Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Aberdeen’s Tax Champions

Congratulations to Aberdeen for placing third in Monmouth County for the highest tax increases of 2012. As reported by the Star Ledger (hat tip to the MatAb Patch), Aberdeen scored a 4.8% property tax increase, nearly triple the state average of 1.7%. (Matawan only raised their taxes 0.6%, damn Republicans.)


No doubt a majority of Aberdeen homeowners will be thrilled by the increases, an average of $300 on top of all the prior years’ increases. After all, that’s why the townsfolk keep reelecting the people who raise their taxes. It’s a quality of life issue. Vincent Vinci Park costs money.
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Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Another Election Year

In Aberdeen, every year is an election year and, if history continues to repeat, we all know what the good people of Aberdeen can expect.

Taxes will go up. The earners have already seen their payroll taxes go up and many of you may be wondering how the limit in deductions will impact you. And then there are the tolls. And don’t forget property taxes are now on autopilot, rising ever higher.

Of course, there are lots of ways to build a larger revenue base without simply raising taxes but have you ever noticed that the only major developments to actually happen in Aberdeen are residential developments? Still waiting for the train station, senior housing, Anchor Glass, pool club, Aberdeen Forge, etc.? Joe Ciaglia’s appointment to the Zoning Board should be interesting.

As for the elections, we can expect another Democrat sweep, funded by the town council’s unabashed pay-to-play. After all, a township that can name a park after an egregious self-serving politician certainly knows no shame.

Nor will people care about the town’s response to Superstorm Sandy. If Hurricane Irene didn’t prepare the town for Sandy, it’s hard to believe Aberdeen will be any better prepared for the next storm.

Republicans will run on a campaign of ideas but, as President Obama so artfully demonstrated, ideas don’t win campaigns. Votes win campaigns. And votes require strategy and lots of hard work.

Then there’s the school board. Once again, the town demonstrated breathtaking apathy about the education of our children and property taxes by simply voting for the top slots on the ballot regardless of which candidates occupied those top slots.

It doesn’t have to be this way. All it takes is leadership and lots of hard work to turn around Aberdeen. Till then, expect more of the same because that’s what the voters of Aberdeen want. 
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