The Final Countdown

"Truth is generally the best vindication against slander"--Abraham Lincoln

We are at a crossroads, Matawan residents. We have one week only to decide the course of our town for the next four years. The choices are the incumbent mayor of two years Mary Aufseeser, and the former councilman and chairman of the Matawan Republican Party, Paul Buccellato. The case against Mayor Aufseeser begins and ends with accusations of her being an ineffectual leader, and her term in office marked by not much positive change. Keeping in mind that she's only had half a term in office--two years rather than the full four, as she was serving out the unexpired portion of Freeholder Rob Clifton's term--we're inclined to give her a pass, in light of some of the facts about her opponent we're about to bring to light. Because when given the choice between perceived ineffectiveness and a pattern of repeated, willful bad decisions, cover-ups, lies, and corruption, it should surprise no one at all to know that we are going to support the Mayor in this election. Is there a shortage of qualified candidates in Matawan? Perhaps. But we can only play the cards we've been dealt, folks.

The case against Mr. Buccellato is an easy one, if one only does the slightest bit of homework. Everyone in town can agree that the stalled redevelopment at the train station site is a huge problem that needs rectifying. But we have to laugh when we see that people are blaming Mayor Aufseeser for this. In fact, the redevelopment has been stalled by persistent litigation initiated under Mr. Buccellato's watch and due in no small part to actions and comment made by Mr. Buccellato himself! This litigation has continued on, including appeals, throughout Mayor Aufseeser's entire two year term, severely curtailing the borough's ability to do anything at the train station. When was the lawsuit filed, you ask? How about January 16th, 2003! FIVE YEARS AGO. Long before the Mayor was even thinking about her current position, and long before the current Democratic majority was voted into power. This was a problem the Republicans in Matawan created, and it's hilarious (and scary) that some people in our town actually think the answer to the problem is to put the SAME PEOPLE WHO CREATED THE PROBLEM BACK IN POWER!!! Not only is Mr. Buccellato a NAMED DEFENDANT in the lawsuit holding up our much-needed development, several out-of-turn comments by him have only proven more fodder for the lawsuit, and kept the appeals process rolling! Thanks Paul! Matawan Advocate caught wind of Mr. Buccellato's lawsuit-fueling comments, and in a rare moment of lucidity, posted this gem:
http://matawanadvocate.blogspot.com/2007/02/fools-rush-in-where-wisemen-fear-to.html

It was unfounded remarks that held up the Matawan Transit Village's progress. Barring the lawsuit brought on Matawan by Silver Oaks (a major factor in the delay) the benefit of tax relief would be in place now. Perhaps, just perhaps we all would be in a thriving community right now.

For the record, we agree with her.

Of course, this all plays perfectly into Mr. Buccellato's hands. He didn't have to accomplish ANYTHING in the last two years, merely do his best to stop and stall Mayor Aufseeser and the rest of the Council from moving forward, and then hope the general ignorance and apathy of the borough residents would have people throw up their hands and say "See? We voted for change in 2005 and they didn't change enough! Back to the old standbys that pile-drived Matawan into the ground the last time they were in power!" And frighteningly enough, that's what appears to be happening!

By the way, here's something from the Independent, February 19, 2003:
http://independent.gmnews.com/News/2003/0219/Front_Page/002.html

Train station redevelopment talks between Matawan Borough and Aberdeen Township will continue despite a recent lawsuit filed by Aberdeen’s developer against both municipalities.

The lawsuit was filed by Aberdeen’s lead developer, Silver Oak Properties Inc. of Monroe, on Jan. 16 with the state Superior Court, Freehold, seeking to disqualify Matawan’s developers from the redevelopment project.

Named as defendants in the suit are Matawan Borough, borough Mayor Robert Clifton, the developers, NJ Transit and the Township of Aberdeen.

Matawan appointed K. Hovnanian Enterprises, Edison; Mack-Cali Realty Corp., Woodbridge; and lead developer Columbia Group, LLC, of Princeton, to redevelop the 40 acres of land the borough owns around the train station.

The joint committee is still active, Matawan Councilman Paul Buccellato said.

Much of the dispute is due to Columbia Group’s plan that includes 1,000 housing units.

