Westrick's Cheap Shot...

In a Letter to the Editor in this week's OT, Washington Township Republican Club President Chris Westrick congratulates the Township Committee on their recent resolution of the emergency dispatch situation. While that's all fine and dandy, Mr. Westrick goes on to say he was "dismayed to learn that Democratic candidate for Township Committee Harlin Parker, along with former Democrat Committeeman Kevin Nedd and Democrat Chairwoman Sally Hudson had attended the meeting with the intention of politicizing this important issue in an effort to score cheap points for the upcoming election". Pardon me, but since when do the powers of Mr. Westrick's political position include the reading of minds? My purpose for attending the meeting was no different from any other attendee...to hear the Committee's decision and thought process behind it. When the decision was announced, during public comment, I congratulated the Committee on their recommendation. Please feel free to check the record, since I don't think Mr. Westrick bothered to attend this important special meeting. Instead, as usual, he relied on partisan hacks to spoon feed him talking points.

And while we are on the subject, perhaps Mr. Westrick can explain how the net savings to taxpayers has dwindled to $150K now that the Chesters walked away with their $200K in annual revenue. This is of course far below the $346K in savings former Republican Washington Township mayor John "Krickunomics" Krickus touted in his recent partisan OT letter. More importantly, it would be great if Mr. Westrick could manage to square all this with Committeeman Howard Popper's 2007 promise to voters of $600K in savings by moving our dispatch to the county? This seems like yet another broken promise by a Republican who obviously didn't know what he was talking about. Yes, the Committee reached the right conclusion and for that they deserve credit, but it seems how they got there has not worked in the BEST interests of Washington Township taxpayers.

Lastly, the next time Mr. Westrick pens a letter where he makes it a point to mention (no less than 4 times) the people he's taking to task are Democrats, he should show a little integrity and not leave it to the OT Editor to note he is the President of the Washington Township Republican Club. Unless of course Mr. Westrick is ashamed of his title due to the recent unlawful actions of a prior occupant of his title.