EDITOR:
Phil Pitney's and Peter Hagen's letters criticizing Joe
Rossi for "doing nothing during his three years as
councilman" to
effect changes to the Farmland Assessment State Ordinance
struck me as odd.
Both Pitney and Hagen criticize Rossi for not going to the state on his own,
without authority of the council, to effectuate changes to a state ordinance.
Two other letters, however, one from Pitney's wife, Barbara
Long, and the other from appointed Councilman Michael Landau,
criticize Rossi for acting alone in the clean up of the clogged
drainage pipe at Nervine Park.
Rossi was persecuted by the council and the council even
attempted to have him criminally prosecuted for cleaning
leaves out of a clogged pipe because, they maintain, he acted
unilaterally. How can these people criticize him for acting
independently of the council and then criticize him for not acting independently
of the council? Is that fair?
Pitney quotes Rossi as saying his fellow council members "hate him over his position
on Farmland Assessment." Perhaps Rossi is naïve if he thinks this is
the only reason they hate him. As Pitney almost correctly points out, only
two, not one, members of the council are presently protected by Farmland
Assessment. There must be other reasons, as well, that they dislike Rossi.
I find it difficult to imagine that criminal charges would
have been pursued against any other council member for unclogging
a drainage ditch. Even if Rossi was in error and the pipe
didn't need unclogging, even if the full council had not
already appropriated money to clean the ditch, and even if
Rossi mistakenly hurt precious wetlands, all of which is not true, I can't
imagine that the council would have traveled the path they chose against
any other councilman.
I don't think Rossi could be considered paranoid for feeling
some of his fellow council members do not like him. Of course,
no other member of the council would have been out there
on a weekend day, cleaning the ditch at his own expense with
his own hands, to help the town.
Pitney would have us believe that Rossi and McCrossan enjoy
paying high taxes themselves. They would have us believe
that Rossi and McCrossan just want to spend our money. In
fact, however, Rossi and McCrossan want to provide the proper
infrastructure, services, recreation areas and safety for
all of our residents through better and more efficient use
of the tax dollars we already have, "more
for less" rather than the "less for more" that we usually get.
They also hope to see changes to the Farmland Assessment
ordinance that will allow much needed tax money to come into
the borough coffers.
I hope the voters of Bernardsville join me on Nov. 8 when
I vote for Rossi and McCrossan for Borough Council.
ROBERT A. STEINKOPF
22 Hill St.
Bernardsville
(Editor's
Note: The writer is a former member of the Borough Council.)
©Recorder Newspapers 2005
