N. Plainfield officials can’t justify rise in spending
Published on 5 Oct 2009 at 12:15 pm.
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JAMES S. McGARRY, JR.
Courier News Opinions
North Plainfield taxpayers have known intuitively that the taxes they pay at the local level have spiraled out of control over the last decade. Now, the multi-part report in the Courier News (www.MyCentralJersey.com) has confirmed their worst fears.The meltdown of the global economy has hit residents of North Plainfield hard — very hard — and many individuals and families have watched their incomes and property values fall dramatically. For the fortunate ones, they’ve been able to tighten their belts and reduce spending on things like vacations, entertainment and other forms of so-called discretionary spending.
As highlighted in recent reports to the mayor and Borough Council, a growing number of our friends and neighbors have not been so fortunate and are forced to abandon the homes they can no longer afford. The scenario is reminiscent of John Steinbeck’s great historical novel, “The Grapes of Wrath.” Only the naive can believe we’ve seen the end of the foreclosures and suffering.
That’s why it is simply inexplicable that the members of the Borough Council, including my opponent, recently lined up and voted unanimously to approve the final budget that increases local government spending for yet another year. The development of this budget followed months of warnings from the governor that state financial assistance would be slashed, forcing North Plainfield taxpayers to make up for a one-year loss in state financial aid of more than $350,000. As everyone must surely know, we face a multi-billion dollar structural deficit at the state level and the loss in state aid is likely to be even greater next year.
For those who say that elected officials in towns like North Plainfield have no options, I point them to our friends in Franklin Township and the Courier News article of June 30, 2009. That article describes efforts to reduce taxes and save jobs by working with union leadership, to save more than a half-million dollars.
North Plainfield residents concerned about the astounding increase in local government spending over the last decade want to know when our local elected officials will learn to cut back and learn to live on less, like the rest of us?
I suggest that Election Day, Nov. 3, is a great time to send the message to our local elected officials that “good enough” is simply not acceptable.
JAMES S. McGARRY, JR.
North Plainfield
The writer is a candidate for Borough Council.
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