Whoa! That was close. Another 40 votes for wards in Edison and our taxes would have gone up $12,000 to pay for two more council members. It must have been hard for Edison Mayor George Spadoro and the local Democratic Party to remain neutral while the people contemplated raising taxes on their own. It’s no wonder they were relieved with the outcome. Now, if you really believe that the Democrats stayed neutral on wards, then there are two acres of pond land I’d like to sell you for $5.6 million.
Of course they had to go all out to stop any change to a ward system. It was a threat to their one-party control of the purse strings and the reason behind their spin that wards would result in higher taxes, less representation and lower property values, etc. The clearest indication of their concern came at one of the public forum meetings when council Vice President Diehl said, "wards will change the dynamics of how we do business in Edison." He was right.
It was all about the dynamics of how we do business now, which includes an enabling and silent council, double digit tax increases every year, millions in no-bid and open-ended contracts, $95 million budgets with inadequate details, $22 million in open space debt without voter approval, spending $5.6 million for two acres of land, $2 million for sidewalks, $1 million for a football field, $250 thousand for a skateboard park, and let’s not forget Spadoro giving himself $34,000 in raises while taking 25 percent of workers’ take-home pay to force in his health insurance plan.
That was the real choice we were asked to make: whether to continue the way we do business or to reduce the influence of big-money contributors and special-interest groups on our pocketbooks. It was about diluting and taking back the power from the political parties that owe their existence and allegiance to those who contribute and not to the people.
While a ward system would not have been a cure-all, it would have certainly brought us one step closer to increasing the people’s voice and power in Edison’s government. Most assuredly, leaving the at-large system in place is no step at all. It’s too bad we didn’t choose to change the dynamics of how we do business in Edison. But, hey, that’s Spadoro savings for you. It will only cost us millions to save $12,000.
Ralph Bucci
Edison