EDITOR:
If you think your vote does not matter, think again.
The town of Bernardsville is undergoing one of the largest
capital projects in its history with the $50 million expansion
of its school system.
Verizon is moving approximately 1,500 new positions to its
Basking Ridge facility. This should be good news for Bernardsville
businesses, but will again bring more people to our town.
This means a greater impact on our school system, and our
police and emergency workers.
The town manages some significant properties. The town-owned
library continues to have one of the biggest circulations
in New Jersey, and falls under the watch of our town as landlord.
The pool itself, the longtime “cash cow” of
town revenues, is in need of updating and repair. New tennis
courts being built alongside the pool also need regular maintenance.
Our playgrounds are in need of improvement. They consist
of outdated, and in some cases dangerous, equipment, are
riddled with poison ivy, and are in need of landscaping and
basic amenities such as trashcans and picnic tables.
With the elimination of courtesy busing within two miles,
many more children now walk to and from school. Additional
sidewalks are now urgently needed to provide for their safety.
These will have to be maintained and cleared of snow and
ice in the winter. Increased drop-off and pick-up lines at
both Bedwell Elementary and Bernardsville Middle schools
now affect traffic on public streets.
The recreation department is chronically under-funded. It
does a wonderful job with what limited resources it has,
but is unable to provide many cultural activities which have
become commonplace in other towns. Mobilization of the many
talents available in Bernardsville needs to be undertaken
to provide cultural events for all our citizens, children
through seniors.
Whether you are for more or less government, are a Republican,
Democrat or Independent, one thing is certain: We need an
effective town council who understands these serious issues.
An effective council needs leadership. We need leaders who
have proven experience, and “who can walk the shop
floor” to make sure things are getting done correctly.
We need leaders who will ensure that budgets are met, performance
measures are reached and projects are completed as envisioned
by those who voted for them. These principles apply both
in running the operations of the town and in our capital
projects.
This is why we need Joe Rossi and John McCrossan on our
town council. Rossi is an existing councilman who has made
numerous contributions to the betterment of the town. He
understands what things cost, how projects get built, financed
and completed properly. We need his skills, leadership and
know-how now more than ever.
McCrossan has an operations background, and has managed
hundreds of employees. He knows how to run an organization,
make tough decisions and manage expenses. He has shown a
great dedication to our town through his volunteer commitments
to recreation and sports programs.
Rossi and McCrossan understand the dire infrastructure needs
of our community and have a solid plan to address these through
better use of, not more, tax dollars.
If you think your vote does not matter, think again. Get
involved. Vote for Joe Rossi and John McCrossan.
MICHAEL P. O’BRIEN
Bernardsville
©Recorder Newspapers 2005
