Dan Gaudette's Letter To The Editor

Editor, The Ocean Star:

Over the next few weeks you will see expensive full color ads talking about how Sue Rogers gave us a zero percent increase in our municipal taxes. I am amazed how happy Sue Rogers is to tell residents how she voted to BORROW almost $600,000 and how we will pay this money back over three years with PROJECTED savings. It is like paying a credit card with a credit card while hoping to win the lottery.

For the next three years, before one bill is paid, the town of Point Pleasant starts almost $200,000 in the hole. Last week, Toni Depaola, who also voted to borrow the money, wrote in this paper we will have a “2011 budget crisis.”

How will we pay our bills? The shared service with the building department is on hold. We just spent millions upgrading out town hall and police department. And our governor has imposed a 2-percent increase cap which is significantly less than previous years. And since we did not raise the rate to cover our bills, that 2-percent cap is less than it could have been. Where will we get the money? Who is putting residents first? Remember despite furloughs and possible job losses, Susan Rogers refused to take a pay cut.

So why would someone make such a poor financial decision to pay a credit card with a credit card? It is very simple; Sue Rogers is playing politics with our town. The ads and letters were published in this paper before the zero increase was even approved. It is center of her campaign. The zero tax increase is all about politics, not residents first.

We all know you have to pay your bills and when you do not, there will be grave consequences. If you borrow money to pay your bills you will only owe more money. Look at our water prices. “We’ve been borrowing from the surplus and haven’t raised rates,” said Sue Rogers quoted last week in this paper. The penalty for not looking forward is a 16-percent increase in our water bill. 16-percent increase in our water hurts. What will borrowing money do to our municipal taxes? Borrowing money will only raise our taxes.

It is time to move forward with a responsible government. One that is going to make the tough choices for the future, not do anything to get elected. We need a government that is not going to make back room deals or make villains out of the town employees and police. Take back our town! VOTE POINT PLEASANT 2010, SCHROEDER, GOSS AND RUSK!

DAN GAUDETTE
River Avenue, Point Pleasant

The Once And Future Mayor

One of my summer reading books for junior year of high school was “The Once and Future King” by T.H. White. I was familiar with the Arthurian Legend from books and movies but I had never really cared for it. I always felt Arthur let Camelot slip away instead of fighting for it, and how could he have forgiven Guinevere and Lancelot for their betrayal? Reading White’s version and watching Richard Harris emote it in the film I understood that Arthur doesn’t forgive their love, he accepts it. Acceptance may be the theme of the whole book. As a boy and as a king Arthur must accept his own strengths and weakness, and as an old man he must accept the end of his empire, his own mortality, and he must accept that Guinevere and Lancelot’s love is true and that his love for them both outweighs his romantic love and his pride.

Pride isn’t a deadly sin by mistake, but there is a difference between being proud and being prideful. Reinhold Niebuhr, social philosopher and Christian theologian most commonly known for writing the Serenity Prayer, makes the distinction by saying that it is right to be proud of your accomplishments, but it is wrong to take pride in yourself. Self-aggrandizement is the big word, but show-off is more appropriate. Think of the difference between Lou Gehrig and Alex Rodriguez.

Anyone that knows Bill Schroeder will tell you he is a proud man but not a boaster. He helped negotiate our town’s first cell tower and made sure it was away from people’s houses and back yards but that Point would still get the needed revenue. Bill helped set the wheels in motion for our Community Park. Bill helped to negotiate a tax agreement in the sale of the hospital that would have left our town with a $2.25 million windfall only to watch his successors leave it on the table. Ask the police and civil servants of Pt. Pleasant how he helped maintain respect and courtesy before AND behind closed doors. Bill served his community not his ego.

