[Disclosure: This blog is written from my perspective as both a candidate for a seat on Gloucester Township Council and as a concerned citizen of Gloucester Township with questions and concerns about reckless spending and business as usual in Gloucester Township.]
On Monday evening, 23 September 2013, some interesting things occurred at the regular township council meeting. Far and away, the issue that garnered the most attention was the resolution to restrict the hours of Halloween Trick-or-Treating and for such activity to culminate by 7:00 PM or be taken inside to private parties. Some people were very upset by this encroachment and while the issue did not bother me as much, I definitely understand and empathize with the views that were expressed.
What is troubling to me about this issue is the wording used by council in this resolution. According to the wording of the resolution the cooperation of the community is voluntary. The real question then becomes, even in light of the curfew time being pushed out to 8:30, what would be the reaction of the township authorities to those who choose not to adhere to the township’s suggestion to voluntarily curtail their activities by 8:30? This whole issue sets an iffy, if not dangerous, precedent and that seemed to be the view of a number of citizens in attendance at the meeting as well.
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What concerned me more, however, than the overreach on Halloween, was what else went on Monday night. A few of the other pertinent issues that were overshadowed by the Halloween brouhaha were:
Ø An ordinance was introduced to amend Chapter 67A of the “Property Maintenance Code” of GT. Essentially, the “Prohibitions” section of the ordinance is going to be amended to state that “the bamboo plant” is an invasive plant and thus needs to be controlled to the point that no one shall plant the bamboo plant. (In fact, not all species of the bamboo are equally invasive but the amended wording removes any limits as to which bamboo is to be restricted and thus encompasses all bamboo.) If you have any of this plant on your property you might do well to read the amendment proposed and find out what is going to be expected of you in the way of curtailing such plant. As far as the possibility that the amendment won’t gain approval…well, maybe you need to attend a council meeting or two to see how business is conducted.
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I have been attending council meetings for almost two years now and have never observed a dissenting vote cast by any of our elected officials. In fact, this last Monday night meeting was the first time I ever observed council give any attention to the voice of the people. Given that all they did was to amend a resolution they were voting on and extend a curfew from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM, you might understand why I didn’t really see what they did as any big deal.
Ø A resolution was approved despite the concerns of a few in the audience which were heard prior to council appointing Connor, Strong, and Buckelew the Broker of Record for Health Insurance in the township. Although there were a few at the meeting that addressed this issue, not nearly enough attention was paid to what happened. It was reported that the township solicited for RFQs to supply this service on the township website and in one local newspaper. One individual present who identified himself as an insurance broker asked if council had placed any calls to local agencies that might not have been aware of the request for bids suggesting that they might have gotten a better deal. This idea was brushed aside. Another individual wondered why the township had not opted to use the state’s health plan and was also brushed aside. A third individual pointed out that the group in question, Connor, Strong, and Buckelew, was directly connected to county Democrat political boss George E. Norcross and suggested that given the council and mayor are all Democrats that the township might do well to look elsewhere and thereby avoid even the hint of impropriety. Again, this concern was brushed aside. Finally, a concern was expressed that an election was coming up which might change the make-up of our township mayor/council team and that rather than awarding a three-year contract, while not illegal was somewhat out of the ordinary, why not award a one-year contract which is the norm in most other instances. But again, this concern was brushed aside and the vote was taken and the contract awarded giving the impression that the die was already cast.There were other issues that came up like why we can’t set up a liaison between the township council and the GT board of education but there seems to be a general resistance against this issue that has been suggested a number of times only to be brushed aside. I’m not really sure why but hopefully the truth will eventually surface.
An issue over a local group that is seeking to use a township soccer field was also brought up…Again! How many times does the council need to be informed that a minority group is being hassled by another township soccer group before some action will follow? We seem to make such a big fuss about how avant guarde we are by recognizing different minority groups but when there’s actually a problem…Hopefully, this last time will be the charm.
I know I’m missing something but I’ll wind it up here. So, that’s it, business as usual…and what do we end up with but the usual business. If any of this concerns you maybe you should consider coming out to the Blackwood Farmers’ Market this Saturday and visit the mayor in the Expert’s Booth to voice your concern over township politics. I hope to see you there and also at the voting booth on November 5th.