At issue is the impact 1,000 new housing units will have on the school system the two municipalities share.

The project itself will still go as planned despite the lawsuit, Buccellato said.

"We’re still moving forward with our redevelopment," he said.

Really, Paul? How's that movement forward doing? And what impact do you think 1,000 new homes will have on our little town? How will that affect our school district? Our roads? Our already-stretched-thin police force? Our fire volunteers? Our DPW workers? We know, 1,000 is such a nice, round number to shoot for, but really, Paul? Come on.

So now we were set to wonder, what was the genesis of the lawsuit, after all? There's certainly grains of the Truth to be found in the above article, but let's dig a bit deeper, shall we?

Another Independent article, this from April 30, 2003:
http://independent.gmnews.com/News/2003/0430/Front_Page/046.html

Borough officials disagreed with a letter sent out by Aberdeen officials to its residents detailing its ideas for redevelopment of the Aberdeen-Matawan train station.

The letter, "Station Plaza Moves Forward: An Open Letter to the Community," was sent to Aberdeen residents two weeks ago.

Matawan is blindly focused on building residential development at the train station, according to the letter.

"Such development would substantially increase the enrollment in our shared school system, and therefore the school tax rate, thus eliminating the financial benefits that would be gained through the economic revitalization plan," the letter states.

The letter spells out what township officials said are advantages to its rede­velopment plan. The Aberdeen proposal will provide significant tax relief in the township and Matawan by helping bring the right mix of offices, restaurants, ho­tels and retail stores to the area sur­rounding the train station, according to the letter.

The statement that Matawan is the only municipality looking to build more housing in the project is contrary to interrogatories read in the beginning stages of a lawsuit filed by Silver Oak Properties, Buccellato said.

Damages listed in the lawsuit include 390 housing units valued at $6,500,000 in net profits that the suing developer could receive, according to preliminary interrogatory statements.

Really, Paul? So you're now equating 390 units with 1,000 units? We know Mr. Buccellato is a professional architect (more on that later) and not an accountant, but surely he can see that 390 units is far less than 1,000, so trying to rationalize after the fact that "They wanted housing units, too!" reeks of second-grade whining.

Now that article made mention of an Aberdeen proposal that would be more beneficial all-around, and Silver Oaks of course believes their proposal was in the right, so let's delve a bit deeper on that front, shall we? It seems the borough of Matawan and the township of Aberdeen entered into a joint Interlocal Agreement to re-develop the train station and the surrounding area. They then hired the firm of Coppola & Coppola associates as planner for the Interlocal Agency. As planner, Coppola & Coppola was asked to evaluate the various firms that responded to the RFP and come up with a recommendation. Richard Coppola, head planner, is quoted in the Courier of July 28, 2005:

http://bayshorenews.blogspot.com/2005/08/press-conference-erupts-into-debate.html

In September 2002, five teams submitted plans for the project in response to the interlocal agency’s request for proposals (RFP).

Richard Coppola, planner for the interlocal agency, endorsed a proposal by Silver Oaks Properties saying, “This proposal most closely meets the agency’s plan that has been endorsed by both the [Matawan] Borough Council and the [Aberdeen] Township Council.” Aberdeen agreed, selecting Silver Oaks Properties as the town’s redeveloper.

So the borough commisioned an RFP, hired a firm to make a recommendation, and then ignored it completely!?!? What next, an ignored report? Oh, wait...

From The Courier, August 11, 2005 a copy of the report:

http://bayshorenews.blogspot.com/2005/08/matawan-defends-choice-of-columbia.html

September 23, 2002 memorandum from Coppola &
Coppola Associates, planner for the Interlocal
Agency formed by Aberdeen and Matawan

To: Mark Coren, Aberdeen Township Manager

From: Coppola & Coppola Associates

Subject: Request For Proposals
Commerce and Transportation Center
Aberdeen Township & Matawan Borough

Silver Oaks Properties

This proposal is the most consistent with the “Plan” in terms of square footage and the number of dwellings (1,185,800 s.f. of commercial in Aberdeen and 861,600 s.f. of commercial in Matawan, with 60 townhouses and 360 apartments in the Borough). A significant amount of parking spaces (11,497 spaces) are proposed in the garages which form the platforms for the commercial development above. Proposed road improvements are significant, as with the “Millennium Homes” proposal [which wasn’t selected by either town], but appear to be more feasible than that proposed by “Millennium Homes.” While there is a need for an addressment of the required COAH units and there is concern with the sensitivity of the design to the neighboring properties, the proposal could be refined to address these issues.

