The Courier - October 16, 2008

M'town Democratic candidates not going anywhere

By MELISSA L. GAFFNEY
Staff Writer

    With the big election less than three weeks away, candidates are getting down to business and hitting the tough issues, from the municipal level up.
    On Monday, Oct. 6, Democratic candidates vying for seats on the Middletown Township Committee, Patricia Walsh and Jim Grenafege, held a press conference; more than 30 people attended.
    Walsh, also an 11-year member of the Middletown Board of Education, said there are many characteristics of an elected official, all of which imply holding some degree of public trust.
    Walsh said residents should expect respect, ethical conduct, accountability and honesty from a governing body, traits GOP members of the sitting Township Committee do not possess.
    The candidate cited the Banfield property, at 36 Church St., as one such instance where the administration knew there was a contamination problem, yet still purchased the property more than 10 years ago and proceeded to build the Middletown Township Cultural Arts Center on it.
    "I can't believe a group would be so irresponsible," Walsh said. "We literally don't know the extent of the problem. And who's going to pick up the tab? Dig deep into your pockets, because it's going to be you and me." Although Wall Street has risen from the rubble during the past week, the economic crisis is still fresh in the public's mind. "This isn't the time to find out we might have to pay more (for Banfield)," Walsh said.
    Grenafege said he was deeply concerned that Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger has not addressed the economic crisis in Middletown. The candidate said residents should know how their tax money is spent and be assured it is spent well.
    "As I knock on doors in various Middletown neighborhoods, people tell me how hard they are working - if they are still working for their money," Grenafege said. "How quickly their money is spent, and how they get less for each dollar."
    The candidate said he would call for a 10-percent reduction in the municipal budget, as did Monmouth County during the past fiscal cycle, as well as cap legal fees and set a new standard for the township's billing process.
    "It is time for leadership that stands in the present and plans for the near-and-distant future," he said. "It is time for leadership that provides direction, oversight and accountability to ensure the financial stability of the township during good times, and in the more difficult ones that we as a community and a nation now face."
    Often the more quiet of the two, Grenafege spoke directly to his concerns and said he was in this game "To play it and to win it," the candidate said. "And 1 will stay in it."
    Despite public scrutiny and a recall petition intended to pressure the candidate regarding her school board seat, Walsh said she is not going anywhere.