May 22nd - Subject: Committee misleading on affordable housing

    Deputy Mayor Pamela Brightbill and the majority of the Middletown Committee continue to mislead the residents of Middletown on affordable housing.
    In the last letter that Deputy Mayor Brightbill put out, she makes the case that by lowering property taxes, it would create affordable housing. Where I agree that a reduction in property taxes would help current property owners, the fact is that unless this in turn lowered property values in town this would have no effect on the young residents looking to start families in the town they grew up in.
    Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger and Deputy Mayor Brightbill are out of touch with the growing problems that face many young adults today. Housing has become one of the biggest problems for young adults.
    Mayor Scharfenberger tells his story about living in a small apartment and working two jobs and saving to get a house. The fact is today that many young adults do work two jobs and they still have huge difficulties paying their bills and putting food on the table.
    Today it takes two to three incomes to get an apartment and to meet the cost of their monthly bills in our area. With many young adults coming out of college with $25,000 of debt and starting wages around $30,000-$40,000 a year if they can find a job, they are just not able to move to the next step in life.
    Many of these young adults work hard in the service industry, our hospitals, teach in our schools, are police, are on the fire department, are on the first aid, and are in the armed forces. Without these people the town would not function. By telling them that they are good enough to serve us but not to live in our town with the actions of the majority on the committee is a bad reflection on the committee and the town.
    In closing, I feel the need to make clear that this is not a handout to go to people that are not working. This is the housing for your children, the people that keep this community safe, and the people who fight for our freedoms abroad.
    I am lucky to have a job that I can afford to live in Middletown. Many of the people I went to school with and grew up with are not. This is why I feel the need to speak ort their behalf and stand up for them when their elected officials will not even listen to the problems that face them today.

Matthew Morehead
Chairman
Monmouth County Bayshore Young Democrats