Letters to the Editor, Observer-Tribune:
Tolley, Cioppettini will bring open government to Mendham
Township
Published: Oct 23rd, 7:14 AM
EDITOR:
While many of us may be thoroughly disgusted with the divisive political rhetoric that we are subjected to via the airwaves on a daily basis, there is also not a day that goes by when we aren’t also graphically exposed to persistent injustices that exist in societies around the world where free speech has never been a way of life.
However, we do know that free speech requires all of us to be suitably informed in order to effectively interpret the facts. That is especially true of last week’s letter to the editor praising the stewardship of the entire Township Committee in addition to backing the two Republican Township Committee members currently up for reelection on Nov. 3.
I’m rather confident that all of us who truly believe in sound governance would agree on several points that were stated in that letter to the editor, including that the Township Committee must serve the entire township; a difference of opinion among the township committee members is healthy; personal attacks especially in the form of public remarks are not helpful; and the Township Committee is expected to make decisions that are in the “best interest and safety of the entire township.”
Many of us would probably also agree with the characterization reflected in last week’s letter to the editor that “the Township Committee is the special interest group” in Mendham Township.
Unfortunately, it would be for very different reasons. Because, what seems very clear, is that the preponderance of decisions made by the committee are only in the best interest of the committee. An example of this is best highlighted by the remarks made in a televised meeting at the township elementary school when one of the committee members currently up for reelection stated that the residents of the township elected him to decide such matters and that the taxpayers should be grateful for his dedication to the community.
The clear implication was that other than casting a ballot on election day, township residents do not have the right to be involved in important township matters or be privy to details that have been perennially discussed behind closed doors. That committee member, in his infinite wisdom, ultimately knows what is best for the township on all matters without receiving any ongoing input from taxpayers.
In my opinion, that is not sound governance.
There has not been any tolerance for honest and open public discussion by the overwhelming majority of the Township Committee let alone acceptance for the expression of a difference in opinion. When I finally witnessed a difference of opinion being voiced on a high profile matter after diligently attending Township Committee meetings over the past six months, it merely precipitated one committee member to call Mayor (Frank) Cioppettini a “space cadet.”
Apparently, as is the norm, the expectation was that all committee members were on the same page and would vote in unison. Acting in accordance with sound governance, Mayor Cioppettini listened to comments made during the public portion of the meeting and offered a suggestion that clearly was in the “best interest and safety of the entire township.”
And for this, a fellow committee member resorted to name-calling.
Finally, for anyone who takes other than a superficial look at how “our Township Committee gets things done,” one would not speak so favorably in support of the committee’s stewardship. Those who know how things truly work in the township would agree that the process undertaken to lay the groundwork for the planning and construction of the new emergency services building is a perfect example of how the Township Committee gets things done.
However, an informed observer would certainly not agree that it represents a model process to emulate, let alone one to ever repeat. There is very little, if anything, about the new township emergency services building that is truly in the best interest or safety of the entire township or even our volunteer fire and rescue departments.
One thing that does always hold true is that anytime one embarks down a path in which intentions are not transparent, murky indefensible bad decisions are destined to follow. For this reason, I will be voting in favor of a new direction for Mendham Township.
This means casting my vote for the recently announced write-in candidate, Sam Tolley, as well as Frank Cioppettini, who I believe will both serve the entire township with focus, accountability, care and time.
DENIS J. DEEGAN
Summit Road
Mendham Township
Support write-in Tolley in Mendham Township
Published: Oct 23rd, 7:14 AM
EDITOR:
The Mendham Township Committee is in dire need of a member transplant.
Recent efforts by a large group of concerned township citizens to infuse accountability and transparency into the committee’s work have illuminated just how far out of touch Committeeman Jack Schrier is with the challenges faced by working, and out-of-work, Mendham families.
Current Mayor Frank Cioppettini has fared far better under the same taxpayer scrutiny.
I was more than pleasantly surprised to watch Sam Tolley, a former Mendham Township mayor, committeeman and fire chief, stand up last week and announce his write-in candidacy to challenge Jack Schrier. Tolley represents to me a clear opportunity for Mendham Township to return to citizen-led government, where a civic-minded neighbor, who shares many of the experiences and challenges faced by his fellow citizens, brings back civilized, responsive and reasoned thinking to township decisions.
I believe that Sam Tolley understands Mendham. He should; he has lived here for more than 45 years. I believe he understands the needs of Mendham families. He should; the last of his five children are still in Mendham Township school system, and his current work as a senior executive at a local community bank has made his perspective on the economic challenges faced by Mendham taxpayers fresh and real.