1. Most consistent with the “Plan,” including non-residential square footage and number of dwelling units.

2. High level of detail and cost projection.

3. Road improvements include use of the Henry Hudson trail for new access ramps parallel to the NJ Transit line to GSP and for a new road to Route 79 using the old transit line.

4. Buildings are high (up to 10 stories); parking garages create platforms for commercial and retail uses above, although some retail will be at ground level.

5. Orientation of commercial area inward to rail line, with plazas and levels of buildings tiered down towards plazas; orientation of residential areas also internal as well as to vistas beyond center.

6. Residential units are in two (2) areas at edge with vistas to lake and marshes; no flats over retail. Office, retail and parking are all intermixed within the core buildings around the train tracks and plazas. Not as sensitive to existing developed areas outside the center, since the buildings will be elevated on top of parking garages (with some street level retail possible).

K. Hovnanian [Columbia Group]

This proposal does not have the detail of the others, especially regarding road and other infrastructure improvements. A total of 1,000 dwelling units are proposed, but with less than 270,000 s.f. of non-residential space in Matawan Borough, and only 382,000 square feet of office/retail space in Aberdeen. The buildings tend to be massive in six, with a six (6) story L-shaped parking garage of 3,800 spaces bordering the existing uses in the area of Harrison and Dolan Avenues.

1. Not consistent with the “Plan”; proposed 1,000 du’s but less than 270,000 s.f. of non-residential space in Matawan and only 382,000 square feet of office/retail space in Aberdeen.

2. Moderate level of detail, but mostly oriented to residential uses.

3. No discussion of infrastructure improvements, except site plan shows “proposed Henry Hudson access road and trail.”

4. Building heights are not clearly specified; 10-story mixed use building in center with one 5-story parking garage in Matawan and two (2) massive stand alone 6-story parking garages and a surface computer [sic] parking lot in Aberdeen.

5. Orientation to central “Village Square,” which has a low profile; most existing development north of Harrison will face two (2) sides of a massive 6-story parking garage.

6. Residential buildings are 4-stories with interior surface parking, all located outside center core and west of Atlantic Ave.

What!?!?!? So the plan that Mr. Buccellato and his cohorts went against was the one that only put 420 units or so in Matawan, and put 861,000 square feet of commercial/retail space. But the one they voted FOR, going AGAINST the report, going AGAINST their partner Aberdeen, going AGAINST the planner they paid for, going AGAINST their own redevelopment plan, was one that put in 1,000 new homes and only 270,000 square feet of commercial/retail. Um, why? As Mr. Coppola says, it doesn't even meet the minimum requirements of what was asked for. It certainly wouldn't benefit the town, as outlined above. Then could it possibly benefit? The developer certainly. And just who is that developer. Who is Columbia Group?

Why it's none other than noted Republican campaign contributor, Jack Morris! Ahhhhh! NOW this is all starting to make sense. I mean, why else would Paul and the gang sell his town and our schoolchildren down the river?

Basically, the allegations were made that Jack Morris contributed to the Republicans, the Republicans went against Aberdeen and the redevelopment plan and appoint Morris' Columbia group instead of Silver Oaks.
Former Assemblyman William Flynnhad this to say in that July 28th Courier article, followed by more from Mr. Buccellato:

“The Columbia Group’s proposal for the Aberdeen-Matawan Train Station is the archetype of bad development…The Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District has spent millions upon tens of millions of dollars to provide adequate facilities to the students they educate. How can we ask them to take on the new burden of hundreds of students that the Columbia Group’s proposal will place on them?” Flynn’s written remarks also stated.

Dasaro was joined at the press conference by Democrat candidates for Matawan Borough Council William Malley and Mary Aufseeser, as well as Democrat mayoral candidate William Smith.

