Apparently a lot of you [1200 voters is vary good for a primary] saw a "dime's worth of difference" and bet it all on Barbara Stanton and David H. Murphy. I haven't figured out what you were voting for or against, but clearly Gerard Dolan can't be having a very good day. Adding insult to the injury, so to speak, he has to wait out five months of service to the community before you "officially" fire him [1/1/2005]. Welcome to my world!
Like no doubt Mr. Dolan, I'm fighting an impulse to do some "bird flipping". The evil, despicable, petty and stinky Borough administrator Ralph Blakeslee sent me this illegible rubbish [PDF file] in reply to one of my document requests. Consider the fact that I had to pay 25% MORE for this "digital/computer" copy then I would be charged for a hard copy [with ink, paper and postage included] and you have to wonder --what kind of imbecile does the Mayor and town council have running this town? The idea that this "professional" would ignore the economic efficiency and environmental sanity AND "public interest" of encouraging "electronic transfers of information" just to satisfy a petty desire to irritate me is in a word, disgusting. The fact that he is stupid enough, to do this in spite of my lawsuit, has me wondering just how much fat has gone to his head. If my case ever goes a jury do you think he has a chance in hell, of persuading those honest people that documents of this quality are "routinely" used or produced by the Borough of Mendham.
The content of a letter exposes a bizarre coincidence, just as I suggested in my off-the-cuff remarks below, the resigning clerk advocates for the same redefinition of the clerk job title. Although she doesn't detail the economics, the fact is the Borough could save an easy $30,000 a year. A more interesting part of the letter for me personally, is the fact that, contrary to what the town council has protested, document requests are apparently not an excessively burdensome chore consuming any "inordinate" amount of time. Of course, the mayor, council, and fat head administrator have ignored that advice and are going to overpay, an over-qualified, "professional" Clerk to replace Ms. Jones who all but admitted that she was getting paid too much to do too little.
New Jersey's primary election is June 8th -- There are not any ballot issues or referendums so the only "franchise" to be exercised is the contest for two council seats being fought on the Republican ballot. This message board has links to all the on-line information I could find regarding the candidates. Unfortunately, none of the candidates have made much effort to ensure that their message is available to the online community. Apparently, they see more value in "decorating" Mendham with an abundance of signage, than they see value in publishing an editorial explaining why "we the people" should trust them to define policy and make our laws.
The idea that "no useful information" signs could make a difference in a election seems preposterous... but then you consider how much merchandise is sold by no information commercials and you think maybe it is "posterous".... May the best sign win!
Summation of the May 17th meeting of the town council:
Next meeting: June, 7th
First on the agenda was discussion regarding repair of the storm sewers in the Mendham Commons. Apparently some 20 year-old contracts obligate the Borough to take some responsibility for maintaining the "private" access roads within the Common. The Mayor stated that there would be an executive session after the public meeting to determine legal liability and if necessary to make arrangements to pay for the unbudgeted expense. Apparently once submitted to the state, a municipal budget can't be changed and the current budget only anticipated covering half the total expense of the required maintenance. Representatives of the Commons apparently also believe that it is the town's responsibility to pay for the dredging of the Commons pond ($60,000)-- I don't think the town council concurs with that belief.
A resolution outlining the issuance of some $4 million in bonds was passed without much comment. Some $2 million of this debt is for sewage plant improvements [I would assume that this will be paid back by sewage plant revenues]
It was stated that we are retiring $245,000 of debt this year and adding $470,000 in new debt. [It seems obvious that the council is using deficit spending to shave a few cents off the tax rate]
A resolution approving the remodeling of the Ford dealership was passed. There was some discussion regarding some language requiring a "contribution to a fund"... apparently this is just legal language providing the groundwork for future sewage rate hikes.
