Next Steps

Let’s review.

• The local Democratic Party retains every seat on the town council, fire districts, planning board, and zoning board, despite a well-documented history of corruption, pay-to-play, and incompetence
• The school district continues to struggle with academics and appears unable or unwilling to segregate violent students
• Taxes will keep going up
• The electorate isn’t anxious to change any of the above

So, where from here?

Time and hard work.  I suggest small changes and patience until everything snowballs.

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Committed to Providing a Safe and Supportive Environment

Recent news reports of violence among the high school students are extremely troubling. Multiple arrests for aggravated assault against police officers. Two fifteen-year-olds brawled on school grounds resulting in a broken jaw as their schoolmates watched. One student was caught with a knife.

This was on the tail of a separate incident involving school athletes that’s gone unreported but resulted in the suspension of five high school football players. And these follow other reports of an uptick in school violence and bullying.

The school’s mission statement declares “We are committed to . . . providing a safe and supportive environment where educators inspire, empower, and encourage students to excel.”
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Getting the Representation You Deserve

By all accounts, the Aberdeen Democrats are expected to retain monolithic control of the town council following this Tuesday’s election. And, since this is a democracy and the Democrats have an extensive public record, it can only be assumed the township enjoys the following:

Pay-to-Play – The township engineer gets over a million dollars a year after contributing tens of thousands of dollars to the Democrats’ election efforts. A convicted felon was appointed lead developer for the transit developer after depositing $100,000 in a township slush fund. The town’s attorneys, planners, accountants, and many of the developers are regular contributors to the Democrats’ coffers.

Full Non-Disclosure – After the Democrats’ election filings were prominently posted on this blog, including the “consulting fees” to Councilman Vinci, the Democrats engineered the campaigns and fundraising so that not a single contributor would be revealed. This year, alone, the democrats have already declared $35,000 in contributions but not a single donor who gave more than $300.
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Dreams of Green

"That ain't working, that's the way you do it
Money for nothing and your chicks for free" - Dire Straits

Wonderful news. Aberdeen’s town council has found a way to save a million dollars in electric bills over the next fifteen years and get a free roof to boot. And, if you believe that, there’s more wonderful news. The senior housing center on Church St. will finally be developed. As will the transit village, Anchor Glass, and Aberdeen Forge. And, between the cost savings and new ratables, residents will finally see some tax relief.

Find it all a bit hard to believe? You’re not the only one.

Last June, the township issued an RFP for a company to build and maintain, at its own expense, solar panels for township properties plus install a new roof for town hall and then charge the township for the electricity generated by the solar panels at sub-market rates.

New Jersey has the fastest growing solar power market in the country so you’d think there'd be a lot of competition for such a plum assignment. Yet, only one company responded. Nexus Energy Solutions, a spin-off from Nexus Development, has no experience building or installing solar panels aside from having hired other companies to install solar panels at its office headquarters and parking garage.

By coincidence, I’m sure, Nexus is also a regular contributor to the state’s Democratic Party. Another coincidence, I’m equally sure, is that the town council is all Democrat and has a well-documented history of pay-to-play.

Anyways, despite having roughly the same experience as any homeowner who hired a contractor to install solar panels on his roof, Nexus’ proposals received an average score of 93 out of 100 in the township’s proposal review.
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A Lesson in Bureacratese

Let’s take the following hypothetical from a board member’s perspective.

The state awards your school district nearly $600,000, no strings attached. Your superintendent insists the school district spend the money “for the children”. Yet, you’re reluctant. Your district is being ravaged by high unemployment and a wave of foreclosures. Your district is among the highest taxed in the county and, even discounting the windfall, the district has already increased spending by 4%.

The superintendent sees your reluctance and quickly outlines a plan for spending the money. Over a $100,000 will be spent on books. For the children. Who can be opposed to books? And, to make it more palatable, he insists it’s a can’t fail, “research-based” program to create classroom libraries.

You’re wondering why, if it’s such a sure thing, isn’t everybody doing it? And how does sticking books in a room really improve language arts scores? And why isn’t this concept, that’s “research-based”, listed in the federal Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse?
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