Paul Buccellato, a Matawan councilman and the chair of the Matawan Republican Party, also appeared at the press conference and challenged some of Dasaro’s assertions.

“As far as I know nothing was done inappropriately and everything was done above board. We haven’t signed an agreement with anybody; we’re still negotiating,” Buccellato said.

Buccellato also said that the RFPs were kept “under straps” by Coren and that Matawan was not kept in the loop during the interlocal process, statements that Coren vehemently denied.

“[Buccellato’s] statements are self-serving, fallacious and bordering on out-right lies,” Coren said during an interview on Monday. “[Matawan] Borough was totally informed. They did review and signed off on all aspects.”

During the course of the press conference, Malley challenged Buccellato to state his position on pay-to-play.

“How do I feel about it?” Buccellato said. “I think it’s wrong.”

“Don’t you participate in it yourself? You don’t contribute to the [Monmouth County] Republican Party and receive county contracts?” Malley asked.

“If donating to a political party, you feel that’s what’s going on, well —,” Buccellato began, but Malley continued with his challenge.

“Absolutely. I think you’re as guilty as the rest of them,” Malley said.

Buccellato is a principal in Henshell & Buccellato, a Red Bank-based architectural firm. The firm gave the Monmouth County Republican Committee $3,900 between August 2004 and November 2004, according to Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) reports.

On January 13, 2005, Henshell & Buccellato was awarded a $25,000 contract by the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders to provide “call-in professional architectural services” for the Monmouth County Department of Buildings and Grounds for 2005.

Dasaro ended the press conference by reiterating the timeline of events, as he saw it.

“From what I see, something’s wrong, something stinks. It’s an easy timeline: Morris gives a lot of money to Kyrillos; people allege that Kyrillos steps in; [the] Columbia Group gets pushed through Matawan,” Dasaro said.

Ahhhh, the old Pay-for-play canard. Enough about the train station debacle, I'm sure even the densest among us can understand what's going on now. But remember when we said we'd get back to Mr. Buccellato's day job as an architect? We're back. Councilman Malley did a good job challenging Mr. Buccellato about his pay-for-play activities in the above Courier article, and the Courier did good follow-up mentioning the county contract Mr. Buccellato's firm of Henshell & Buccellato got in January of 2005, after contributing to the county Republicans in the 2004 campaign. Whew! They wasted no time with that one, did they? Of course, that's not he most recent or even the most egregious occurrence--we mean, slap in our faces, is it? Hardly.
From the Asbury Park Press, November 20, 2007:
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007711200329

High bidder gets pact for county roof design

Freeholders OK $125G contract

FREEHOLD — Days after Republicans retained control of the Monmouth County freeholder board in the Nov. 6 election, the board slipped a $125,400 contract to a politically connected engineering firm, despite the price being the highest of the four qualified bidders.

Paul Buccellato, a Republican councilman in Matawan, is a partner in the company that received the contract to design roof replacements for four buildings.

The bid by Henshell & Buccellato Co. of Red Bank — which for years has sent campaign contributions to the county GOP and received other Monmouth County government contracts — was $30,400 more than a quote from a Somerset County-based competitor seeking its first contract here, and $41,430 over the lowest bid.

Both the company and Sea Girt resident Justin Henshell, Buccellato's partner, have made campaign donations to the Monmouth County Republican Committee dating back to at least 1998 — a total of 13 donations for $11,510 in that time, according to New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission reports.

There's more after the jump if you can stomach the pithy responses from Mr. Buccellato. If you don't recall, this is the one where Mr. Buccellato hypothesizes that the reason he got the job was not because he contributed to their campaign, but because he designs roofs that don't let water in. As opposed, you know, to the other kind.

So there you have it, folks. Our summary of Mr. Buccellato--a terrible custodian of the town's trust, a willful engineer in it's current state of near-blight, and the outright cause of many of our current problems--not the solution. Not only he is the wrong person for the job of mayor, there couldn't be a MORE wrong person than him. If you thought what went on in our neighboring towns of Marlboro and Keyport with their mayors was entertaining, just wait to see what Mr. Buccellato does to our little borough. We'll be all over the state news--and for all the wrong reasons.