The Borough is moving forward with its plan to lease police vehicles. However, there remains an unresolved issue regarding insurance. The leasing company apparently requires the vehicles to be perpetually insured at as-new value. The insurance the Borough currently carries would only replace a vehicle at its depreciated actual-value. [as I believe leasing is always a suckers paradise I'm hoping excessive insurance premiums will kill this deal]
There was some discussion regarding the muck and woodchips down at India Brook Park. The rental of a extra heavy-duty bulldozer and the spreading out and seeding of the "soil" should take place in the very near future.
In discussion regarding the hiring of a new clerk, It was stated that three or four applicants have been interviewed. Apparently experienced applicants will not accept the job at the salary provided by ordinance ($65,000 maximum) [ We are already over-paying the Borough administrator more than $80,000 to be a pretty complete jerk-- we should just give him the official title of "clerk" and hire a $30,000 competent secretary to perform the mostly mundane duties. Or... why not put the whole Borough government on-line and can most of these Deadwood bureaucrats]
There was a brief remark regarding the need to hire another police officer. Apparently it is in committee.
The proposal regarding buying a police sergeant into early-retirement was again discussed.. A recalculation of the financial figures verify the financial impracticality as it was stated to cost some $508,000
There was apparently a meeting between the public safety committee the fire department, first-aid and the Board of education regarding high-school issues. The meeting was described as productive. Indications are that there will be a proposal to leave open the gate at the Drake Road entrance, and to create parking space adjacent to the field house.
In the public comment portion of the meaning a resident of the Commons reiterated an ambiguous claim that the town is responsible for the dredging of the pond.
The unsightly marking of the trail used by horses from backers farm to access India brook was again brought up. Councilman Haverkost who lives nearby expressed the opinion that he sees no real problem and argued against the need for any corrective action. [ I certainly think the trees should have been marked with a more esthetically pleasing stencil design than just a blob of neon spray paint.]
In other news:
In the minutes of a Township Committee meeting I read a reference to Patriot Media and a onetime contribution of some $50,000 for video equipment. Apparently there is some provision in the Contract with Patriot media that allows for local broadcast. I think it would probably be a waste of a valuable resource to hand this broadcast opportunity over to the control of the unimaginative high-school. The rigid political correctness, nerdish, and silly interests of school administration will not make for entertaining or educational television. The towns ought to give the equipment, and the opportunity to some private/ "public-interest" contractor (like myself) who is willing to wager a few toes and a finger or two that he can convert this "public access" opportunity into a very educational, incredibly entertaining, revenue generating enterprise for the town within a couple of years.
Speaking of entertaining, hear is a brief of the sewage plant budget. $5,214.27 for telephone...what? 1 900 talkShi*.... another five grand for education-- what do you need to know? How to hold your nose for eight hours a day without your arm getting tired.
I have finally received the tape of the May 3rd meeting of the town council... I was also sent a tape of the May 17th meeting but unfortunately it didn't have any audio on it.
Summation of the May 3rd meeting:
The Mayor and the Clerk were both absent from the meeting so proceedings were not as smooth as usual.
The town budget was open to public discussion. [As the "public" has had no realistic opportunity to coherently or comprehensively know what's in the budget, the "public" didn't have much to say.]
There was some discussion regarding The Mendham Cooperative Nursery School and the extension (for 10 more years) of their lease of the publicly owned building they occupy. Members of the town council were very supportive of the nursery school and agreeable to the terms of the lease. A member of the public raised the issue of the appropriateness of this, in effect, public subsidy of the nursery school. A council member reiterated their legal right to subsidize in the public interest. [Funny how the part of the public that is unmarried and childless never has a "public" interest worth subsidizing]
The April letter to the town council from Police Sergeant Bashall was apparently about his proposal that the town "buy out" his contract [pay him to retire early]. Council members discussed how they initially believed this to be a win-win circumstance. Upon further investigation, it has been realized that sergeant Bashall would have to be in the employ of the town for some 12 more years for the town to realize any cost savings. Apparently buying the sergeant into early retirement would cost the town a quarter of a million dollars. [The town should fire the entire police force and create its own security force with twice or three times as many non-union security "officers" with camcorders tied on their heads and carrying only low velocity nonlethal weapons... A military style occupation by overpriced "professionals" isn't good policy here or in Iraq.]
