Their tactics are getting old

More to follow in the next few weeks but I can tell you that the great people of Garwood are sick of their tactics especially when they follow The Rules for Radicals to a T.


Saul Alinsky was a Socialist that taught how to create a Social State. He wrote the Rules for Radicals that a handful of politicians are living by:
RULE 12: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.” Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions. (This is cruel, but very effective. Direct, personalized criticism and ridicule works.).


Are these the people you want making day to day decisions? The anger, the hate? Time to vote them out.

$3.2 million learning experience and manufactured outrage.

That about sums up the Council meeting. First, a special thank you to my friends at Unico and the IAOVC. They had a serious concern and accepted the apology of our councilman and we look forward to working with them in the near future. Those gentlemen along with Councilman Mathieu were some of very few grown ups in the room and as an Italian American with close roots to their organization I am grateful for everything they do. Our Borough is too inclusive to have even one person who is bitter, vindictive, divisive that will take anything and manufacture outrage for his or her political gain. We saw that on the evening of the Council meeting and I am truly sad for those people. Leave the PC activism to the Al Sharptons of the world. This is and was a non-issue and so are those that make believe they are offended. The typical politicians are trying to use it as a distraction from their failed policies, from the brutal tax increase, the extra $31,000 the Athletic Field is costing us this year when they promised it was no more than 2 or 3 thousand.


What I found offending was that on two separate occasions when issues about the Athletic Complex were brought up by residents in town, 2 councilman including Harry Reid Bill Neirstedt dismissed these concerns with "we are new to this" and "there is going to be a learning curve". $3 and a half million of our tax money and to these politicians it is just a learning curve? They are playing with our money with no plans whatsoever. Our taxes are skyrocketing and the people that built Garwood are being forced out and all they have to say for themselves is "it's a learning curve". When one resident asked why as a taxpayer in town, his kids are never allowed to play on the park, he was told, "we are learning as we go". When a resident asked why people were not allowed to use  the parking lot, he was told "it's a learning curve"




Lastly, the point was brought up that maybe the borough could have passed on a beer tent at a Little League event. Councilman Tarantino that is was a "Day for all of Garwood" for everyone to enjoy. The reality is that Garwood Day was designed around little league, stop playing politics and start listening. Per the last blog it was a wonderful day and that should not be lost around semantics. That statement by the way came just before the aforementioned gentleman said his kids were kicked off the field on "Garwood Day".

Beautiful day for Garwood by the people of Garwood

Garwood Day could not have gone any better. Wonderful job by the recreation department, the coaches, the parents and of course the players. Now just imagine if we had fiscally responsible people that could have properly budgeted out the field, we could have many more days like Saturday. The day was great because of all the people that made it, not a synthetic field. Poor planning has saddled us with an extra $31,000 this year and most likely tens of thousands more next year to make the baseball field compliant so our older kids can use it for home games against other towns.
Nonetheless, wonderful job by all those involved on Garwood Day.

Unhinged and it's only April

We are seeing our Democrat friends become unhinged crying foul at everything they see. Maybe its in an attempt to distract from the massive tax increase they are trying to impose or maybe its to distract from the fact that our $3.2 million tax payer funded Athletic Complex wasn't built to specs, now our Major League team cannot play home games against other towns. Yes you read that right, our baseball field is only compliant for up to 4th grade.


Anyway, they are trying desperately to say the GOP chairman's satirical op-ed was somehow an attack on Italians. Shhhh don't tell them, he is Italian, his wife is Italian, I, Sal Piarulli, am Italian, but more importantly, we are all Americans, Americans that love our Borough. We are Garwood, not those that are trying desperately to split the town, distract and distort the truth. Now let's all go raise some money with a big Bocce Tournament to pay for the extra $31,000 in costs to the Field when they swore it would only be 2 or 3 thousand. Just a little off.


I hope to see everyone at the Beer Tent, because you know a beer tent is appropriate for a children's event. That's sarcasm for my friends on the left.

Harry Reid DOES live in Garwood

The question from the previous post Does Harry Reid live in Garwood has been answered! He does and his name is Bill Nierstedt. For some reason the Councilman has chosen to attack the messenger instead of addressing the facts of unnecessary brutal tax increases that are driving out the very people that built our great Borough. I just wish Mr. Reid Nierstedt loved this place as much as those of us willing to stick our necks out and question why, if he did maybe he would answer instead of attempting to distort and distract, just like Harry Reid. It's comical that Mr. Reid Nierstedt says he is looking forward to running a campaign on the issues and then writes an editorial that takes personal attacks on a resident in Garwood who has serious concerns on the direction of the Borough. Good luck with that. Unfortunately for Garwood, under Mr. Reid Nierstedt there is no compromise, it's his way or he will tax you out of here.

