To the Editor,
In their desperation to win the election, Hopewell Valley Township Committee candidates Kristen McLaughlin and Courtney Peters-Manning, as well as their handlers, have apparently either forgotten basic facts in recent history or simply decided to trick voters with blatant deception.
In my mail on Tuesday, Oct. 29, I received their mailer, which makes startling claims.
On one side, the mailer states: “Under Democratic leadership – held the line on municipal property taxes, reducing the annual rate of increase from 6% in 2013 – 2015 to just 2% in 2016 – 2019.” That statement clearly claims that non-democrats were in charge of the township committee from 2013 -2015.
Could it be that democrats McLaughlin, Peters-Manning, as well as their handlers, all forgot that democrat Vanessa Sandom was Mayor in 2013 and 2014?
On the other side, the mailer states: “Kristen has led the township committee in maintaining the budget since 2016, including as Mayor in 2019.” In order for McLaughlin to be running for re-election for a 3-year term on the township committee in 2019, her first year on the township committee would have been 2017; her second year – 2018 and her third year – 2019.
Could it be that democrats McLaughlin, Peters-Manning, as well as their handlers, did not remember that Ms. McLaughlin was not elected to a 4-year term on the township committee when everyone else gets elected to a 3-year term? Clearly, McLaughlin was not on the township committee in 2016. Maybe they forgot that, too.
If memory loss has not set in, then local democrats have shown that they have so little respect for the voters, that they have decided to engage in easily-disproven voter deception.
Harvey Lester
Titusville