CHICKEN VERSUS OSTRICH

At the Town Council meeting of December 5th, we passed a resolution to issue approximately $53 million in long term bond debt.  In my statement, I raised the issue of the severe impact that the servicing of that debt will have on subsequent Town budgets, especially as we will be adding $500,000 next year, $1 million in 2013, and $1.5 million in 2014.  Steve Santola’s response was to call me 'Chicken Little’.  The central theme of the Chicken Little story - The sky is falling! - has been applied to people accused of being unreasonably afraid, or those trying to incite an unreasonable fear in those around them. I, however, do not think it is unreasonable to expect that there will be an impact created by this increase in debt service.  Mr. Santola would rather be the ostrich and hide his head in the sand – neither taking responsibility for this debt (although the majority – if not all – was created on his too long watch) nor acknowledging its impact on our budget.

Of the $99.3 million in total debt that the Town currently has, over $31 million is directly related to the municipal complex.   Spending on roads and sidewalks, buses for seniors, cars for our police force is once thing.  However, it is no secret that I have disapproved of the profligate spending by the prior administrations on the buildings.  Over the course of both Steve Santola’s and Gary Schneiderman’s tenure on Town Council, they have overspent and overextended the Township resources.  But it is the Town residents that will have to put up with heating, cooling and maintaining these white elephants for the next 40 years.

Mr. Santola seems to have missed the point – just because you CAN take out this much debt, doesn’t mean you should.  So when you wonder what has become of rear yard pickup or leaf collection or free services for the elderly and underprivileged, you can thank Mr. Santola and Dr. Schneiderman’s “conservative” fiscal stance (not!).  So, Mr. Santola, I’d rather be a chicken with its eyes open than an ostrich with its head where the sun doesn’t shine…