I believe he understands township government and its processes. He should; he was a three-term committeeman (including serving as the mayor in 1991), and has been a leader on the Planning Board since that time. And, I believe his interest in running is not self-serving, but out of a genuine commitment to fix what is wrong. It should be; he has already demonstrated his generous volunteer spirit on the fire department and with the Planning Board, and has no personal political ambition beyond serving the people of the township.
Most of all, I believe that Sam Tolley listens. It is clear to me that he knows what he does not know, and I feel that he will be listening closely to what his neighbors tell him, without judgment and without arrogance.
I cannot make any of these same statements about Jack Schrier. He has abundantly demonstrated his arrogance towards township taxpayers. He has proven that he is tone-deaf to our collective needs. And I can say similar things about Frank Cioppettini, however, he has already demonstrated that he will go the extra mile to listen carefully and genuinely.
So, my strong endorsement is for a new ticket: Tolley and Cioppettini. It will take a little extra effort for Mendham Township residents to cast their vote in this way as Sam Tolley is a write-in candidate. But the procedure is easy, poll workers are trained to help as well and the extra time and effort to write in Tolley’s name will pay Mendham Township voters the critically-important dividends of accountability and transparency.
Samuel Fairchild
Cold Hill Road
Mendham Township
Lots of reasons to back Tolley in Mendham Township; defeat
Schrier
Published: Oct 23rd, 7:14 AM
EDITOR:
Jack Schrier, you’ve got it wrong dead wrong.
The candidacy of Sam Tolley for your seat on the Mendham Township Committee is not a reaction to an unpopular decision by you and other members of the committee. It’s far more encompassing.
It’s your disregard for the opinions and concerns of the people of Mendham Township.
Here are just a few examples:
Your condescending comment to a woman during a meeting of the Township Committee, again roughly quoted: “Women change their minds; men don’t.”
Or your reply when asked why you almost never attend meetings of a committee for which you are liaison: “I’m too busy.”
Or your tirade at a meeting a few months ago telling us how “lucky we are to have you.”
Or your response when your actions at a committee meeting were being criticized: you simply got up and walked out.
Or your classic: “I have to listen to the public, but I don’t have to listen endlessly.” Now there’s interest, there’s compassion, there’s Jack Schrier.
No, Jack, it’s not about an access road to a new building that you refer to. That’s trivial.
It’s about your lack of respect for our residents and apparent disinterest in our concerns.
We’re supporting Sam Tolley because he solicits the views and opinions of our residents, because he opposes closed door meetings and because he believes the members of the Township Committee should be personally accountable for their votes and actions.
It’s because Sam thinks serving the community is a privilege, not an entitlement.
And if you think, Jack, that Sam Tolley’s candidacy is supported by a group of dissatisfied, Brookside “parochials,” then drive around and see the signs supporting Sam that appear in all sections of the town.
MARIBETH THOMAS
West Main Street
Mendham Township
Tolley is best choice in Mendham Township
Published: Oct 23rd, 7:14 AM
EDITOR:
When friends learned that I enthusiastically support Sam Tolley as a write-in candidate for Township Council in Mendham Township, they were surprised.
They remember several years ago when we stood on opposites sides of an issue; I favored an ordinance; he opposed it.
During the intervening years we have continued our discussions, each trying (so far unsuccessfully) to convert the other to our respective position. Yet despite our differences or perhaps because of them I am fully supportive of his candidacy.
Why? Because he seeks comments from the public, because his opinions have always been open for all to hear, because he accepts fully responsibility for his actions. These are qualities I look for whenever an important issue comes before the Township Committee.
And they’re qualities that, in my opinion, seem often to be missing.
T. G. Timpson
East Main Street
Mendham Township
Tolley will return accountability to Mendham Township Committee
Published: Oct 23rd, 7:14 AM
EDITOR:
Although obviously sincere and well-intentioned, the letter to the editor from Richard and Marion Rajoppi (Observer-Tribune, Oct. 15) unfortunately misses the real reason for township residents' dissatisfaction with certain members of the Mendham Township Committee.
The matter of an additional driveway for the fire department and first-aid squad is no longer an issue, having been voted on, passed and almost completed. The real issue at hand is the committee members' unwillingness to listen and to compromise in addressing their constituents' concerns.
This is not a parochial matter limited to Brookside, as Jack Schrier has claimed, but rather a matter affecting the entire township. The residents of Mendham Township want a committee that values their input and is accountable to them. We have the right to expect this.
It is time for a change in the dynamics of the Township Committee. Therefore, we join the growing number of residents who plan on voting for the write-in candidate, Sam Tolley. He is a good man who has pledged to be "a listener and a problem solver."
PAT and BOB ZIMMERMAN
West Main Street
Mendham Township