When the tides of favor changed, Bill went back to the quiet life he enjoys and I admire: his business, his bikes, and his wife. He didn’t make much noise or fuss as he watched the good work of he and his fellow council members spoiled. Budgets manipulated, surpluses squandered, and respect between the elected officials of our town and those that really serve the residents completely shattered. But now we are to the point where the lies and damage may be irreversible, and here again is Bill ready to challenge someone who many say is unstoppable when others were too afraid and intimidated.

Bill has not returned to public life out of pride or arrogance. He loves our town and he was asked again to serve. He was asked to stand up to the lies. He was asked to stand up against powers that would orchestrate taking hundreds of thousands of school tax dollars to buy a campaign slogan! Hundreds and thousands of dollars that  we, the tax payers, get to replenish at the rate of $200,000 a year for the next three years. Bill was asked to stand up to those that would see all our services controlled by other towns where we’ll send our dollars but have no say in how they are spent! How’s that for taxation without representation Tea Partiers?

This November elect a man that can accept the truth and tell it to you like it is. Elect someone who doesn’t use smoke and mirrors to hide the truth like a kid coming home with an F on their report card. Elect someone who respects the people they work with, respects the taxpayers because they’re neighbors and not just voters. Elect someone who we know will put our interests ahead of his own. Please elect Bill Schroeder mayor.

Nick Scarpello: or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Dirty Politics

This morning my wife had the pleasure of going into work and finding that someone named Nick Scarpello had submitted an OPRA request for not only the usual salary information but her W-2s, performance reviews, resume, application, shoe size, salad dressing preference, and favorite Band! I would like to go on the record right now and say she is a 7.5, prefers Balsamic Vinaigrette but will settle for Bleu Cheese, and loves ABBA, which had I known earlier might have resulted in a longer engagement.

Of course I understand that this is just part of the game, but I must admit some small part of me hoped that it wouldn’t go this far. The funny thing is that I can’t quite figure out what he hoped to find? Did he just want to scare us? Is the opposition going to imply that I am too closely tied to the schools and BOE? For one they’ll find that despite what our Governor says not everyone in the education field is grossly overpaid. Second, I know that they’ll find out my wife is a hard worker who approaches her responsibility to the children, parents, and community of Point Pleasant with integrity and passion, and they will not find anyone that knows her or works with her that will say any different!

Ultimately this is aimed at me and I have to admit that in a way I’m flattered that something about my beliefs and my philosophy is threatening enough to people in power that they are compelled to act in such an underhanded way just to try to put me in my place and preserve their power and influence. I don’t like anyone taking pot shots at my family, but I stand by what I believe in and if they want to say that I am too sympathetic to our schools I will say, yes I have great affection and pride in our schools. I believe in and support our teachers. I value all the school professionals that contribute to the greatness to which we are all beneficiaries. My life is made better by the quality of our schools, my children’s lives are made better by the quality of our schools, and our community is better because of the quality of our schools.

If someone wants to imply that some association of mine with our schools is a negative reflection of my character, then everyone in our community who values our schools and feels passionately about them should take that as a direct insult.

The "Cost" Of Service

I know that this is an idea you have all heard before, and I can’t blame you for suspecting it to be typical campaign babble, but I hope after being elected to convince the next Pt.Pleasant Borough Council to do away with the customary stipend provided to Councilmembers and Mayor. Some Councilmembers have said that the “salary” is insignificant and would not provide substantial savings but I disagree. The collective earnings of Council and Mayor could save a full-time employee’s salary and job. The work produced day in and day out by our town employees is certainly more valuable than a conciliatory gesture. Perhaps these savings could pay for a furlough day and prevent a lost day of the services our residents rely on? I have no illusions that this would impact our county’s patronage system or discourage those that use our council as a stepping stone, but I think it would be a small demonstration of good faith where much has been lost. Those that choose to serve the people of Pt. Pleasant should do whatever they can to dissuade the feelings of doubt and mistrust that plague their relationship with those they serve.  I believe in Public Service and feel it is the central thread in our history, our achievements, and our national fabric. Those who seek part time office should volunteer their time and effort, but if that is too much to ask, perhaps they could submit receipts for re-imbursement, not to exede the former stipend, so that the residents, their employers, could review the “true cost” of Service.

