The fallout and protests from the Wal-Mart development at Route 27 and Vineyard Road makes me realize more and more how awful local governments are in New Jersey.

Unfortunately, people focus on particular issues and fail to look at the bigger problems and demand action, which is precisely what politicians want. Bear in mind that politicians, especially in New Jersey, are lazy, misguided, usually corrupt and love to pass the buck.

Why do we need Planning and Zoning boards? These boards are appointed, not elected, and are therefore not instilled with the sense of duty and responsibility to the people that elected officials must at least feign.

All they care about is making the politician who appointed them happy and rubberstamping anything they want so they can be reappointed.

They’re also not generally subject to the same scrutiny of financial disclosures as elected officials. They are basically nonelected politicians who are easily distanced from the elected politician that appointed them when things get too hot. It’s a recipe for disaster that gets cooked over and over with a plethora of leftovers in virtually every municipality in New Jersey.

What we need is an overhaul of the local government system to eliminate Planning and Zoning boards, and place those responsibilities on municipal councils and mayors. If their salaries must be increased, then so be it.

It’s the only way to truly begin to make government more accountable to the people when development and redevelopment is being considered and approved rather than letting them hide behind ridiculous boards and committees who feel no sense of responsibility toward the citizenry and routinely disrespect and disregard the people who pay them.

Requiring televised meetings and more notification is certainly integral.

Large developments and rezoning should be put to the voters by way of binding referendum. Mandating simple and easy-to-read breakdowns of budgets and spending is needed as well.

It should also be mandated that any elected or appointed official who puts their name to a cause where money is being raised, by donations or tax dollars, is 100 percent responsible for those funds and cannot get away with simply saying they ‘have no idea’ what happened to those funds.

Unfortunately, all this is not in the best interests of politicians and the power to affect these changes statewide lay in Trenton. Unless people get involved and bombard their elected state officials for action — something politicians don’t ever really want — such changes will never be made and the bums in Trenton can continue to pass the buck and blame development on local governments, while doing their usual nothing or “working” on meaningless issues and legislation that no one cares about.

Politicians are loyal to their parties first and foremost, financial supporters second, and the people a distant third. Complacency and inaction on the part of the voter is what politicians count on!.

The problem is bigger than Wal-Mart, Oak Tree Pond or Edison Township. Focus needs to be directed to the root of the problem that has allowed the Hovnanians, Toll Brothers, Home Depots, Lowe’s, Targets and Wal-Marts of America to bulldoze our state. Don’t look to local governments and politicians to change their ways too much. It’s simply not in their personal best interests.

Michael Fisher

Edison