If you really think that Mayor Aufseeser has been that ineffective, keep in mind she had to contend with Mr. Buccellato's stonewalling on the council. Now that he's removed, they'll be able to get things going much more quickly. So get out there and vote for her, it's your civic duty. And if you absolutely can't see yourself voting for her whatever reason, do it anyway, but look at it as a vote AGAINST an obvious terrible choice in Mr. Buccellato.

Thanks to the Courier, the Independent, and the Asbury Park Press for the articles that were referenced in this post.

Eureka!

"There are no creeds in mathematics."--Peter F. Drucker

If you're looking for one place to sum up every problem in Matawan, I've got it for you. The Aberdeener's most recent post lambasting the school board--deservedly so--really brings into focus every single problem we face as a community. What Aberdeener doesn't explicitly mention, but what we will right now, is those problems are further exacerbated by the fact the school board is responsible for THE VAST MAJORITY OF YOUR PROPERTY TAXES. Far more in fact, by a power of 4 or 5 times, than Matawan Borough, Aberdeen Township, and Monmouth County. And who is holding these capricious, dangerous, unanswerable individuals accountable? NO ONE. No one bothers to vote for the school board, no one curtails their spending, no one even cares. But they'll show up at a council meeting to complain about a measly $10,000 here or $25,000 there. Really? How about the $60 million being spend irresponsibly on our most precious resource--our children--every year?


Enough with our commentary, Aberdeener does it more succinctly:

Imagine the following: Your neighbors have entrusted you with their children’s education. They have given you sixty million dollars and asked you to do the best you can with what you have. You recognize the responsibility your neighbors have bestowed upon you; so much of their children’s futures depend on what you do. In such a scenario, would you do any of the following?

1. Give all teachers guaranteed employment for life if they manage three years without getting fired
2. Dole out millions of dollars a year as an incentive for teachers to improve their own education but not one penny as an incentive to improve the education of their students
3. When presented with two candidates to coach the chess club, a local grandmaster willing to work for free or the gym teacher who demands a thousand dollars, choose the gym teacher
4. Adopt the legal minimum standards of education as your own standards
5. Allow students to coast through school by taking only the easiest courses
6. Dedicate more resources on psychiatrists and drug counselors than on the science department
7. Draft a mission statement that doesn't include teaching
8. Guarantee every teacher an automatic raise regardless of performance...

There's more, and it gets even more depressing when Aberdeener illustrates that despite all the spending with Abandon, our children aren't even learning enough to keep up with their neighbors here in Monmouth County, let alone the rest of the world. Real eye-opening stuff.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE WHOLE THING. IT'S GOOD. CLICK ON IT. TRUST US.


And if after reading that, you're all fired up and want to read some more about the sordid details of the waste, look no further.
CLICK THIS ONE FOR ANOTHER EYE-OPENER.

It will provide some hard numbers about where the money's going, as well as the statistical long-shot it takes to have a board where not one single person votes no to spending anything, ever.

Your house is worth HOW much?

" In searching for the truth be ready for the unexpected." --Heraklietos of Ephesos

So Realty Appraisal Corp, of West New York, NJ, has completed their evaluations of Matawan properties, sent out the re-val letters, and is meeting with property owners who disagree with the assessment and would like to appeal, as well as property owners who just want some help in demystifying the assessment process, or clarifying what the new property valuation means to them. Here's how it breaks down.

The town's preliminary assessment is 2.4 times that of what it was prior to the new valuations. So if your home has increased in value as a result of the re-val less than 2.4 times, your taxes will not go up as a result of the revaluation process, but will in fact be less. Of course, even if the town also doesn't raise taxes this year, you'll still see an increase due to the reckless spending of the school boards, which is the single biggest problem for every single Matawan and Aberdeen resident, not the councils and their spending. But that's another post.

If your assessment increased by that 2.4 times number, then the re-val process will have little to no effect on your taxes, again, absent other criteria like the school budget.

If your assessment increased by more than 2.4 times, then the re-val process will indeed translate to an increase in your taxes, this in addition to any tax increases coming our way from the fiscally irresponsible school board.