Bill Schroeder's Un-Edited Letter To The "Ocean Star"

We are in the middle of some hard times, personally and community wise, and hard times can bring out the best or the worst in people. When you’re stuck and there’s no clear way out, you can either work together or step on whoever gets in your way.

Pointing fingers is natural, that’s a child’s gut instinct, and it’s common with people of little or no experience in dealing with the public. Some people think mistakes are a sign of weakness, usually people who need things to be black or white and don’t understand what lies between.

Some time ago there was an assault on the Recreation Department suggesting they had a hidden slush fund, and if there was a secret stash of money it could be used to offset taxes. This is what was done to the money we put away from the sale of the Hospital, over $2.25 million dollars. To develop the River Side Park we had to bond a lot of money because the wrongful use of that $2.25 million. We let ourselves be misled and paid for the park twice.

The biggest misuse of money is the recent re-evaluation of the properties in our town. The cost of the re-evaluation? Over $1,000,000 dollars. This could have and should have been done in house by our own Tax Assessor. Sure there would have been some hiring to support the process but at a cost to the town of less than $100,000. That’s a savings that could have spared the school tax deferment and much, much more. This is some of the best planning from a group that “Puts Tax Payers First”, and is after all why we voted these folks into office, right?

As I said hard times bring out the best and worst in people, but after eight years of the worst we deserve a change from these poor decision makers.

VOTE POINT PLEASANT 2010, SCHROEDER, GOSS, & RUSK!   

The Smartest Man In The Room

My full name is Christopher Curtis Goss. Curtis is a family name. My son Spencer's middle name is Curtis, my father's middle name is Curtis, and my grandpa's middle name was Curtis. My line of the Goss family goes back to Linn County, Kansas. In the Civil War my distant relative Capt. David Goss fought for the North, and you history buffs know how heated the Kansas Territory was over slavery and abolition! As the story goes, David was struck across the face by a saber on the battle field. His indentured servant seeing this didn't think to himself,"Woohoo! I'm free!" and run for the hills. Instead he carried the blinded David off the field and nursed him back to health. Since then that man, Curtis, has been honored by our family.

My Grandpa Chet used to tell me that story all the time growing up. He loved researching our family history. Grandpa Chet was from Ft. Scott, Kansas, probably better known for Gordon Parks than my grandfather. When he was four he and his parents contracted Scarlet Fever; he survived but they did not. So grandpa and his little brother Hank went to live with their maternal grandparents and when they passed they were raised by their aunts who ran the local diner. Everything you need to learn in life can be learned in a restaurant! One thing we managed to agree on. He worked with meaning and purpose every day of his life. After Pearl Harbor he hitch-hiked to California and joined the Navy like so many others, fought as a gunner, and survived again like so many others did not. He came home, married my grandmother, went to Columbia at night on the GI Bill, started a family, and joined the young executives program at CIT where he eventually rose to be CEO. He planned well and retired the day he could. I was the greatest beneficiary of that. He was always around when I was growing up. He told me so many important stories and things, things I didn't pay proper attention to until I was older. The one that comes back to me so often was when I was in high school and starting to consider colleges. He told me,"You don't have to be the smartest man in the room, but you'd better be damn sure he works for you!"

Well I can confidently say I've never been the smartest guy in the room but I've been blessed to know and work with so many of them over the years at jobs and in my personal life. I've thought of that phrase often since this campaign began too. I'm sure as hell not the smartest guy in Pt Pleasant, but I've met many who would be in contention. And more importantly I've gotten to be friendly with the sincerest people I've ever known. I'll tell you right now, I love Bill Schroeder. I'm so glad if any thing in this experience that it brought Bill into my life. He is a wonderful and sincerely caring man. And every time I talk to him I think to myself,"It's a good thing Steve McQueen is dead because Steve never could have lived with being the second coolest guy alive!"

