sonya Martin fully and factually detailed that an Open Public Records Acts request for the OTW application was not filed before the hearing.
A letter to the editor submitted by a township official in response to Ms. Martin’s indicated that there were phone calls and written letters requesting the application but did not dispute the fact that an OPRA request was not filed before the hearing. Such phone calls and letters lacked the standing of filing an official OPRA request. Such an official filing could have resulted in the release of the application or at minimum an official denial of its release. That denial could have subsequently formed the basis for an official challenge.
What is obvious from the letter is the Township Committee did not deem it important enough to pursue every possible option for obtaining the application before the hearing. Also, as it turned out, there was very pertinent information in the application that the public should have known before the hearing. With the application in hand, the public would then have had the opportunity to ask more informed questions at the hearing. Who knows if the final approval outcome would have been different?
The letter went on to comment on totally immaterial topics with the sole purpose of deflection from the failure to obtain the application. This obvious effort to distract the public was not on point or related to the issue at hand.
The letter made reference to the Democratic-controlled legislature passing the enabling legislation removing home rule in the establishment of OTW locations. But it failed to mention that support for this legislation was bipartisan, that the vote passing the legislation was almost unanimous with two of our 16th District Republican legislators casting yes votes. The third was not able to vote.
The letter digressed further to talking about matters 10 plus years ago, making unsupported and vague comments regarding unnecessary spending and frivolous lawsuits.
However, it failed to bring up that Hillsborough Democrats obtained state Preservation Incentive Grants and approved the initial open space program resulting in thousand of acres being preserved. Democrats also obtained a state grant to expand our wonderful library and the municipal offices. Democrats carefully and thoughtfully invested to meet the needs of our growing community.
The letter mentioned “frivolous” lawsuits, but cited none. However it should be recalled that it was under Republican leadership Hillsborough was forced to defend its planning and zoning decisions and loss of its COAH certification, costing taxpayers many thousands of dollars in legal fees, undermining their claims of fiscal responsibility.
Bottom line, there were no factual inaccuracies in Ms. Martin’s letter, the Township Committee did not do enough to obtain the application before the public OTW hearing and without any doubt, Democrats have served Hillsborough community very well over the years.
Michael D. Goldberg
Hillsborough
