>It seems as though I am not the only resident in Middletown to receive a “Robo” call from mayor Scharfenberger last night (mine came just before 9pm) many others received them also, some as late as 10:30 pm. I have been the recipient a number of emails this morning complaining about this Robo call.
The thinly veiled campaign phone call to residents was disguised as a public service message from the mayor, informing residents about the the importance of recycling and the Township’s Recycle to Save program.
One emailer said that they went to Town Hall, ran into Heidi Blunt, the Twp Clerk, and complained about the phone call that they received from Gerry Scharfenberger at 10:30pm last night. She was told by Heidi Blunt that she had received many complaints today from people being called late at night about this. Blunt stated however, that an outside company was outsourced for this process and that they(township) were looking into the problem today to prevent this from happening again.
Another wanted to know if “…those robo-calls have a cost associated with them?” and that they had “..already sent a message to GS via his election website (since I couldn’t find an email address/fax for the Mayors office) expressing my extreme displeasure… last night was such a thinly-veiled campaign message that it sent me over the edge…”
A few emailers are wondering what was so important about the recycling message that it necessitated a Robo call in the first place, after all the Townships newsletter Middletown Matters already devoted a full page to the Recycle to Save program in its latest issue that has been showing up in residents mail boxes along with a half page commentary by Scharfenberger himself talking about the budget as well as the recycling issue.
The one emailer raises a good point, what was the cost of these phone calls? The timing and necessity of the Robo call raises the specter of Gerry using taxpayer dollars to fund a portion of his re-election campaign which is of course unethical and illegal.
I would like to know the cost to the township was for last night’s phone call and if Gerry Scharfenberger has any intention of reimbursing the taxpayers for them.
MiddletownMike 
>Thought calls like this were illegal at that time of night.This man skates on the edge of right and wrong all the time, HUH ???
>Using the taxpayers money to fund the enclosures in the tax bills with all the distorted data and using the town newsletter for more inaccurate propaganda and now robo calls about recyling. Is any of this within the law ? Reminds this poster of Sharfey's behavior that created problems for Monmouth University (where he is employed) in a previous election cycle when he used the college e-mail system for political purposes.Does this man ever learn the difference between right and wrong?Beginning to think Middletown is some kind of dictatorship……Spare us please !
>Another reason this Mayor can not be trusted to the right thing for the taxpayers. This was not an emergency and did not require a robo call. Maybe the Mayor thinks it's an emergency, because he keeps on stepping in it since his campaign for a third term is in jeopardy.Desperate act for a desperate Mayor.Thank God the public has become aware of his overstepping his position as an elected official not Mayor. The public did not vote for him to be Mayor, his own party did. Time for a change.
>Mike,Wasn't this Sean Byrnes' idea?
>Sean Byrnes idea for what? Calling residents at 10:30 at night. No that was not his idea.But if you mean the recycling of paper and cardboard I believe it was. He mentioned it many times at Committee meetings before the Recycle to Save program was announced by Schary.
>Thanks Mike,I thought the paper pick up was Sean Byrnes' idea. Just wanted to confirm that.