Examples:

• Your property was assessed at $100,000 and is now assessed at $220,000. You've more than doubled and are likely nervous. In fact you have only increased 2.2 times vs. the town's aggregate 2.4 times, so you'll more than likely see a reduction in taxes based on your assessment.
• You property was assessed at $250,000 and is now assessed at $600,000, a big increase to be sure. But it is only 2.4 times, putting you right in line with the town, thus you'll see little or no increase in your taxes based on your assessment.
• Your property was assessed at $135,000 and is now assessed at $365,000. You have an increase of about 2.7 times, this vs. the town's 2.4 times average increase means you'll likely see an increase in taxes, even before new budgets come out from the town and the school board.

Hopes this helps puts some minds at ease, if you need help with the calculations and what it means for you, Truth in Matawan can assist any who request it with their particular numbers, or contact Realty Appraisal Corp at (201) 867-3870.

Yes, but was it close?

"Truth always rests with the minority, and the minority is always stronger than the majority, because the minority is generally formed by those who really have an opinion, while the strength of a majority is illusory, formed by the gangs who have no opinion—and who, therefore, in the next instant (when it is evident that the minority is the stronger) assume its opinion ... while Truth again reverts to a new minority."--Soren Kierkegaard

Wow. The mayoral race final results are in, and Matawan Mayor Mary Aufseeser was able to hold onto her seat. By one vote. Talk about a town divided. When she won her election two years ago, she won with 1464 votes to then-mayor Bea Duffy's 1112, or 58% to 42%. Slightly more of a mandate than she got this time. What's different? Was it a perceived ineffectualness on her part for the last two years? Was it stonewalling of initiatives again and again by the Republicans on the council in an effort to undermine her administration? Was it just plain old voter apathy? We might never know, but two things are the evidently true in this matter:

1) She's going to have a tough road ahead of her, and

2)If people don't get out and vote, they really can't complain about who their neighbors elected.

Of course, once elected, the Mayor becomes the Mayor of ALL of Matawan, not just those who voted for her. So let's hope she gets the support she needs to see her ideas and initiatives through to fruition, so our town can continue moving forward. When she ran the first time, she said she wanted to see the existing downtown area revitalized, rather than razing the houses by the train station and putting up new strip malls. She also said she would like to see the police department get new cars (and a new building) and see the glass- and litter-strewn parks renovated and better-utilized. How has she done on those fronts? There are at least six new businesses on Main Street that were not there before she was elected, including the 2006 spa of the Year, Peter Conte; two new upscale restaurants, La Riviera and La Pesce; a brand new sushi/teriyaki eat-in/take out restaurant, Sushi Bento; a national financial firm in Edward Jones, and oh yes, the "controversial" anchor store, C-Town. All of these businesses came into EMPTY BUILDINGS on Main Street, in C-Town's case, the biggest property on Main Street, and one that had been empty for years.

The police department have their new cars (and trucks), but not the new building yet. The Lakeside boathouse has a new roof and the Jackson Street park has been completely beautified, and re-dedicated to Joe Penniplede. The park adjacent to the Community Center has also been rededicated, to the apparently ungrateful Jeremiah Hourihan. We say "Apparently ungrateful" because he wasn't at his own dedication ceremony because he reportedly didn't respect the democrats that were in charge at the time. These of course being the same democrats that let him keep his borough post on the Shade Tree Commission. Truth in Matawan doesn't know if these were the real reasons he didn't show up, as opposed to say, health reasons, but we'll see if we can uncover the truth there, as well.

As for the Mayor, good luck to her. As we've just seen, in less than two years, she's accomplished nearly all she said she wanted to in her initial run. Let's hope that with the proper support, she can do even more in the next 4 years.

