Sunday, March 08, 2009

Trenton Style Gimmickry in Monmouth

Freeholder Amy Mallet's proposal to suspend the Open Space tax is Trenton style gimmickry.

As reported in the Asbury Park Press this week, Mallet floated the idea of suspending the $7.8 million tax "because people are hurting" and to offset the $11 million tax increase the Freeholders are considering for county operations.

Rather than find more savings in county operations, Mallet wants to create the illusion of taxes not rising too much by suspending the collection of the only tax that Monmouth County voters consistently approve of.

Monmouth County voters approve of the open space tax because it preserves the quality of life. By suspending the tax this year, the Freeholders would miss out on long term savings in open space acquisition. With real estate values depressed due to the Barney Frank/Chris Dodd recession, the Freeholders should be looking to save the taxpayers money on the acquisition of land at bargain prices

Mallet, and her comrades Barbara McMorrow and John D'Amico passed on an opportunity to save $2.5 million in taxpayers dollars when the voted against Freeholder Rob Clifton's resolution to start the process of closing the Monmouth County Youth Detention Center.

Mallet, McMorrow and D'Amico are looking to cut spending at Brookdale Community College, the Monmouth County Library, the Park System, and Open Space, while maintaining wasteful spending at the Youth Detention Center that has twice as many union employees as it has detained youth.

The Democratic trio's priorities make my predictions of Monmouth transforming into Bergen County with beaches look optimistic.

11 comments:

JustifiedRight.com said...

A tax that Republicans love and consider sacred.

A move toward Communist government ownership of land that Republicans love.

Good grief.

Are there no true Conservative believers left in Monmouth County?

Honest Abe said...

Mallet is prone to speak some real winners when she opens her mouth. Biden with boobs.

Anonymous said...

as sad as it is, they're being helpful to us: there's already lots to run on now..if we're smart, we ought to be able to capitalize on their poor,self-centered judgments!!..

Anonymous said...

The unions don't get anything out of the open space tax, so that's why they don't care. This is terribly short-sighted, as in the long term, the purchase of open space saves money so it can't be developed with mcmansions or COAH housing and all the school children that come with it that raises taxes and demand for services even more.

ambrosiajr said...

The unions might not get anything out of the open space tax. but I would bet that Madame Burry, being the real estate broker, and the force behind the open space tax to begin with, definitely gets something out of this. She's not in this for altruistic reasons, she's in this for what she can get. She's brokered plenty of deals for the county, for Colts Neck, and for Colts Neck Realty, and she lists them on the Colts Neck Historical House Tour. She's been doing that for years. This is one tax that I would love to see just go away and not come back.

Anonymous said...

Never in the history of this country has the government not owned land. Very very large tracts of it, They have owned it for many different reasons.
For the last 100 years they have owned it to CONSERVE it!
Communism is not the govt. owning some land It is the government ownig ALl land and not paying for it but taking it by force w/o compensation.
Stop making yourself sound Stupid

Unknown said...

Tom is right. Few conservatives really love taxes and even fewer like taxes to pay for open space. The only effect of the Government buying open space is to inflate property prices. A realtor would always benefit from raising property prices.

Anonymous said...

preservation of open space and farmland remains critical. if it can be purchased cheap now and preserved it will lift all values of existing homes later.

Anonymous said...

oh, really, am-broke of ideas?.. prove Burry is anything other than a smart, dedicated and classy lady..she didn't need gov't, she first made her own success the old fashioned way, which is rapidly being forgotten: she earned it..it must be so painful for some jealous people to watch from the sidelines..

Unknown said...

Preservation of open space critical? More than 95% of America is open, unpopulated space.

Anonymous said...

not in this TOO-FAST growing county or this over-crowded state!!