A logical case for Parker/Price.

Since 2001, Ken Short and Bill Roehrich have served our township as elected officials. Short on the Township Committee, and until recently, Roehrich on the K-8 WTBOE. While I may not agree with many of their fiscal decisions, as a former elected official, I appreciate their willingness to stand up and publicly serve our township. One thing I learned during my tenure is how your record follows you. Good, bad, or ugly it’s your record and for Short and Roehrich the record is quite clear. They voted 15 times to increase the total property tax levy by a combined $12.7 million. This is not a criticism, just a verifiable statement of fact.

Looking ahead, the question before voters is what will Short and Roehrich do in the future? Based on what we learned in the fable about the scorpion and frog, let’s assume Short and Roehrich are what their record says they are, which most likely means a vote for them will result in a municipal tax increase in 2010.

Harlin Parker and Jody Price offer a simple alternative to a Short/Roehrich municipal tax increase in 2010. In response to the recently announced 0% Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment, Parker and Price have stated unequivocally they will vote “NO” on the 2010 municipal budget if it contains a tax increase of any kind. This means no municipal tax increase, no municipal open space tax increase, no new usage fees (field or otherwise); period. In other words, a vote for Parker/Price won’t cost you an additional dime in municipal taxes in 2010, over what you paid in 2009.

Think about this for a moment. How often do you have the chance to vote against a municipal tax increase? Mind you, this is not a repeat of the unattainable promise of “lower taxes now”, but instead a common sense approach that will force meaningful spending cuts in a year when many of our seniors will see no increase in their fixed incomes.

So when you go to the polls next Tuesday, don’t think of a vote for Parker/Price in terms of partisan politics; but instead think of it as a vote against another municipal tax increase our seniors can’t afford.