Truth in Advocacy, part 2

"When we blindly adopt a religion, a political system, a literary dogma, we become automatons. We cease to grow."--Anais Nin

Continuing to shed the light of truth on Matawan Advocate's mistake-laden blog. The post of November 5 reads as follows:

What local politician had Matawan Police remove Buccellato,Buragina,Clifton signs from the Strip Mall on Main Street(where StarBucks is located?) All weekend signs for Aufseeser, Bunyon & Mendes were covering strips of grass on this strip mall. When a volunteer put signs up for Buccellato, Buragina & Clifton (several, I might add, not 20)the Matawan Police were called and told that the Democrats have the "exclusive" rights to put signs up and insisted the Police Department remove the Republican signs. The Matawan Police complied. Now perhaps the Police should have requested proof i.e., a letter of some kind, a phone call to the owner. But they didn't and why should they, after all it was a Democratic Councilman from the Borough. Waste of manpower, waste of taxpayer money, absolutely! The same Democratic politician who told our Police this story and wasted our tax dollars....was not telling the truth. OH NO, YOU SAY, NOT TELLING THE TRUTH, yes, readers sorry to say but that pleasant face does lie! Just when you thought it was going to be a fair, honest election, HA! This certain Councilman must want to win so badly that he lied to the Matawan Police. He should have known better.... Isn't that against the law?

THIS ELECTION I AM EXCLUSIVELY VOTING REPUBLICAN! WHY YOU ASK? BECAUSE THE REPLUBLICANS WILL TAKE MATAWAN IN THE DIRECTION IT SHOULD BE GOING. That aside, underhanded, devious, conniving, deceitful politicians will never get my vote.

OK, where to begin? What is the purpose of this post? Other than to spread vitriol and propaganda for the Republican campaign, I mean? If the Advocate is saying that the Democratic councilman LIED, and the owner of the Main Street Village Strip Mall DID NOT want the Republican signs removed, how did they come by this information? Are THEY the owner of the property? Did they speak with him? More importantly, what proof can they offer that this intent was NOT for the Republican signs to be removed? THAT would make for an interesting blog, one we here at TiM would be keen to read.

If he is a business owner in town who was sick of the years that the Republican administration drove the town straight down, into the ground, without stopping, don't pass go, FOR DECADES, then it would follow he would want their signs removed. If the Advocate is truly a concerned citizen as they hold themselves out to be , shouldn't they have gotten out there and helped the police removed the offending Republican signs, so that they could get back to work protecting us quickly, thus reducing the amount of time that their manpower was being "wasted" as they claim?

The best part of the post can almost be missed, tucked as it is at the end there. They claim that the Republicans are the party that "Will take Matawan in the direction it should be going". Really. REALLY? And what direction is that? The direction it had been going in for two decades? Do they mean we should resume our one-way trip into municipal oblivion, or perhaps, PERHAPS, could they give another administration a little bit more than a year-and-a-half to implement some changes?

This is now the second post I've read of theirs that is full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. In short, it's a lot of hot air, with no facts. We will continue to follow up on this.

Now, if you had some facts about the strip mall owner's intent, THAT would be a juicy blog, and one I would sign up to read in a heartbeat! I will continue my trek through your blog, I hope the "truthiness" improves!

Truth in Advocacy, part 1

"All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them."--Galileo


As part of our continuing campaign to bring the truth to the people of Matawan, we're going to be "shadowing" the Matawan Advocate, and sharing some of their findings here. At times, we might agree with the "truth" they're showing, more often, we'll be shedding some light on their fallacies and inaccuracies. We'll be starting with their November posts.

In their post of November 1, Matawan Advocate writes:

"When businesses enter into politics it can only lead to rule by others. Does the owner of the Plaza where StarBucks is located live in Matawan? Does the owner of Dunkin Donuts live in Matawan? Does the Dr. on Main Street, the Financial Planner on Main Street or the Prudential Bulding on Route 34 live in Matawan. Do owners of any business in Matawan live in Matawan? Well if they don't then I say, Mind your own business? If they do a sign at your home is sufficient. Spare me from the people who put "huge" signs on businesses but when it comes to their homes do not! We in Matawan are not sheep that need outsiders telling us how to vote. We hopefully vote on issues. If I need a Doctor, Financial Planner, Bank or any other related services, you better be damn good at what you do because I for one am not interested in your politics! Having signs on our homes is one thing but plastering signs all over the Borough in the hundreds is absolutely ludicrous. Main Street Matawan looks like "Trash City" with all those signs. You would think it was a Presidential election and the candidate lived in Matawan. Are you people stupid or what spending all that money for signs? How many people do you think that could be fed with that money? How many homeless families could be better served by that money? This election has made me ashamed to live in Matawan. My hope is that this never happens again. Perhaps I'm wrong and the more signs you clutter a Borough with, the more votes you get. I hope not. Never wanting to trample on anyone's rights, whatever makes the residents of Matawan happy. "

