The Democratic Party has controlled Aberdeen's Town Council for the past 12 years. This election will be a referendum on that control. Aberdeen Township is also a democratic enclave within Republican Monmouth County and both county and national politics will likely play a role in Tuesday's elections. Every voter should familiarize himself with the issues and the candidates prior to casting a ballot.
Below are the major issues facing Aberdeen . Due to time constraints, I have been unable to get detailed responses from the Green Party and felt it would be unfair to extrapolate their positions solely from their party's platform. Instead, I would encourage voters to visit www.aberdeengreens.org. I would also like to thank Republican Tom Aljian for explaining his party's positions. Regarding the Democrats, as the party in power for the last dozen years, their position is public record.
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Democrat – Allow continued residential development to build neighborhoods and support local businesses
Republican - Residential development hikes property taxes by burdening our school system. Permit limited residential development to entice developers into other projects
Democrat – Office and retail development near the train station and in the Anchor Glass Factory area
Republican - Develop comprehensive master plan rather than phased development
Democrat - Construct low income housing for the elderly, purchase some allowances in neighboring towns, and postpone the rest until absolutely necessary
Republican - Abide by state mandates
Democrat – Work with the Board of Education to find new ways to improve education and control spending
Republican - Use the power of the bully pulpit to influence the Board of Education
Democrat – While some traffic can be reduced through road improvements, current traffic congestion is normal for a town of our size and location
Republican - Push county for more road improvements
Democrat – Working with officials at all levels to obtain financing for special projects such as funding for the Sea Walk Enhancement project
Republican - Hire a professional grant writer to pursue additional grants
Democrat – Build office, retail, and residential units on the property
Republican - Light commercial, light industrial, limited residential
Democrat – Restore the beachfront through successive small projects until private developers find the area worthy of investment
Republican - Float a municipal bond to properly finance beachfront development
Democrat – The municipal tax rate is stable and the town is not responsible for the school budget
Republican - Keep surplus money in "Rainy Day" fund. Avoid election year financing gimmicks
(Note: The Green Party has been circulating a chart showing municipal property taxes have risen 36.1% over the Democrats' 12-year tenure. The chart, however, does not account for inflation. In both real dollar terms and as a percentage of household income, municipal taxes have remained flat over the past twelve years. School taxes have risen sharply.)
Democrat - The town has been actively maintaining the streets and sewers and will continue to do so
Republican - Continue the town's maintenance schedule
Democrat – 10-story office buildings, 7,000 new parking spaces, and limited residential development
Republican - Must coordinate all transit area development with Matawan
Democrat – Parks will continue to be maintained and enhanced such as the new lighting for the Oakshades Park
Republican - Refurbish playground facilities where needed
Democrat – The current bidding process is open, fair, and competitive
Republican - Avoid emergency no-bid contracts
Monday, November 5, 2007
Aberdeen's Election Issues
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1 comment:
Dear Aberdeener:
Thanks for giving Aberdeen a place to go to learn about the issues and concerns of our community.
I urge every resident to vote on Tuesday.
Tom Aljian
Republican Council Candidate
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