I am a very fortunate man and I hope I always surround myself with the best people in the room.

The Edgar Road Cell Tower

Making my way through our town has been a real eye opener. Every neighborhood has an issue. Some might seem big and some might seem small. For me I just wanted a few four way stops on Patterson and Hollywood to try to keep the teenagers from running over my children. For the people on Edgar Road, their issue may sound at first like a localized issue, but it is one that is about to effect EVERY resident in town.

Most of you might know a little about the tower. T-Mobile claims they need more coverage in our area. Our town representatives have decided that it is in the collective best interest to take down the existing communication tower behind Borough Hall and erect a 120' tower that could support all 5 cell carriers and bring some much needed revenue into the town. This sounds good on paper and I agree we need the money. However, this tower directly impacts the residents who will live in its shadow. There is no argument that their property values will be affected. There is no argument that the tower does not meet local and state set-back provisions. There is no argument that it is illegal to spot zone on municipal property. There is no argument that if T-Mobile wants it bad enough that they will find a privately owned property and the money would better serve the town with $70,000 or so in tax relief. 

There is also no argument that the town has made little effort to reach a compromise with the residents of Edgar Road who have proposed moving the tower to the front of the Municipal property and using a flag pole style tower like Brielle did near Rt. 70. They have proposed putting the tower on Fire Co. #2's property where the income could relieve some of our support to their budget. And there have been others, but the the town's plan was decided long ago and now it's a matter of gaining approvals instead of drawing compromises.

So how does this affect EVERY resident of Pt. Pleasant? The Edgar Road residents are prepared to fight their cause in court and when they do WE TAXPAYERS will be paying OUR BOROUGH ATTORNEY to fight OUR OWN FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS because our town representatives decided that the concerns of a few residents were not important enough. Now they are going to spend OUR MONEY to protect THEIR PRIDE.

I do not look forward to more years of a governing body that tells us when our concerns are or are not legitimate. I do not look forward to when it's my turn, over some other issue, to face a governing body that practices deception to achieve their agenda. And I do not appreciate the ease with which misinformation is spread. But don't believe me. The people on Edgar Road are your neighbors, your friends, call them or stop by and ask them what's going on. Someday it may be your backyard.

Leadership

So far the best part of our campaign has been meeting neighbors I might not have otherwise. They tell me what they like about Pt Pleasant, what they wish was different, and I love the stories about what things were like once upon a time. I enjoy talking about our issues. For me it’s highschoolers that drive 50 MPH past my kids’ bus stop, for others it’s a cell tower, or the skate park, the riverside park, or what services will be lost next year to meet our budget constraints? Some have commented on how young I look, but I’m 15 years older and have four more children than Councilman Remig when he ran. Some want to hear about my experience and I tell them I’ve worked as many years in the private and public sectors as Council President Rogers when she was first elected. Mostly I try and assure them I am a practical person who is always willing to learn and I think those are two necessary traits in a representative and leader.

I’ve been reading a lot in the papers lately about leadership. Leadership as it was always taught to me requires three things; common sense, humility, and that willingness to learn. The people I’ve always admired have those qualities and they are the characteristics I myself aspire to. I don’t know that I’ve seen those qualities in our current leaders. They say that consolidation with the Beach makes good sense, but most things do when presented from one side. Humility leads a person to seek consensus rather than believe they always know what’s best. Consensus however is easy enough when you only include folks you know will agree with you when a decision needs to be made. Willingness to learn requires honesty, with yourself and with others. That’s a tough nut to crack in politics since part of politicking is convincing others that your way is the only way. Our plans for consolidation have not been presented honestly. They have been rushed and they have been made without consensus. That’s not to say they are the wrong idea, but they are not the only idea, and they will not produce the claimed savings. The trial and error period will be a year or two and even then the savings would not equal a simple restructuring, and they certainly wouldn’t save as much as re-negotiating  the pay scale of the Borough’s contract professionals. No, the truth behind the consolidations is that they have been mandated by the Governor in his “tool kit” and to not do so would risk our full state aid. If that’s the way it is, so be it, but we’re all adults and deserve the plain, simple truth.

