Republican Party head takes issue with Democrats

Recently, numerous letters to the editor have been written by several current and former Democrat officials. While I admire all of these gentlemen for their years of service to the public, I am disheartened by their flagrant and grotesque distortion of history. Since all of the letters repeat the same Democrat talking points, I will focus this reply to the most recent letter by Brick Democrat Club President Harvey Langer.

 

First, Langer claims that "the Republicans are again attacking" former Democrat Mayor and MUA Chairman Dan Newman by demanding interest for an unpaid sewer bill. Langer then implies that the Republicans have damaged Newman's reputation. Here are the facts:

The Brick MUA charges interest to customers who do not pay their bills. In this specific case the MUA Democrat attorney who was Newman's running mate in the State Assembly, and the Democratic MUA Board that Newman was a member of made a decision not to charge him which was dead wrong.

A grand jury came to the conclusion that their venue was not appropriate for Mr. Newman's unpaid sewer bill as there was not enough hard evidence to support wrongdoing beyond a shadow of a doubt. The grand jury was looking into whether or not Newman participated in a conspiracy to cover up the unpaid charges. In fact, when Newman and the Democrats issued a press release stating that Newman was cleared, the grand jury took the unprecedented step of issuing its own press release which stated that they believed the witnesses who testified that there was a cover-up to be credible, but that there was not enough evidence to bring indictments against Newman and his co-conspirators.

No, Mr. Langer, it is not the Republicans who damaged Mr. Newman's reputation. Sadly, he did that all on his own.S

econd, Langer states that the Republicans tried to ram the Community Center purchase down the throats of Brick residents. He goes on to lament the Republicans repeal of the Ice Palace purchase referendum, denying the people their "law-given right" to make the choice. Once again, Mr. Langer's ignorance of history is staggering:

The Republicans made a policy decision to attempt purchasing the Ice Palace as the centerpiece of the Chambers Bridge Road redevelopment. Like it or not, that is what leaders do when they are elected by the people. They make decisions about policy.

The Democrats have also made policy decisions, like the purchase of the Foodtown site on Route 70 that has sat as an idle eyesore off the tax rolls for over a decade. They did this without a referendum and without studies to a tune of $6 million costing the taxpayers through 2007 $900,000 in interest which doesn't even go toward the principal. Thankfully Mayor Acropolis is selling it to put it on the tax rolls again.

The owners of the Ice Palace pulled the offer to sell off the table when the project became embroiled in controversy. Of course the referendum was pulled from a vote. There was nothing at that point to vote for or against. Maybe we should put a referendum on the ballot asking the people if they think Mr. Newman should pay the $80,000 in interest. What do you think the vote would be on that one?

Third, Mr. Langer decries a Republican administration appointing, of all things, Republicans to government positions. He refers to them as "selfish parasites." He goes on to point to Republicans, by name, which have been hired to fill various positions. What he never mentions are the

qualifications of these people to fill those positions, so I will:

Steve Scaturro, director of the Ocean County Department of Consumer Affairs, is a former police officer who holds a degree in criminal justice, is certified by the New Jersey Attorney General as a CALLA officer, a graduate of the New Jersey State Police Academy and is a founding member of the Brick Township Police Athletic League and past president of both the Rotary Club and Chamber of Commerce.

James Lacey, Brick MUA executive director, holds a degree in business administration from Monmouth University, is a former business administrator for two towns in Ocean County in which he oversaw their water and sewer utilities, has the distinction of being a Certified Public Works Manager by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, and has over 20 years of hands-on experience in managing government agencies and public policy.

Since you mentioned me, I am the director of customer accounts at the Brick MUA, a position I have held since well before becoming Republican municipal chairman and I hold a bachelor's and master's degree in public administration from Seton Hall University. Coincidentally, I took over my position at the MUA from Mr. Newman's brother-in-law, who was hired by the MUA while Mr. Newman was a commissioner.

What were your qualifications, Harvey, when you worked out a deal to get hired in Toms River by their then-Democratic Mayor to be a zoning officer? I have no problem with honest debate over issues that affect this community. I have no objection to people criticizing my party for things that they believe are not in the best interest of Brick. What I do object to are baseless and unwarranted attacks on decent people who are trying to serve this community from people who seem more interested in controlling Brick for themselves because they really want their old jobs back.

I am proud of the job Republican officials are doing throughout not just Brick Township but throughout Ocean County and as the new Republican chairman in Brick, I will no longer sit idly by dodging falling shards from the Democrats' glass house. I will correct inaccuracies when I see them, point out hypocrisy when it surfaces and always stick up for the people of our community.

Frank Pannucci Jr. is the Brick Republican municipal chairman

Editor's note: Scaturro was dismissed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

from the Brick police force in 1983. He has

 

 

said his firing was the result of "political

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

vindictiveness within the department."