August 7th, Subject: Use of false information

    As the campaigning for Middletown Township Committee heats up, it appears that the Republicans will be relying upon the same old rhetoric and tactics from past campaigns: namely the use of misinformation and deceit. Statements made by Republican Township Committee candidate Tony Fiore provide the most recent example of this behavior.
    Mr. Fiore is asserting that Democratic Committee candidates support the recent changes in the New Jersey Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) legislation, yet this could not be further from the truth. Spreading false rumors is unfortunately a staple of Republican campaigning. Republicans seem eager to misrepresent Democrats’ positions in the hopes that Middletown voters won’t catch onto their inaccuracies. Luckily, voters are smart and they appreciate hearing the whole truth.
    The whole truth is that the Democratic candidates for Township Committee, Pat Walsh and Jim Grenafege, have never supported this new legislation and current Democratic Committeemen Pat Short and Sean Byrnes are backing the resolution currently before the Township Committee that opposes the new COAH rules.
    The whole truth is also that the situation Middletown is in regarding COAH regulations is a direct result of poor management by Republicans on the planning board. Concerns about the urbanization of Middletown are arising now only because the township has few alternatives left when it comes to meeting its affordable housing obligations. If members of the township planning board (all of whom are Republicans) had better planned for affordable housing, Middletown would not be in its present situation. Members of the planning board, like Republican Township Committee candidates Fiore and Brightbill, have only themselves to blame for the inflexibility Middletown now faces in meeting its affordable housing requirements.
    Ultimately, the whole truth is that Middletown residents do not need to tolerate the lies and deceit employed by Republican politicians in our township. Residents deserve to hear the truth and have openness in their government. The leaders of our township committee are there to represent our interests and act accordingly. Spreading false information is not in the public interest, and hopefully Middletown voters this fall can show that it is not in Republicans’ interest either.

Don Watson
New Monmouth, NJ