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Health & Fitness

David Mayer's Field of Screams

Yesterday’s blog was focused on Team Mayer’s sudden change in the Gloucester Premium Outlets from being the greatest economic development in this town’s history with groundbreaking this Fall and opening in 2014 to nothing is a done deal with groundbreaking maybe Spring 2014 and possibly opening 2015, which is political speak for “it was an election year gimmick that we thought no one would notice”.  This broken promise was the latest in a series of photo-op projects that David Mayer was not able to bring to fruition.  The previous was the “Field of Dreams”.

For those not familiar with the Field of Dreams project, there are a number of these across the country.  These are baseball fields designed and created for special needs children so they can have a dedicated and safe place to play.  In 2012, Team Mayer launched a task force run through the Rotary Club to get this designed and built.  In 2012 they met a few times and raised some cash but made little progress, deferring it to 2013.  In 2013 they met and held more fundraisers.  In April, they held the official groundbreaking along with much fanfare and photo-ops of the Mayor even though they raised only $30,000 out of the estimated $500,000 needed.  They even dedicated a statue to Dave Mayer.  Since then the field has sat unused with no change other than weeds growing.  With the photos taken and articles published the field had no strategic use for Team Mayer so they apparently dropped it.

Normally this would be just another case of a failed project by a Mayor who has failed to deliver on any of his big ticket development projects.  It would be forgotten as the Hit Doctor project was.  However, David Mayer forgot about two key aspects of this project: by announcing it they gave hope to a lot of special needs children and families in Gloucester Township, and they blocked a group of motivated special needs families from building one of their own.

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I consider myself lucky that my children are healthy.  I have no vested interest in the Field of Dreams other than helping out those less fortunate than myself and my family.  This project was supposed to be Gloucester Township’s giving back to those children and the families.  By seemingly forgetting about this project, Team Mayer let down each and every special needs child, family, and care giver.  I pose the question to every Patch reader: why abandon such a worthy project for children who clearly could benefit from it?  Certainly given the ability for Team Mayer to fund raise for their political PACs, fundraising is not an impediment, so what is?

At the same time David Mayer was holding do nothing meetings on this, a group of special needs families in town also heard about Field of Dreams projects in other towns and started the process of building one themselves, privately.  When they contacted the national Field of Dreams, they were told another one was chartered in Gloucester Township and the rules only allow for one in a town.  When these caring families finally got a hold of Dave Mayer’s Field of Dreams committee they offered to help including fundraisers and events.  These families were told “thanks but no thanks”. 

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The question I have on this is why?  Why would David Mayer turn down residents help in fundraising for one of his keystone initiatives?  Anyone who has ever met or been part of a special needs family knows how dedicated every family member is and how they will do whatever it takes to provide even a few hours of playful joy for their loved one.  The Mayor was given an offer of motivated and dedicated community support to help him achieve one of his biggest promises to date.  Again I ask why would he turn them away?

Now that all progress appears to have stopped I’d like to know where is the estimated $30,000 raised to date! Why won’t they turn over control and the accounting books to these families to finish it privately?  What is he hiding?  Is there something unethical or illegal happening with this?  Is he using this as a means to launder money to friends with construction companies and engineering firms?  What could he possibly be hiding that would prevent him from completed this project with outside help?

In my opinion it is appalling that Team Mayer would make a promise to the special needs families to get this done without the leadership or support to complete it, and then compound this by preventing a group of motivated families from moving this project forward.  Maybe Team Mayer did have every intention to run this project right and just failed at managing it, in which case they are merely incompetent.  Maybe Team Mayer planned on using this as a cover to launder money as rumored but was stopped by families trying to be a part of it, in which case they are corrupt.  Either way this project, once known as the “Field of Dreams” is nothing more than a field of frustrated screams for the children and families that pass by the barren park, let down by another Team Mayer broken promise.  A park where the only completed piece is a wall and statue dedicated to David Mayer’s ego.

As a father and human being, I had hoped this project would be completed on time as promised in 2012 to bring some joy and happiness to the special needs children and their families.  Instead I am saddened and outraged that David Mayer broke his promise to those families and by extension to all of Gloucester Township.  How do you think those families and their special needs children feel about this?  If David Mayer and his Council Team had any heart or conscience they would admit their inability to complete this project and transfer control and all work to date to a private group of families to complete.  Is it too much to ask Team Mayer to keep one election year promise?  Only a cold, callous individual would delay this park’s progress any longer. 

I urge everyone who reads this blog to please call the Mayor’s office at (856) 374-3514 and demand he resume this project by letting special needs families run it.  And if they give excuses as to why he won’t deliver on his promises then remember on November 5th you can replace him with someone who can.

Updated question: Team Mayer will routinely bond hundreds of thousands of dollars and even millions to build and maintain baseball fields and hockey rinks for politically connected Team Mayer members Michelle Winters and Ben Zanghi.  Why couldn't they just bond the $500,000 needed for the field of dreams and have had it done in 2012?  Why did this have to go through the slow route for funding and construction while Dave's friends get it fast-tracked via taxpayer money?  Doesn't Dave Mayer think special needs children are deserving too?






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