Peter Sandford, Hopewell Township
Taxes are way too high in Hopewell Township. We all feel it; we all dread seeing the latest property tax bill arrive each spring.
Together, we need to take more aggressive action to rein in out-of-control spending and reduce the burden of residential property taxes on families, empty-nesters and seniors, and our kids as they seek to move back to the Valley they know and love.
Changes are needed and they need to start at the top. Three years ago, Harvey Lester promised to lower taxes and said that his first order of business would be to review the budget. Three years later, spending is up over 22 percent during his tenure, and he just passed a 5.28 percent tax increase, busting New Jersey’s 2 percent cap and exceeding every other town in Mercer County by an average of four points. We can’t afford three more years of Lester’s leadership.
As the residents of Hopewell Township prepare to head to the polls they need to know that Mr. Lester has resisted taking any concrete steps that would reduce our debt, cut spending, or decrease the township’s reliance on residential property taxes. Two weeks ago in these letters, Committeeman Kevin Kuchinski outlined a three-part plan to reduce spending that makes sense and is supported by the other candidate running for Township Committee, Julie Blake: 1) reduce our net debt by selling off properties like Pennytown that we do not need to meet our Affordable Housing obligation; 2) leverage experts across the Valley and work across party lines to identify waste in our budget and challenge current assumptions on “fixed” spending and overheads; and 3) work to smartly share more services with other municipalities and schools, and re-look at fees for non-township residents.
Mr. Lester has not had one substantive discussion with the boroughs or schools all year on shared services, and he tried to mask his plus-9 percent spending increases by raiding our emergency fund. We can’t afford to continue kicking the can down the road on debt nor avoiding the hard discussions on spending and shared services.
I have known Julie Blake for many years and I have confidence that she has the skills and experience to rein in township spending. As a working mother, Julie Blake knows how to tighten her belt and stretch a limited budget to go farther. As a trained counselor she has the skills and experience to initiate discussions with the boroughs and district and work to find common ground on shared services. She will also re-look at all township fees and ensure that they cover their underlying costs. Julie is committed to making Hopewell Township more affordable and working across party lines to find real solutions.
On Nov. 3, please join me in voting for positive change for Hopewell Township, vote for Julie Blake.
Peter Sandford
Hopewell Township