Once again the problem of high-school traffic/parking was raised. Apparently an ordinance has been drafted prohibiting during-school-hours parking on Forest Drive. Both council members and members of the public reference the fact that this "solution" only moves the problem. A vote to table consideration of the ordinance was defeated on a split vote. Sergeant Bashall offered the kind of stupid suggestion that residential streets be made "by permit only" or "resident only" parking. There were other comments suggesting that high school students that live out of town should be afforded fewer rights and less consideration. [I suggest an ordinance that forces everyone going to a town council meeting to be obligated to carpool, take a smelly bus, or walk. --the best solution.]
The ad hoc "Shared Services Committee" has requested the services of a lawyer and an architect. As the council was provided few details regarding what vital information the consultation of these expensive professionals would produce, they were generally not supportive of the request. The suggestion was made that maybe the town engineer and other professional staff might be able to provide the information needed. [Or maybe we should contract an independent professional to do a feasibility study, and, again, end the process when the facts don't match what political corruption demands.]
The "in secret" combined library committee is apparently reviewing proposals from various architects. [So they will decide on where the library will be located and what it will look-like without soliciting any advice or consent from the public....Why?]
A regular "public comment" participant mentioned the town's intention to "spread out" the woodchips and mud (from the mud hole) that have been dumped down at India Brook Park. He expressed some concern regarding the environmental impact in light of the fact that there is a capped well and trout-producing stream nearby. [The fact that there is also a sewage plant a few hundred yards away probably makes any environmental threat kind of trivial by comparison] The town has apparently already contracted to rent an extra large bulldozer to spread the muck. Also raised was the issue of using ugly neon paint to mark a bridle path. [Actually, the path is one I created about 20 years ago giving me backyard access to India Brook-- Backer's Farm, has since connected to the path to comply with a request from the town not to ride horses down the sewage plant access road.][Sound byte-35k ]
In other news... I went limp-ogging (still fighting with the effects of the stroke I had in April) down to the mud hole. 
The addition of some stain and some rocks have made a substantial improvement in the appearance of the bridge. It's still too big and ugly, and it will never earn its keep... but some might say the same about the average high-school student.
I called the town government the other day to inquire why I haven't yet received the tape of the May 3rd meeting of the town council. From the automated menu I selected the option to speak to the clerk, I eventually was connected to the clerk's voicemail message box where the automated voice informed me that I couldn't leave a message because the mailbox was full.... so much for time saving automation. I called back and selected the option to speak to the administrator Ralph "Catch-22" Blakeslee... I got the standard BS excuse that putting a cassette tape in a dual cassette player--pressing the record button-- and later removing the tape, putting it in an envelope and mailing it was too time-consuming to be accomplished in a matter of days rather than weeks-- especially since the town clerks resignation. The fact is it cost me more time to get to the clerk's useless overflowing voice-mail box than it would take a employee to copy and send a cassette tape.
I inquired of Mr. Blakeslee why my request for copies of letters (the Clerks resignation letter, a letter from a police sergeant, and Ralph Blakeslee) sent to the town council and mentioned at the last meeting of the council in April -- his reply was classic Catch-22 Blakeslee Doublespeak stating basically that you can't see (or copy) a letter unless you have enough prior knowledge of its existence to specifically describe it (sendor/subject). The basic logic goes something like this: if you know something about it, you can request to know more about it, but if you don't know about it you can't make us tell you about it. In other words you can see all the letters sent to the town council, you just have to clairvoyantly know how to specifically describe the letters individually.
I would tell you exactly what I think of all the unAmerican Jerks "we" have installed as "our" representative government... but I would have to live in a free country to do that. The truth is, if King James had Guantanamo Bay and America's disregard for human rights the forefathers of our constitution wouldn't have had the freedom to revolt.
