Officials have failed to manage money properly
This Township Council is doing nothing but costing the taxpayers more and more money. In these hard times you would think they would be tightening their belts.

First we have the rising gas prices. On this, I spoke to the mayor about doing something about all of these no right-turn signs. I'm all for safety but if you can see down the opposing street 200 yards then you should be able to make a right turn. This law was also enacted for cutting back on air pollution. Apparently Brick doesn't care about our air or wasting our gas. At these prices, who can afford to sit at a traffic light when they can safely make a right-hand turn. Some may be on county roads but the town has their ear and would get changes made faster then us peons.

Then we have the outrageous cost of the community center. Mr. Sholty just doesn't get it. He's too busy kissing up to the mayor and ragging on Joe Lamb. Right, Mr. Sholty, the cost is $5.2 million, but with all the renovations it brings it up to $9.9 million. We all know where you came from, but the bottom line is the bottom line. Maybe you do math differently up there in North Jersey. It wouldn't surprise me. But government is by the people for the people. I don't see what the problem is of putting it on the ballot. Majority rules. If the people say no, it's no.

And that brings us to the school budget. The majority said no, so it should be no. I have never seen it done, but if the budget is defeated then that means there is no increase. The schools run on the same amount as the previous year. We need to elect people to the school board that will make that happen

And the council in my opinion had a conflict of interest in having Mr. DeLuca on the committee that decided how much was cut. Being a past school board president, he should have been recused. As with anyone else who sat on that committee to make that decision. A $100,000 cut in the budget is not only a joke but an insult to the majority who voted it down. And it's another example of our government not trying to save the residents some money.

We are on the edge of a recession. Everything is going up and up. Gasoline, food, natural gas, electric and even the price just to watch TV. Our school taxes are outrageous. We have to kick in extra money to the town if we get too much snow for snow removal. Since we didn't have that this year where's that money that was budgeted for that for this year? When are we going to receive some relief?

President Bush is sending us a check but that will only put a dent into the shortcomings of all of us. We need changes at the town levels. No one knows, but I do know one thing, it's not going to be from the people who run Brick. There are so many who live on fixed incomes, but that should not be the only reason that our officials should be trying to save the residents of Brick some money. I just hope all remember how this council has conducted themselves at election time.
Michael G. Crelin Sr.
Brick