I’m not saying I am better than anyone else, but I have less at stake than those that might mask the truth to protect their agendas. I don’t consider my future to be in government, but I do believe in our obligation to be available when our participation is called for. I look forward to serving my community and doing my best with a little common sense, a little humility, and the help of others. If you would like to help join me on Facebook.

VOTE SCHROEDER, GOSS, AND RUSK!

The Point Pleasant Skate Park

More news in today´s Ocean Star about our Council President swooping in to save the day. Well, I can say that if I had never gotten involved she wouldn´t care any more about the park today than she did for the six months the issue was lingering. I´m not trying to take credit. The credit for positive moves to re-open the park lies solely with the parents and kids who hung in there and wouldn´t give up like they were expected to after months of stalling. If those parents and kids hadn´t dug in their heels and refused to quit on something they cared about, I would bet you we would have seen the bulldozers this spring making way for a cell tower.

Once their plans to do nothing gave a few column inches of press to the opposition, the political value of the park suddenly made it worthy of immediate action. Now that the Skate Club has formed and I´ve had a chance to do some real good with people who I love working with, I really don´t care what the motivation was. The Club has nearly achieved its goal and we feel soon it will be open again. We are proud to take an active role in our community and help create opportunities for our children to present the positives of the sport they love.

This November is going to come and go, but my children are still little and we have a long term investment in our community. I am very proud to have helped preserve a wonderful little piece of it.

Alcohol And Drug Addiction Recovery Month

This past Tuesday night Mayor Konkus proclaimed September "Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month" in Point Pleasant. This is the one issue that runs deeper in my heart than all others so I feel compelled to add my voice in the name of the power of Recovery and the miracle of Sobriety.
Alcoholism, like every addiction, is a devastating evil that is impossible to explain to someone whose life hasn´t been leveled, shredded, and broken by it. Unfortunately I´m afraid those of us who have are growing in number, and in the wake of the prescription pill epidemic, public acknowledgement of this crippling disease has diminished and the days of enthusiasm for Recovery have been replaced by get fixed quick rehabs and self help sobriety. I will tell you that at least in my experience there is no self made sobriety. My Recovery is the result of the friends I have made, the family that stood by me, and the Higher Power that led me no matter how hard i resisted.
The statistics say that one in seven people are alcoholic or have a family member that is. There is still a stigma that I believe keeps that number lower than it really is, and there is a public failure to recognize its ultimate effects. Someone dies of liver disease and not a quart of vodka a day for 35 years. Someone dies of heart failure and not the two dozen percocet and twelve pack they needed to get through the day. How about the suicide that couldn´t bare another moment of the spiritual and emotional void consuming their whole being any longer? I applaud our town for making this small gesture and pray it helps at least on person, one family, to a path of Recovery.
My path was a long one and no one I love was spared from its consequences. It was those consequences however that were my first lessons in Sobriety, to face the realty of who I was and make a clear separation where I would start to become who I wanted to be. Today and everyday I have a second chance to grow in awareness and willingness and try to be that man.
When I was asked to run for Council great consideration had to be given to my family and to the people with whom I would be associated as to the potential embarrassment my past could cause, at least by those who still consider addiction to be a sign of weakness and cause for shame. I feel the course of my life, my mistakes as much as my successes, gives me something to offer others, maybe at the very least the perspective of someone who has seen so much from the bottom as well as the top. I am not proud of the damage I caused or the people I hurt, but neither am I ashamed of who I have become.
I share my story like so many people who have been given a second chance because I feel indebted to give back what was so freely given to me.

www.nnjaa.org