What’s Next?

The blog has been in decline ever since I left town and with good reason. I no longer live in Aberdeen. I don’t see what’s happening, my relationships are no longer the same, I’m not personally involved, and I don’t have easy access to records.

At the same time, virtually every elected official I fought against is either out or on the way out.

So, what’s left to do? I’ve given thought to writing about state or national issues, particularly in the areas of education, but this blog has always been about ideas that could be converted into policy.

There are still plenty of hot button issues in town – Pay-to-play, teacher contracts, police contracts, the fire companies, health and pension benefits, spending and tax increases, development projects, COAH, municipal elections, student performance, and the list goes on.

But I don’t have the information.

For example, CME, the town’s engineer, is being awarded big bucks at nearly every town hall meeting in exchange for their funding the Aberdeen democrats in November’s election. But the real data lies in getting a copy of the town’s payment history to CME. Easy to do if you live in town but I no longer do.

Once again, the Aberdeen democrats have chosen to circumvent election financial disclosure laws by running four “independent” campaigns that magically divide all revenue and expenses four-ways and run the identical campaigns.

The one new twist is Kathleen Olsen, the recently retired middle school principal, is now the chairperson and treasurer for all four of the democrats’ “independent” campaigns.

So, what’s next? Dunno. But Aberdeen is a great town with great people and I’m hopeful someone will step forward to assume the mantle of Aberdeener.

Till then, the blog will continue but it won’t be what it once was. >>> Read more!

Blog Like an Aberdeener

I’m opening my blog to anyone in the community who wishes to write an article. Any local elected official can submit an article and it will be published as is. For everybody else, I prefer opinion pieces that are substantiated with sources and are written coherently. Special preference will always be given to opposing viewpoints. If I believe edits are warranted, the author will be able to review those edits prior to posting.

In all instances, I will require some form of contact information so that I can confirm the author’s identity. All articles can be emailed to Aberdeener@gmail.com.

There’s no secret where I get my information. Although it’s fashionable to think I have a “source” at the township, the reality is far more mundane. Sometimes I hear stories from old timers, often I read the comments on my blog for ideas, but, most of all, I read old news stories and then check if there’s a story behind the story.

Below are the request forms and sites I use the most for my research. If anyone wishes to suggest additional resources, I welcome the input.

OPRA Requests –
Township Version – submit to Karen Ventura
School District Version – submit to Sue Irons
County Version – follow county instructions
(Please note my version of the township OPRA form is slightly different from the version on the township website. My version is less confusing.)

State / County Records -
State Property Tax
County Property Tax
County Tax History
County Property Records
County Municipal Overview

Meeting Minutes –
Aberdeen Township
Matawan Aberdeen Regional School District

Google -
Web
News
Blog
Scholarly Articles
Books
Google Advanced Search

New Jersey State –
Department of Education
COAH
Election Law Enforcement Commission
Business Gateway Service (lists businesses and their officers)

Local News -
Independent
Asbury Park Press
The Courier

National News (editorial) -
Wall Street Journal
NY Sun
Washington Post
Washington Times

Local Blogs -
Matawan Advocate
Matawan Aberdeen Observer
Read All About It >>> Read more!