May 29th - Subject: Personal Attacks Threaten Legitimate Debate

    As a public official, I would prefer not to wade into the minefield of public letter writing, but the recent letter from my colleague, Mayor Scharfenberger, forces me to leave the sidelines. The Mayor jumped into a written, public exchange between Mr. Michael Vitkansas and Mr. Donald Watson over Middletown's 2008 budget. Mr. Vitkansas charged Pat Short and me with making last minute budget proposals, and Mr. Watson criticized Mr. Vitkansas for suggesting that budget preparation should be left to the employees of the Township. In the interest of full disclosure, I believe both of these men are active in their political parties and are doing their best for their respective team. While I don't agree with Mr. Vitkansas' suggestion that residents stay on the sidelines when it comes to budget issues, he has a right to express his point of view, as does Mr. Watson.
    What disturbed me was the Mayor's personal attack against Mr. Watson. I am not personally familiar with the circumstances he alleges of moving campaign signs, but I question what relevance that has to a debate over the budget. From the Mayor's perspective, it would appear that Mr. Watson no longer has any right to express a public opinion on anything. This is not the first time he has dredged up these charges of "disorderly conduct" in a public forum. (Schwargenberger Letter of 10/23/07). Rather than address the substantive issues head-on, his letter leads with this personal attack. Personal attacks pursue the intellectual path of least resistance. Demonize your enemy and you undermine his authority. If we accept this type of personal attack, it threatens legitimate debate. Few of us have broom-clean closets, free of skeletons. We all trip up at some point, but our missteps should not silence us forever. Many men and women have fallen on the path to greatness. If someone wishes to contribute their voice to a debate, they should be free to do so. Surely, when we elect public officials, we have a right to judge them based on their record and past achievements and failures. But a person, who is not an elected official, should not be subject to this type of personal attack -coming from the Township's Mayor -- every time he offers an opinion on matters that are important to this Township. Engaging in such attacks is a slippery slope that will only lead other political party supporters to scour driving records and personal histories in search of dirt on anyone who dares to challenge those in power. In a world where our personal histories are a few mouse clicks away, we must all condemn the use of personal attacks as weapons in otherwise legitimate debates on the difficult issues facing our Township.
    I have listened at our Township Committee meetings to Mr. Watson advocate consistently on behalf of open government, encouraging our Town to post more and more information on our website, including proposed resolutions and ordinances in advance of our meetings. This would enable the public to understand in advance the issues to be discussed at the public meetings. His voice, and the voice of others, should be heard. People should not be afraid that voicing their opinion on issues will invite personal attacks. Let's stay focused on the issues.

Sean F. Byrnes
Middletown Township Committeeman
Middletown, NJ