Opening Day 2015

Garwood Baseball opening day


Let's leave the debate over the hefty price-tag, additional costs and complete miss-management for another day. This Saturday, April 11th come down and enjoy all the festivities as Garwood opens the home for our kids baseball teams. For the first time in 2 years the teams from our youngest through majors - 8th grade, will have a home field for other towns to come see and play.


Click here for additional details.

Does Harry Reid live in Garwood?

In a recent interview, Democrat minority leader Harry Reid admitted he lied about Mitt Romney’s record to help Barack Obama win the election. When one can no longer win on his or her record they distort, distract or outright lie to keep power. What is sad is that these tactics are also used at a local level. For the sake of our great borough and the wonderful people that live here, we can only hope the incumbents stick to the issues, their records and the facts without the political spin.

For instance last year we were told that the Athletic field would only cost $2 to $3000  but it is actually cost us $31,000 extra this year alone. White lies lead to big issues when it comes to our well being. Facts like, $33,000 in debt service payments due to the AFC and neglected infrastructure projects, $7,000 increase to the Recreation department, $17,000 for the Planning Board, $11,100 to the Municipal Clerk, $23,845 initial cost for computer software, $20,000 Taxes Raised, $18,800 in Legal Fees, $17,000 for pension line items, and $37,000 in Municipal Roof repairs that should be covered in the "surplus." In addition the failure of the Finance Committee to understand and prepare for fluctuations in RVSA fees will now cost us $86,000 even though the fees are flat over the past five years.

 

More facts they choose to ignore: The budget proposed by the Garwood Finance Committee is more per household than Westfield and Cranford combined. How can a borough of 4,200 people see such drastic increases year after year? It is because we have people in charge that have zero real world budget experience. They simply copy and paste from the previous year and add increases. They have no plan, no solution. They push through their pet projects without allowing the people to vote on them and now our small town with a big heart is starting to see the ramifications of their carelessness.

 

We look forward to a spirited debate, the facts and of course seeing Ileen and Joe elected to our next Council.

 

 

Letter to the Editor 04-01-2015

Letter: Garwood: Big Heart, Big Taxes


To the editor:
There they go again, justifying, spinning and actually bragging about increasing taxes. With 19 homes for sale, another 8 in pre-foreclosure, the Garwood Finance Committee just doesn't seem to get that we cannot afford their reckless spending and tax increases.


In a recent letter-to-the-editor they make a failed attempt at trying to explain away the increase by taking no accountability and ignoring the facts. Increases to the 2015 Budget include: an additional $31,000 for the Athletic Complex (last year they said it would be $2000), $33,000 in debt service payments due to the AFC and neglected infrastructure projects, $7,000 increase to the Recreation department, $17,000 for the Planning Board, $11,100 to the Municipal Clerk, $23,845 initial cost for computer software, $20,000 Taxes Raised, $18,800 in Legal Fees, $17,000 for pension line items, and $37,000 in Municipal Roof repairs that should be covered in the "surplus." In addition the failure of the Finance Committee to understand and prepare for fluctuations in RVSA fees will now cost us $86,000 even though the fees are flat over the past five years.


The budget proposed by the Garwood Finance Committee is more per household than Westfield and Cranford combined. How can a borough of 4,200 people see such drastic increases year after year? It is because we have people in charge that have zero real world budget experience. They simply copy and paste from the previous year and add increases. They have no plan, no solution. They push through their pet projects without allowing the people to vote on them and now our small town with a big heart is starting to see the ramifications of their carelessness.


By approving the $3.2 million AFC without putting it up for the people of Garwood to vote on, the council ignored capital expenditures the borough requires like Police Dispatch computer system, Police Dictaphone system, DPW equipment that is 30+ years-old, the 30+ year-old fire trucks and lack of a $1M ladder truck to fight fires at The Pointe, St. Anne's Senior housing (which, when opened, is going to create an even bigger drain on resources) and the fire on Second Avenue. There are streets in Garwood that have not been repaved in 40 years, sidewalks falling into disrepair, etc. Now we have to pay for all the items we already needed to borrow money for but hid from the public when the AFC was approved.


In addition, there is no synergy between the municipality and the Board of Education. We work in silos, which creates blown up budgets that hurt us, the taxpayers. The BOE has already said they are raising taxes an average of $217 per house which may have been avoided with smart collaboration. For years they have gotten away with irresponsible increases. The numbers don't lie and we love this town too much to allow it to continue in the direction it's headed.

Sal Piarulli
Garwood