Patrick McKnight, Skillman
I love Montgomery Township. I am a fourth generation Skillman farmer and local business owner. I graduated from Montgomery High School in 2003. My family has lived here for four generations. My foremost goal is to start my own family here in this community.
Unfortunately Montgomery has become a very difficult place to live for anyone other than the extremely wealthy. It doesn’t have to be this way.
I’m running for Montgomery Township Committee because excessive taxation has made our community uninhabitable for retirees and young people. The average Montgomery homeowner will pay over $150,000 in property taxes over the next 10 years. This represents a failure of public policy, particularly when considering the questionable condition of our local roads.
Our community should be more than just a school district where people can’t afford to retire.
Worst of all, the Township Committee is now proposing even higher property taxes. This is wrong and unfair, especially considering their campaign promises to tackle the problem. We desperately need some intellectual diversity on the Township Committee.
We can all agree a one party system is inherently unhealthy. It is not conducive to accountability or a free exchange of ideas. Yet we have had a one party system in Montgomery for far too long. We deserve better.
I’m proud to represent the Libertarian Party in a year where voters are searching for an alternative to the corruption of the establishment parties. Libertarians believe in private property and individual liberty. We believe stealing is wrong even when the government does it. We work to empower people instead of politicians.
When I am elected I will fight for an immediate halt to increases in discretionary spending. I will push to bring in new businesses to fill the massive amount of empty commercial office and retail space currently going unused in our town. These businesses will create local jobs and help grow our local economy. As a former teacher I will act as a liaison with the school board to create a dialogue about how to utilize the school budget most efficiently.
Montgomery is an ideal place to live. We have fantastic schools, beautiful landscapes and openhearted people. I hope these elements of our community never change. What I do hope and what I will fight for is municipal government that works for our residents instead of the other way around.
That’s why I need your vote for Township Committee in November.
Patrick McKnight
Skillman
