Saturday Morning Cartoons: It’s Time For Spring

It’s about time Old Man Winter picked up his snow and got the heck outta here. It’s time for spring I say, it’s time for spring!

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President Obama’s Weekly Address: 2/27/10 The Olympic Spirit, the Spirit of Bipartisanship, and Health Reform

The President takes a moment to congratulate our Olympic athletes. Discussing the unity and pride Americans feel in cheering them on, the President relates that sentiment to his own desire for bipartisanship in Washington. He praises the recent bipartisan meeting and talks about moving forward on health reform.

What The Heck Is Going On With The Lincroft Sports Complex?

What the heck is going on with the Lincroft Sports Complex? It sounds like some improprieties are taking place that needs to be looked into and addressed.

It seems as though the Director of Middeltown’s Parks and Recreation department, Greg Silva, met with members of the River Plaza/Lincroft Chargers Pop Warner team on Wednesday night and basically told the group that the town was moving ahead with the plans for West Front Street and inferred that Pop Warner will get everything they want and encouraged them to support the town’s efforts to move them from Trezza Field. He informed them that the plans for the site will be up on the Town’s website within the next couple of days, but that the new turf field project will be built at West Front Street Park and that the Chargers should get on board with it or in other words, take it or leave it because there will be no field improvements coming to their existing playing field.

If that wasn’t bad enough Silva went on to explain to them that he had a friend who is a contractor (Precise Construction) who could install the field at West Front Street. Allegedly Silva told the group that he has been keeping his friend informed of the bidding specs for the job so that he would have the advantage when both artificial turf fields for Croydon Hall and West Front Street are ready to be bid out.

I found out about all this from two sources, the first being a string of chat room entries left on the NJ.com Middletown Forum by an anonymous poster using the alias of Nofield4you and from another person who shall remain nameless, due to their position within the town and their affilation with Pop Warner and opposition group.

The second source collaborated much of what Nofield4you stated in his chat room entries which I have posted below, and few other pieces of information, some that I printed above and other information that I was asked to hold onto and not blog about just yet:

21681. Mayor pushes us
by Nofield4you, 2/24/10 23:51 ET
Why push us into supporting your plan, when we don’t want to move to west front street? Our plan by far is better for our program, saves taxpayer dollars and is not corrupt… Why have Greg Silvers Friend Precise Construction plan our future… Will they bid the project that Greg has given them the inside scoop? Guarantee the bid is protested and files charged against Greg and the township as soon as its posted and precise submits a bid…

21678. Hey Middletown mike
by Nofield4you, 2/24/10 23:39 ET
Guess what, we have the evidence you need to hang the mayor and other corrupt politicians in Middletown. FYI Greg Silver has a friend who is a contractor and potential bidder of the synthetic field, known as precise construction, guess what Greg has been talking to them all along the way and the bid specs have been made to their advantage… Want more, I got a mouth full of crap to hang several committee members who are ramming this down river plaza parents throats.

21677. Corydon Hall Field
by Nofield4you, 2/24/10 23:38 ET
Wow amazingly the wetland issue at croydon hall is worse then river plaza and the town committee refuses to allow turf at River plaza due to wetlands, unless the contractor is Greg silvers friend Precise construction… Hey Mayor I know the wetland boundaries and Croydon hall does not comply…

21676. River Plaza Field
by Nofield4you, 2/24/10 23:37 ET
Greg Silver has made it clear he has a friend known as Precise Construction who installs turf field and its either West front street or nothing for river plaza… Hey Greg, FYI the fun bunch will win as they did at HS north and you and your friend Precise will be out of the bid and probably in jail with the mayor. Go back to freehold where the grass is brown and natural you fat overpaid piece of crap

Now if what Nofield4you and my second collaborating source stated is true then I think Mr. Silva has a lot of explaining to do and he should do that explaining before others come knocking on his door to ask him about it.

Providing information to a contractor in order to boost their chances at winning a closed bidding process is not just unethical but a crime I believe.

Also the above leaves questions in the mind about the real intentions of the Mayor and Township Committee. It makes it seem that no matter what the opposition is to the West Front Street complex, the Town plans on pushing forward with the turf field complex whether or not residents in the area approve of it and runs contrary to what the Mayor has told them.

Lincroft Resident Speaks Out Against Sports Complex

The Following letter to the editor appears in this weeks Independent:

Here we go again. It appears that our elected officials haven’t learned their lesson from their last attempt to try and impose a sports complex in Lincroft.

This time their choice of fields is on the corner of West Front Street and Everett Road, right on the border of Holmdel.

For the last 30 years, these fields have been used by various soccer clubs with complete enjoyment and acceptance by the residents. Now Middletown Township, in their desperate attempt to use a $2,300,000 taxpayers’ bond and provide a new home for the Pop Warner Chargers, has decided that this location is the best available.

This plan was proposed on Oct. 19 and approved in December without full disclosure to the public as to the intent and extent of the full use of the fields.

What are they thinking? To build two turf fields with 70-foot lights, public-address system, enlarged parking area, snack bar, and surrounded by a chain-link fence, without informing residents of this change, is insulting. Furthermore, to plan this on a busy county road and dangerous intersection without first doing a traffic study is beyond rational or responsible thinking.

Imposing this sports complex in a peaceful residential area, across the street from a church without the residents’ knowledge is deceptive, deceitful and dishonest. This lack of transparency should be illegal, and our township officials should be ashamed of themselves and be held accountable.

Yes, Pop Warner needs an improved field, but to put one in this location will only lead to more serious problems. The tremendous increase in traffic alone is dangerous for the residents, church members and, most importantly, our children. The disregard shown with respect to how this proposed sports complex would affect our quality of life and decrease our property value speaks volumes about our elected officials and their way of doing business. It is completely unacceptable. Period.

