Scharfenberger responds to Walsh and Whathisname

Middletown Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger has taken exception to the comments made at the September 15 Middletown Township Committee meeting by Democratic Committee candidate Pat Walsh and her running mate,as reported by MoreMonmouthMusings correspondent JJ Sullivan.

Walsh presented the Township Committee with a copy of a "Sunshine Ordinance" recently passed by Hillside as an example of what Middletown should do to increase transparency. She promised to enact such and ordinance on January 4, 2009 if she is elected in November. Hillside is a Union County town that borders Elizabeth and Newark. I guess Walsh thinks Hillside is a place in New Jersey where Democrats are doing a better job governing than Republicans are doing in Middletown.

Scharfenberger said that Middletown is already doing most of what Hillside is spending $300,000 to implement.

Scharfenberger took particular exception to Whathisname's allegations of falsehoods in the Mayor's column in the most recent edition of Middletown Matters, the townships quarterly newsletter. The Mayor said, "Everything in there, as always, is accurate, and supported by the facts."

The column in question is reprinted below, with emphasis added at Scharfenberger's request.

Middletown Leads the Way in Ensuring Transparency in Government

Government as the founding fathers envisioned it, is predicated upon the principle that ordinary citizens would play a pivotal role in every aspect of its function; from choosing its leaders to setting policy. Abraham Lincoln characterized this as “government of the people, by the people and for the people.” Critical to these are maintaining communication and a steady flow of information between the governing body and the people they serve. To that end, Middletown has been at the forefront of ensuring transparency in government in a number of diverse ways.

We live in a world of ever-increasing ways of communicating through new and improved technological advances. Middletown has made great use of these tools, as exemplified by the township website. The website has recently been completely revamped, with more information, links to township services and organizations, and modes of communication between the township and the residents. Through the online Citizens Communication Center, residents can submit questions or comments to the township at any time of day or night. Inquiries are then addressed by the appropriate township official or department. In addition, we have the capacity to send alerts through text messages to those who register with the township and provide us with their cell phone information.

The “reverse 911” system is an excellent method of contacting residents quickly with important information. In the event of an emergency or an impending crisis, we have the capacity to send critical information and/or instructions by telephone to a targeted area, or to the township as a whole. These recorded messages have been used with great success for such occurrences as the rash of coyote sightings, utility outages, potential flooding and the FEMA flood map open house.

We are also expanding the information available on the website. Middletown was fortunate to have received a Monmouth County PARIS grant, which funds the feasibility and development of many various inventory and integration systems including the (RIM) Records Inventory Management system which will be shared with 13 towns including Middletown this fall. This program will allow for the Township records, in archives and day forward, to be imaged, indexed, searchable by keyword and shared. We also hope to offer access to the public to these records based on their status as a government record through a terminal located at the Library and the Township Clerks office and eventually online. This will allow the public a means of searching minutes, ordinances, and resolutions from as far back as 1900 and type in a keyword to review every document in which that word or phrase exists. With the help of Monmouth County and the PARIS program we hope to be able to begin this service by the spring of 2009.

A related feature is the township’s public access TV channel. This wonderful forum allows us to run PSAs, informational programming and event schedules 24-hours a day. Some of the most-watched segments have been the “coyote forum” with the state biologist, Eagles in Focus, which is taped at High School South and features interviews with local officials, the Reaching Out Substance Abuse Prevention meeting, concerts in the park and R.U.D.E. Awakening, to name a few.

Perhaps no other medium reaches more people and provides more diverse information than the very newsletter you are reading, Middletown Matters. This award-winning publication is sent to every residence and covers a range of topics, events and aspects of the township in each of the six annual issues. The new format has not only allowed us to provide more information, but has actually saved the township money by eliminating certain paid newspaper notices and special mailings. It has also increased participation in Parks and Recreation Department and library programs, which brings in extra revenue to the township, while increasing the number of people volunteering, which helps cut costs, provide additional services, increases resident participation and improves the quality of life in general.

While the use of new technology as a means of communication is growing, there is no substitute for meeting and speaking with people face to face. In addition to the bimonthly meetings and numerous special meetings held during the year, the township committee conducts four neighborhood meetings each spring. Each of these meetings is scheduled in a different geographic quadrant of the township, giving coverage to all parts of our vast community. In addition to the township committee, department heads or their representatives are there to answer questions that require specialized knowledge. These meetings are particularly useful, since it gives the township committee a chance to meet with and hear the concerns of residents who don’t normally attend the regular meetings in a relaxed, informal setting. As I have often said, many times we hear of an issue for the first time at these neighborhood meetings, which allows us to address it quickly and effectively.

Another personalized mode of communication is the bimonthly mayor’s office hours. On the first and third Saturday of every month, I have office hours at town hall from 10:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. Residents can come in without an appointment to discuss anything they wish with me in my office. This has been especially popular with residents from all over the township, who find it invaluable to be able to speak personally to the mayor without having to wait for an appointment and have questions answered and problems addressed. I find it particularly constructive in that it gives me the opportunity to discuss issues at length without the time or space constraints of a formal meeting or a print article.

I encourage everyone to take advantage of the various avenues available to communicate with the township and keep themselves informed. This will help us all to keep Middletown the great place it is to live and confront the many challenges we face in these complex and trying times for our state.