Reader Submitted
To the editor:
The silence from our Republican opponents for Hopewell Township Committee has been deafening over the past few months. I would like to take this opportunity to respond to several claims by the candidates and their spokespersons.
One of our opponents is a self-described “fiscal conservative,” according to his sole letter to the editor of September 29. But he has not offered a single financial proposal other than a vague promise to review and cut the school budget. This reflects a misunderstanding of the roles of the township committee and the elected school board.
The other candidate says he is concerned about “suitable locations for state mandated affordable housing,” according to his letter published the same day. He offered one proposal at the recent Hopewell Valley League of Women Voters Forum, as he noted in his letter of October 25, and that was to put affordable housing at the site of the “prison” in Titusville. Yet that land is not available, is not served by water or sewer, and is on a road unsuitable for additional traffic.
Harvey Lester alleged in his letter to the editor of October 13 that Kevin and I “falsely claimed” that Hopewell Township has the lowest equalized tax rate in Mercer County. His statement is fake news. As noted at the October 23 township committee meeting, the Mercer County Board of Taxation has confirmed that Hopewell Township has the lowest equalized tax rate in the county. That’s a fact.
In our letters to the editor throughout this campaign, Kevin and I have offered proposals to move Hopewell Township forward. We have shown that the Democrats have cut the township’s operating budget to less than it was in 2015, when the Republicans were last in charge. We have said that we will work to continue to cut the township’s long-term debt.
As for the environment, Kevin and I have noted that we will never compromise in fighting the PennEast pipeline.
And as for development, I have said that I will work to ensure any new construction is environmentally sustainable, built in keeping with the township’s rural character, and sensitive to surrounding neighborhoods.
On November 7, please vote for Michael Ruger and Kevin Kuchinski for Hopewell Township Committee.
Michael Ruger
Hopewell Township
