Posted on 11/09/2007 10:12:05 AM PST by BOSSA
Courier Filled with Inaccuracies
Written by Gerry Scharfenberger Monday, 29 October 2007
It is rare that I would bother to write a letter that I know will most likely not be published, however, the repeated inaccuracies and absurd statements that appear week after week in the Middletown-based Courier newspaper demand a response. While I could fill volumes with the misstatements that have appeared in this paper, I still find it incredible that the Courier allows itself to be used as a weekly press release by Democratic Chairman Joe Caliendo. This is a person who was the architect of some of the most dishonest campaigns this town has ever seen. One newspaper even characterized last year’s Democrat campaign in Middletown as, “deceptive advertising at its worst.” It appears that this year’s campaign will exceed that description by light years. Mr. Caliendo and the Courier’s assertion that Middletown Township is mismanaged is easily refuted by the facts. Both Standard and Poor and Moody’s have assigned Middletown a stellar AA bond rating citing the township’s, “strong economy and employment base, high wealth and income indicators, combined with a steadily increasing tax base, sound financial operations, and rapid debt amortization.” Our budgeting process is a model for the State to follow, according to The New Jersey League of Municipalities, which included it as must reading in its “Elected Officials Handbook.” Moreover, the annual audit by the respected firm of Ernst and Young of Middletown’s budget in 2006 resulted in a flawless rating.
As for the assertion that Middletown bonds too much, the fact is, while we can bond up to 3.5 percent of the average equalized value of our real estate, we are currently at less than .78 percent and are paying down debt faster than incurring new. An examination of neighboring Democrat-controlled towns shows them to be near the 3.5 percent cap. I’d say that Middletown, as big as it is, has been operating with great fiscal restraint and conservatism, as illustrated by the facts. In closing, I would like to remind the residents of Middletown who read the Courier that the weekly attacks and angst directed at me and the Middletown Republicans are simply the result of our opposition to the owner of the newpaper’s plan to build the town center mall. Sadly, one of the great components of our society, a free press, is now being used to engage in a vendetta against individuals whose only fault is a desire to honestly and effectively serve their community.
Gerry Scharfenberger Mayor, Middletown Township
It's a pretty complicated jurisdiction and a bit of a red island.
“I still find it incredible that the Courier allows itself to be used as a weekly press release by Democratic Chairman Joe Caliendo.”
It’s cheaper than actually hiring Journalists...
It’s all the rage in newsrooms across America these days, just let Democrats write thier stories for them, then print the releases unedited...
Ask MoveOn how this works...
I can not disagree with you.
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