Of Mice and Men (and Women)

According to an old army rule, you never look at your enemy’s family photos because, the moment you do, you realize he’s a family man, too. Though I have been a consistent and harsh critic of the Matawan-Aberdeen Board of Education and the Aberdeen Township Council, this past week I was taught a bit of humility.

Last Friday, at the prompting of some readers, I sent an email to James Lauro, Aberdeen’s acting town manager, regarding sewers in Freneau and seawall development. I was greatly, and pleasantly, surprised to receive a phone call from Mayor Sobel in response to the email; it was the first time we ever spoke.

Mayor Sobel was very generous with his time and patiently answered my questions. Regarding the seawall, he explained the township won $262,000 in matching grants, meaning the money will be released when the township allocates matching funds. CME Associates, the township engineer, is presently developing plans to widen the seawall and provide beach access as part of an overall plan to promote the shore. My guess is we’ll hear more about the project in time for next year’s election (there are no matching funds in this year’s budget).

Regarding Freneau, he explained that sewers would cost millions of dollars and the money isn’t there absent development in Aberdeen Forge. I asked about scaling back the road improvement program and using some of that money towards the sewers. The Mayor said he didn’t believe the sewers had sufficient community support to warrant the massive investment, that his understanding was many, if not most, homeowners were content with their septic tanks.

The conversation then segued into other development projects. He explained that the Anchor Glass Area was purchased by Somerset Development but that he was unaware of any real progress. He also warned against relying too heavily on proposed development plans as these projects often result in something very different from the original vision.

I told Mayor Sobel that I was very concerned with the selection of Silver Oak Properties as the primary developer for the Transit Village Project. Not only does Silver Oak have no experience with large-scale development, the owner, William Bocra, is a convicted felon, having gone to prison for three years after attempting to bribe an IRS auditor. I expressed that, given the large number of local developers arrested on bribery charges, including the original Aberdeen Forge developer, Anthony Spalliero, appearances matter.

Mayor Sobel said he understood my concerns but felt the point had become moot. He said it was his understanding that the township no longer has any standing relationship with Silver Oak Properties and that he’s not had any recent discussions with them. He further assured me that “not one shovel” would hit the transit area until the roadways were first expanded, at an estimated cost of $125 million, to handle the increased traffic. Sure enough, a cursory review of payments to the township attorney, Daniel McCarthy, reveals only a few inconsequential payments regarding Silver Oak.

My biggest surprise was Mayor Sobel expressing he had no strong opposition to merging the township with Matawan.

We ended the conversation on good terms and he offered to make himself available for future discussions.

Also last week, Patricia Demarest became President of the district’s Board of Education. We have always been on good terms since I first began attending board meetings but I had become concerned, following the heated election, that our relationship would become strained. Not so. She’s been as warm and open as ever. Though I don’t care for her allies on the school board, I have always admired her for her integrity and desire to help the students of our district. When nobody else on her side of the aisle appeared at Meet the Candidates night, she was there.

When she was elected president, I was the first to applaud her.

I mention Mayor Sobel and Board President Demarest because it takes great character to reach out to one of your harshest and most vocal critics. And I contrast their actions against School Board Member Barbato who retained legal counsel to issue me a cease and desist letter that accused me of committing “liable” [sic].

Although I will likely continue to criticize and dissent, I intend to give every opportunity to the opposition to express their viewpoints. I’m a strong believer in lively debate and I welcome any courtesy the opposition extends towards me.

Mayor Sobel and Board President Demarest, thank you for your time and patience. I look forward to speaking with you in the future. >>> Read more!