GADFLY ENDORSES INCUMBENTS ST. AMOUR & GRAEBENER FOR MULLICA TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE

The Gadfly, after an exhaustive review of the candidates, their platforms and their accomplishments, proudly endorses incumbents Michael St. Amour and Bernard Graebener for Mullica Township Committee.

St. Amour and Graebener, as part of the Keep Mullica Green group, have built a solid resume of working FOR the people of Mullica, even before their time on committee.

St. Amour and Graebener were part of the Concerned Citizens of Mullica group that waged an all-out campaign against a trash transfer rail station on the White Horse Pike. The silence of then-Mayor Kathy Chasey proved that she had knowledge of the plan in advance and was very likely a willing partner. During this fight, their current opponents were completely absent.

Before their time on committee, St. Amour & Graebener were also outspoken against a plan to change zoning on the White Horse Pike that could have led to large numbers of apartments that would have swelled the school enrollment and led to higher taxes. Their efforts to inform the public helped to keep this type of unwanted development from happening. Again, their opponents did nothing to safeguard the community.

Once on committee, St. Amour and Graebener helped to make government more open by allowing public comment BEFORE committee voted on agenda items at committee meetings. Prior to that, then-Mayor Kathy Chasey required speakers to sign in and would often mix up the order of speakers to push her partisan agenda.

The Keep Mullica Green members also helped to address years-old issues facing the residents of Mullica Woods this year. Those residents had come to committee to address concerns for each of the last several years. For the first time, the committee stood up for those residents and finally got some relief for them.

St. Amour and Graebener also supported efforts by committeeman Anthony Gabris to re-institute a discount for flood insurance for flood-prone areas of Mullica, a discount that was lost due to the inattention of the past administrations. And they supported Sustainable Mullica, an effort by committeewoman Susan Polk to gain Sustainable Jersey certification which could pave the way for obtaining project-specific grants for the township.

Under their leadership this year, Mullica Township had only a modest municipal tax increase of 1.8 cents without the need for layoffs or furloughs of full-time employees.

As for their opponents, only one, Jim Brown, has been a regular attendee of committee meetings, and only for the current year, and the other, Larry Riffle, has never been a regular attendee. Neither attended important budget sessions in the face of the township losing critical state aid dollars, when difficult choices had to be made.

Your local elected officials have the greatest impact on your day-to-day quality of life. It is wise to remember that local political issues and national political issues are typically not related to each other. While voters are generally unhappy with the state of national affairs due to high unemployment and a slow-to-improve economy, changes at a local level do not send any meaningful message to Washington. The battleground of national politics is at the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives level. That is where a message can be sent.

In 2010, punishing local elected officials in Mullica for national issues will only be punishing yourself. Mullica has enjoyed a more open government, a more positive image in the local press, and a general feeling that Mullica's government is doing its work for all of the residents, not the county connections of the past under Kathy Chasey regime. Voting for Jim Brown will only serve to vaunt Chasey back into the power position that led her to welcome a trash dump and a plan for apartments with open arms. The Chasey regime was simply working for the county connections, not for Mullica's quality of life.

While the Gadfly has long stood for balance in government and balanced two-party government, Mullica residents will be best served by rewarding the hard work and performance of two of our neighbors who have been a voice of reason and a voice for the people...Michael St. Amour and Bernard Graebener.