Mary Rodgers-Mahoney

A Blueprint For Middletown To Follow On How A Finance Committee Could Be Structured And Utilized

For the past few years Middletown Committeeman Sean Byrnes has been advocating for a “Finance Committee” to be form in Middletown so that the Township can get a better grasp on it’s finances and not have to wait several months into the calendar year before adopting a budget.

Byrnes has argued that the way the budget process is now handled is inefficient and antiquated and needs to be restructured in such a way that would provide better over site of spending and identify in advance any trends that may prove problematic during the year.

Each time Byrnes has suggested the idea of a finance committee he has be rebuffed by the Republicans that have controlled the township committee for the greater part of the last quarter century.

Their reasoning behind opposing such a committee is weak at best. I have heard everything from the cost of setting up new committee (which would be negligible being it would be staffed with members of the Township Committee, the Town Administrator and volunteers) to the reasoning that Township Committee members act as their own finance committee to oversee and question spending (even though none are qualified to due so).

Sean Byrnes has counter argued that other towns, major corporations and most charities group and non-profit organization have them. It is simply a good business practice.

Recently Jack Archibald, a councilman in Atlantic Highlands and a contributing columnist for the Atlantic Highlands Herald, wrote a column explaining how the budget process works in Atlantic Highlands. Can you guess what is mentioned in that column? That’s right a Finance Committee.

Archibald pretty much lays out the blueprint for Middletown on how to structure and use a Finance Committee:

“…our municipal budget began to take shape in December. At that time, our administrator, Adam Hubeny, and Chief Financial Officer Gerry Gagliano, hold kick-off meetings with various department heads and discuss their needs for the coming year. Once that is compiled, a rough draft of a budget is presented to the finance committee. In general, the finance committee is comprised of three council members who report back to either the Borough Council or Township Committee as a whole.

In a few towns, the governing body has formed a citizens committee to review and make suggestions to the budget. While this public input is welcome, municipal accounting is a very specialized practice, and crafting a municipal budget is subject to many state regulations and caps that do not seem to make much sense to the average citizen….”

It makes perfect sense, the administrator, the CFO, 3 Committee members and maybe some input from qualified residents get together make recommendations and then draft preliminary budget document to be submitted to the Mayor and other members of the township committee to consider.

The only reason I can think of for not forming a Finance Committee is that the majority in charge doesn’t want others to see where and how the Middletown taxpayers money is being spent on needless pet projects or salaries and benefits for loyal GOPers who make a living from the town in one way or another.

Middletown School Board Invites Governor to Forum To Discuss How The Proposed Cuts to State Aid Will Affect Schools

From the Atlantic Highlands Herald –

Middletown, NJ – On Thursday, March 4, the Middletown Township School District will host a forum on the way Governor’s proposed cuts to state aid will affect the school district. The forum will be held at the Middletown High School North Auditorium at 7:30 PM. The school is located at 63 Tindall Road in Middletown, off Route 35 North. Governor Chris Christie has been personally invited to the forum to learn how his proposals may directly result in nearly $6 million in cuts to the largest K-12 school district in Monmouth County. Middletown’s elected officials are expected to take part in the forum panel. The public is invited and encouraged to learn how the Governor’s proposals to balance the state budget will impact education in Middletown and throughout New Jersey.

The Governor’s recent actions to substitute school district surplus for state aid reduced funding for Middletown’s 2010-2011 budget by $2.3 million, and reduced our State Aid by $2.8 million overall. District surplus results from efficiencies in budgeting and saved cost accumulated through the year. These savings are directly applied to reduce the amount taxpayers are asked to fund the school budget the next year. It is more appropriately labeled taxpayer relief. The Governor’s actions will essentially increase Middletown property taxes to fund the state’s budget deficit. This is not an equitable action and the Middletown School District and its taxpayers are being penalized for the district’s frugality. Middletown has consistently remained efficient and fiscally prudent, as evidenced by the district maintaining a per pupil cost well below the state average.
Middletown Business Administrator William Doering recently testified to the State Assembly Budget Committee, stating, “Our district and several others have worked hard to achieve savings and have aggressively managed our budgets to save as much money as possible.”

Nice try by the Middletown Board of Education to put a spotlight on the districts needs and to inform residents of the problems that will be created when Gov. Christie imposes aid cuts to school districts, by inviting him to discuss his cuts to school districts in a town hall like forum.

I just don’t think Christie has enough in him to to handle such a meeting and have to answer how cuts to education will effect the local tax structure, to devote an hour or more of his time to defend himself in front of an auditorium full of angry taxpayers who will question his judgement on the issue.

So I wouldn’t expect to see him there, but it should be worthwhile for residents to attend anyway to hear how the school district and local officials intends to handle the cuts in state aid.

Christie to Carton to Strawberry, Oh Boy !!

On my way home this morning I was listening to the Boomer and Carton show on Sports Radio 66 WFAN.

I tuned in just in time to hear host Craig Carton ask former NY Met Darryl Strawberry if he would be a member of Boomer and Carton’s softball team for a charity game against the Yankee Old Timers sometime in mid July at Yankee Stadium.

After talking with Strawberry about this year’s Mets team the two hosts speculated about other members of the softball team that will take the field against the Yankee Old Timers.

One name that stood out was Governor Chris Christie, (it seems as though the two are very friendly according to Carton in the past) Carton said that the governor has already committed to joining the team and playing at the stadium this July.

Boomer thought that it was great that the governor committee to play but ask Carton what position he would play? Boomer stated that he would be playing center field, Carton took shortstop and they assigned 1st base to Strawberry and Christie would be the 3rd baseman if he could lose a little weight.

Tinker to Evers to Chance…Christie to Carton to Strawberry…Oh Boy!

Listen to the interview >>>Here