Dear Aberdeener:
As the Republican candidate for Mayor, thank you for the opportunity to respond to your open questions regarding the state of our town. As many of your posters have noted, the Republican candidates, Anthony Garaguso, Sheilah Balavram and Mike Vail and I, have been out walking door to door in our community for the past two months, talking to our neighbors and listening, - in fact, a lot of listening. In case there is any question – ABERDEEN – WE HEAR YOU LOUD AND CLEAR! You had had enough and want change and accountability from your local officials.
You told us you want transparent government – not back room dealing.
You told us you want real financial control – not gimmicks and giveaways.
You told us you want real tax stability – not election year trickery.
You told us you want a vision and goal to make Aberdeen a community we can be proud of – not a place where the select few get the perks.
The same party has been in control for over a decade. In 2007, in return for your vote, they promised more accountability and a pay to play ordinance. Come 2009 – nothing. In 2007 they promised you senior housing – Come 2009 – nothing. In 2007 they promised you a revitalized beachfront - Come 2009 – nothing.
I will not promise you things I can not deliver, but I will pledge to you that if I am elected:
• First, a pay to play ordinance will be introduced for a vote before July 1, 2010 and I will vote in favor of that ordinance;
• Second, I will not seek election to more than two terms. New blood and new ideas are vital to good governance and allowing perpetual tenure of elected officials leads to a mentality of corruption and entitlement;
• Third, any monies paid by Aberdeen Township to anyone will be posted online for public scrutiny and review and all matters of public concern will be open and transparent. All meetings, public or private, attended by me as Mayor will be posted for public review. Lastly, I will make myself available on a weekly basis to discuss any matters of concern with any resident during evenings and weekends;
• Fourth, I will convene a series of public meeting in ALL areas of our community to map out our strategic vision, priorities and an achievable set of long range goals that we, as a community, hope to reach. Without public input and agreement on our goals and priorities, we merely end up floating where the tide takes us. Conversely, if we all know where we are going and we all row a little, together we can achieve great things;
• Fifth, I will actively seek out ways to ensure our seniors can remain in their homes and vibrant members of the community via volunteerism or other community based programs;
• Sixth; I will not accept any contribution from any developer who has business in Aberdeen, nor will I place a developer or their cronies in official positions such as the COAH mediation team as the present council did. Our town is not for sale to developers. Development must be balanced to ensure our local resources are properly preserved;
• Seventh; when a financial problem faces the community, I will not take the quick fix for the sake of my re-election. This year, instead of facing the town’s distressing financial situation head on, Mr. Tagliarini and the Council voted to side step the issue by taking money from the library and not making payments into the pension fund. Unfortunately, taking library money is a one time fix and the deferral of the pension payments means the money will have to be paid back in the future, leaving next years budget in the red before the year even starts. I pledge to face all issues which come before me as Mayor with the best interest of the Township as my first and only concern. If that means it will cause me a political problem in the future – so be it;
• Eighth; Aberdeen expends far more money on engineering, legal and professional services than other comparably sized communities in Monmouth County. Why – because these are the very people who fund the current party in power. In return for the volume of work they are given by the Council, they contribute handsomely to the Aberdeen Democratic Party. In 2007, the Democratic Party expended over $50,000 to win the election. Guess where the money came from. I pledge to thoroughly investigate the excessive amount paid to these professional consultants and further promise that the all future professional contracts will go to the lowest responsible professional service provider – not the best donor to the party;
The residents of Aberdeen deserve to know where the candidates stand on these issues and many others discussed on this blog. To that end, I have invited Mr. Tagliarini to join me in an open public forum in October to fully discuss and debate these issues. Click here to link to that letter. All of the glossy fliers, slick political mailers and campaign money mean nothing if the residents do not know where their candidates stand on the issues. I certainly hope Mr. Tagliarini agrees join me to have an open and frank discussion about the issues facing our community. I ask all members of the Aberdeen community to join us, question us and demand answers.
In the end, I ask for your vote because Aberdeen deserves better than we have received in the past decade. But, in addition to your vote, I also ask for your involvement. I believe it is only by each of us contributing in some small part that we will be able to build a community in which we all take great pride. Finally, if you should honor me with your vote, I must ask that you tell me your concerns about the state of our community. I fully expect residents to question me frequently on any matter of public concern and demand I fully and directly answers questions. After placing your trust in me with your vote, you deserve no less. Should anyone wish to contact me, my e-mail address is TGAljian@gmail.com.
Sincerely,
Tom Aljian
Republican Candidate for Aberdeen Township Mayor
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Friday, September 11, 2009
The Republican Response
Monday, November 5, 2007
Aberdeen's Election Issues
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