Honest government at its best [Sound byte-165k ]
Summation of the April 19th town council meeting:
The meeting began with the introduction of the new Recreation director. He basically said hello everything's going fine.
The next item mentioned was some health problem afflicting sergeant Bashall that required surgery. No details were discussed.
There was again discussion regarding Dean road [Mountain View School] and a ordinance prohibiting left turns. Apparently the school board and the police have recommended that a previous, temporary, no left turn ordinance be made permanent-- the Council vote was split and the mayor voted no [to avoid controversy] in spite of stating that he saw no reason to oppose the school board and the police recommendation.
The budget and other pending ordinance had to be tabled to the next meeting as the Observer Tribune did not publish the proper legal notices.
The mud hole bridge [bridge over the river... why] was briefly discussed. It was stated that structural work has been completed and work on the New [privately funded] split rail fence could begin. There was comment regarding the unsightly aesthetics of some rocks dumped to secure the Bridge's footings from erosion.
There's is apparently some animosity over some public safety committee issue and council member Dolan and Garubo exchanged some hostile words that the mayor characterized as childish. [Sound byte-25k ]
The Clerk has submitted her resignation [effective June 4th]. Apparently, she also sent the council a letter expressing some concerns regarding the organization and/or performance of office personnel. The Mayor stated that some issues raised would require public discussion ???.
There was a brief discussion regarding the fact that the Dean road "striping" will again need repainting. Apparently, last year's late season paint job did not last too long.
Citing the fact that he is running for reelection Councilman Dolan resigned from the Shared Services Committee. There was some unspoken implication of tension between the committee chair person and Mr. Dolan.... Mr. Haverkost will take Mr. Dolan's place on the committee.
There was some discussion regarding parking issues at hilltop school. The school apparently has vague plans to add parking capacity and improved traffic flow-- none of which can be seriously discussed until state approval of funding is achieved.
In the public comment portion the usual high-school issues of parking, gates and Mendhams disproportionate school tax burden were briefly discussed.
Apparently the council received letters regarding various issues from sergeant Bashall , the Borough administrator and the Clerk -- I will attempt to get copies for publication.
First up was a presentation regarding the high school[s] budget. A 7.36% increase was blamed on increased debt service caused by the recently passed referendum and a contracted 4.5% salary increase. Some 2.4 million has been slated for a new roof, widening the driveway, a maybe-some-day traffic light, tennis courts, and 44 computers for each high school. The cost of education, per student, per year was stated to be $13,100 [The regional high school district did mail out one of their wastefully glossy and horribly formated (like unfolding a map) "budget reports" last week. In my opinion, this poorly created document says a lot about those responsible for defining "the state of education"-- maybe one of the new "labs" at the high-school should be a course in document design and proofreading [no doubt I could of benefited from such a course] using the district brochure as course material the taxpayers could avoid having to finance "bleacher safety enhancements" and a "turn lane" twice in the same capital budget... Even worse [as of 4/12/04] web info]
Related high-school issue; The mayor read into the record an editorial he sent to be published in The Observer Tribune.
There was again discussion regarding contracting with the county for the provision of social services. The potential efficiency of eliminating the somewhat redundant provision of services was countered with the general argument that a local-knowledge social worker would be more diligent in, and capable of, serving the needs of the community's vulnerable population. The council unanimously voted to retain the services of a local social worker.
There was discussion regarding a fire department request to use the Borough Park for a multi department event-- apparently there is a scheduling conflict with sports teams and some other arrangements will need to be made.
The town budget was discussed. A higher than usual increase in the tax rate was blamed on unanticipated expenses regarding waste water, legal fees, employee insurance, and employee pensions. There was reference to the fact that capital expenditures [ expenditures financed by debt] have increased and that on a year-to-year basis the town is acquiring more new debt than it is retiring. It was announced that there will be provided opportunity for public comment on the budget at the May 3rd council meeting. Also... Ralph Blakeslee stated his intention to publish the "budget statement" on the Borough Website [what an innovator...]