I'm sorry, but this post reads like one big batch of sour grapes. Their depiction of Main Street bedecked in signs is a vivid one, if a little inaccurate. While there are plenty of the little Buccellato, et al signs on Main Street, I want the Advocate to imagine that the Republicans had the support of the town and its' businesses and it was THEIR large signs up and down Main Street. Would it look so ugly to them then? I think not.

And if they want to imagine what Main Street would look like, all they have to do is drive through Marc Woods. There are houses there with more Republican signs than blades of grass. There's one house in particular, with such a big sign done up in such an outlandish manner than the term "Shrine" comes to mind. We were surprised that we didn't see the owner out on the lawn the night before election day doing novenas.

What's worse is that it's a residential neighborhood, not a commercial one more suited to signs, as Main Street and Rt. 34 are. It is indeed a blight on the neighborhood.

Now, the Advocate does make a valid point about the owners of the properties not living in Matawan (for the most part). Well, it WOULD be valid, that is, if commercial property owners didn't pay property taxes. Oh wait, they do. So their point now becomes completely IN-valid. I hope they can appreciate the distinction.

Oh, and to answer one of the questions they asked, the financial planner they point out that had the huge sign apparently lives in the same house as the office. So the answer would be yes to their question of "Does she live in Matawan?"

Now on to the issue of WHY would the businesses support a candidate (or a party if you prefer) that is not the candidate (or party) that the Advocate obviously supports? Furthermore, why would they support a candidate in Mayor Aufseeser (or party in the Democrats) that, as Councilman Buccellato's campaign literature pointed out, raised their property taxes two years in a row by a large margin?

Could it be that they recognize the value of fiscal responsibility--that is, that an administration that steadfastly refused to raise taxes for years in a self-interested effort to get itself re-elected, and instead bonded the town into financial ruin to the point where it has no more available credit at all, and in the process let the town go to rot and its services dwindle to nothing, was an administration they they did not want to see return to power, even if it meant higher property taxes in the short term?

Could it be that they recognized that raising the taxes in an effort to get us out of a deficit situation, so that we may enjoy our first surplus in YEARS and so that services could be better deployed was something worthwhile, rather than the "same old" policy of don't raise taxes and borrow, borrow, borrow till you can't borrow no more?

Or could it be that, when faced with the choice of a genuine, caring person or a would-be Machiavellian schemer, they saw it as no choice at all. A choice of a person who people know and love and will take the time to talk to anyone, even her detractors, or a liar who plots behind the scenes and mopes and sulks on the dais and who doesn't give his constituents the time and respect his position of authority requires him to. If you were a business and property owner in town, who would you choose?

In summary, their post was long on vitriol but short on facts and common sense. I look forward to perusing the rest of their blog to see if the rest of the posts are similar, or if this was an isolated case.

By the way, we're wondering how much money the Matawan Advocate donated to feed the homeless this election season. We'll be waiting for the answer. If they need a suggestion, they can try donating to The Community Foodbank of New Jersey, a worthy cause.

Setting us Free?

One of Matawan's most famous citizens in its long history was "Poet of the Revolution" Phillip Freneau. Another famous poet, Khalil Gibran, in his classic work, Sand and Foam, said:

"Let my strength be equal to my enemy, so that Truth may be the victor"

Aristotle's version is just slightly more complicated:

"To say of what is that it is not, or of what is not that it is, is false, while to say of what is that it is, and of what is not that it is not, is true"

A mouthful, to be sure, but hey, he was setting the ground rules for some pretty important stuff, stuff we're still talking about millenia later. The truth is something important, that much everyone can agree on. Many times, truth can seem subjective; at other times, it can seem very clear-cut. What we endeavor to do here, at Truth in Matawan, is cut through the misstaements and mistakes, the hidden agendas, the political claptrap, and especially the blatant lies, and get at what should be important to every tax-paying citizen of Matawan--The Truth.