EDITOR:
We
are fortunate in Bernardsville to have four qualified candidates
for two positions on the Borough Council. All are able
and willing to give the time and effort necessary to participate
in governing our town.
But there are several very good reasons to re-elect Joe
Rossi and elect his running mate, John McCrossan. Most importantly,
they represent a potential force, along with some other members
of the Council, to bring openness and fairness to the governing
process. Without Rossi and others of the same conviction,
the citizens of Bernardsville would not have a strong and
vocal advocate for better roads and sidewalks, a fairer tax
structure, and a practical, unbiased approach to how our
tax dollars are spent.
Rossi has faced criticism, even censure, for taking constructive
action when the council has failed to act on certain issues.
And he is criticized for being too vocal or argumentative
on quality-of-life issues and financial issues involving
our library, our schools and our parks and ballfields.
Bernardsville deserves more of what Rossi brings to the
council, a standup attitude, knowledge of the issues, experience
in business project planning and execution, and a genuine
selfless interest in improving our town environment.
John McCrossan, while not as well known in the borough,
has expressed similar concerns and will be a supportive council
ally to Rossi.
McCrossan's focus has been mainly on insuring a more fair
tax situation with each property paying a share of our tax
burden commensurate with the real value of the property.
Toward this end, both candidates are committed to enforcing
a fair tax structure by re-assessing property values, requiring
all property owners with farmland assessments to justify their claims,
and petitioning the state to strengthen the farmland assessment criteria
to apply only to farmers and farmlands, not wealthy landowners with two
goats and a donkey.
So when voting, keep in mind which candidates are working
for you, which will try to get more bang for your tax buck,
and which will bring more attention to the tax fairness issue.
Joe Rossi and John McCrossan - Good for Bernardsville.
50 Childsworth Ave.
Bernardsville
©Recorder Newspapers 2005