There was a little discussion regarding the new Borough ordinance allowing a council meeting procedural change permitting the use of a "consent agreement" to more efficiently deal with the numerous noncontroversial requests for banner permits etc. in bulk rather than individually.
The Mendham[s] library has apparently contract with some South Carolina company to start "fund raising" some $5 million. [I hope to someday get a copy of this contract --I wonder how much it's going cost to pay for, paying for, the library?]
Waste Management's good pickup performance for the week was noted. [I still think a pickup day in the spring and fall was a more efficient (Green) system.]
Most of the rest of the meeting was devoted to school access issues.
Regarding Hilltop school there was general agreement that one roadside parking space needs to be eliminated-- at least during peak traffic hours.
Regarding Mountain View School there was rather convoluted discussion regarding "no left turn" issues --no final decision was reached.
Regarding the high school Drake Road access gate was again discussed. The current policy is that the gate is only to be opened when a police officer is available to open it. This policy has the glaring deficiency of compounding traffic problems at times when no officer is available to open the gate --as the logical consequence would be people making pointless extra "round-trip" excursions through the effected neighborhood just to inevitably also add to front entrance congestion. [Sound byte-47k ]
The Rotary clubs 23rd annual antique show Saturday, March 27 10 a.m. to 6 p.m and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, March 28 at West Morris Mendham High School. admission is $6 ... there is a $1 off coupon here.
MENDHAM TWP - Township Assessor Ernie Delguercio will discuss the planned township reassessment at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 31, at the municipal building, Cherry Lane, Brookside.
The League of Women Voters of the West Morris Area will host candidates’ nights in Chester, Mendham Borough and Mendham Township in anticipation of school board election day, Tuesday, April 20.
All residents are invited to attend the following candidate forums.
In Mendham, the candidates will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 6, in the Mountain View School Library.
The candidates’ night for the Mendham Township Board of Education will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 1, in the Mendham Township Elementary School Library.
MENDHAM – Substance abuse among teens will be the subject of a talk by Kieran Ayre, executive director of “Choices for Change,” who will meet with parents at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 29, in the West Morris Mendham High School library.
Ayre will discuss the issue of substance abuse among young teens in Mendham and Chester public and private schools. The program is sponsored by the Municipal Alliance.
The presentation is open to all local parents and other interested individuals free of charge. Call (973) 543-2501, extension 4520.
For more on the prevention of teen substance abuse, visit
www.medwebnj.com/mendhamchester/concernedparents.com
Summation of the March 15th meeting of the Borough Town Council:
The first meaningful resolution passed was the adoption of the 2004 temporary sewage plant budget... there was no discussion. [I'll try to get a copy of this budget].
Another resolution was passed regarding entering into a police vehicle leasing plan. Councilman Dolan suggested there would be a yearly $5,000 savings. ( $22,000 per year vs $27,000 per year.) There was little discussion beyond some mention that one of the currently owned Borough vehicles [6] would be excluded from the trade-in terms of the lease. [It seems reasonable to contract with dealerships for a discount in exchange for a future purchase contract... but "leasing" is essentially renting and as a 25 year victim of that racket, I doubt the Borough isn't gonna get the shaft in the end on this deal. To save some real money the Borough ought to be purchasing lightly used, rather then, new vehicles-- when you consider all the hardware retrofitting, and the abuse to be imposed, paying thousands of dollars more for premium priced virgin cars seems kind of pointless.]
There was some discussion regarding the current policy that allows "landscape contractors" to dump "brush" from work done on Borough properties. As the council members had no hard facts regarding volume and cost to the town-- It was agreed that decision to change current policy would be held over.
Waste Management has apparently not been complying with their $2xx,000.00 contract to pick up bulk items. It was agreed that the council will proceed as if it was their intention to legally void the contract. [The implication was, that Waste Management wouldn't get off the hook with just more vague promises]
Perhaps in reference to some ad hoc committee merger issue ... it was stated that the Borough police station has an appraised value of $885,000.00 [next meeting of the ad hoc committee: March 22nd]
There was brief mention of some proposal to merge the local general assistance program with county services.
There were quite a few public comments, the first regarding back door access roads to the high school. Apparently, once installed, the Drake Rd Gate will be closed [locked] all the time. [the old, open for an hour in the morning, and the afternoon policy seemed to make more sense...but...]
Much of the rest of the public comments reference other related school issues and the $35 million expansion referendum. A couple of residents expressed the opinion that the council's March 5th letter was much too little much too late. One resident who supported the referendum stated that he did not appreciate tax dollars being spent to express an opinion he disagrees with. Many spoke about the need for cooperation between the town council and the school board. Someone mentioned the need to "think creatively" in finding ways to persuade the school board to be more accommodative to local concerns. The fire chief complained about being out of the loop regarding high school activities i.e. unreported fires, general safety issues and not being consulted regarding the planned expansion. A resident brought up the issue of the school board's suggestion of a traffic light-- The mayor dismissed the issue with the comment that it would not address the volume problem and likely would only slow down traffic. The simplistic suggestion that students be obliged to walk or take the bus was again suggested [simplistic, because the drop-off traffic that would result has a more negative impact on traffic congestion].
Council members remarked that there was no solution, or that they don't have a solution. [of course I disagree, and believe there is a solution]
The only other issue discussed was a public inquiry regarding plans for the sewage plant and the question whether the town had actually been fined or not. The Mayor responded that the town had been fined in the past and the fines can be from $25,000 to $100,000 per infraction. The mayor noted that there is only "one stream" for the disposal of waste water and that its capacity can't be increased. He also pointed out that alternative methods of disposing of waste water are being considered-- He did mentioned land irrigation... but pointed out the seasonal [winter] problem and the downside of having to create a separate treated water transportation infrastructure.
TAX RATE CALCULATION -- Apparently we're gonna spend $2,030,440 on S & W, and $2,770,815 on OE and pay for it with $1,066,813 in Fund Balances, $1,079,237 in Miscellaneous, and $2,885,205 of property taxes. Mush-cellaneous documentation.
SALARIES-- What a surprise the administrators, administrated themselves the largest pay increase. ...but after all, you really can't pay too much for people capable of producing such detailed and comprehensible documentation.
budget.pdf -- In spite of the fact that I have explicitly requested the town send information in a digital text format (actual spread sheet file for example) they sent me this barely legible (black-and-white compressed) document scan trapped in a PDF file. The clear intention is obviously to prevent me from providing convenient access to the information. ... or perhaps they just hope to force me to waste an hour or more of my life retyping the information into a web usable form. Whatever the intention, it's not a legitimate function of government and I would sue these jerks... if I wasn't already suing them.
By logical implication, the town would have us believe that these three documents represent the entirety of publicly accessible budget information. The charming choices are: Borough government is a pack of secretive liars, or a pack of incompetent morons-- take your pick.
In other news according to the administrators report the "Gate at High School. ... will be installed between the end of Drake Road and the parking lot some time next week. "
Also the Office Addition to the wastewater plant's office is nearing completion. Doug and Ralph "will make arrangements to have telephone and data cables installed as they were not part of the original design". [well at least they apparently made sure floors and ceilings were part of the original design. Nothing like retrofitting brand new construction to give you a sense of accomplishment]
In Township news: The Township website has been substantially enhanced. Some of the click-through-three-pages to get where you're going kangaroo navigation has been cleaned up and there is an encouraging "freshness" to some of the information. By contrast, on the borough's stagnant little Internet pond it's hard to tell mold from the purification.
