EDO Screening for the four Council spots - March 14, 2019 at 7:00 PM at the Pines!

Well, since there are four council seats up for grabs this year, thought it would be helpful to know a few things about this years EDO screening process. So, I reached out to the new EDO Chairman, Mr. Shariq Ahmad and asked the following about public notice to anyone interested in screening and would the public be allowed to attend the actual screening:

My name is Ralph Bucci and I’m an Edison resident and a registered Democrat. For purposes of full disclosure, I’m not much of a fan of the EDO but do have a long-time interest in the town’s governance on both sides of town (municipal and school board).

My sole purpose in contacting you is to inquire if there was any public notice given so any Democrats in town who wish to apply to screen for one of the four open council spots up this year could do so. I didn’t see any but it’s possible that I missed it - so if there was such a notice, I’d appreciate your pointing me to it. If there wasn’t any notice, can you tell me why not?

Second, will anyone from the public be invited to hear the speeches of all the candidates who are screening when it comes up for a vote. If so, I would very much like to attend and hear what all the candidates have to say. As I understand it, in addition to all the incumbents - there are a number of other candidates who have expressed an interest in screening. I think it’s important that we be able to hear what all candidates have to say about how they will make Edison better.

Thanking you in advance for any info you can provide.

Mr. Shariq was kind enough to respond and provided the following information:

On the public notice query:

Thanks for reaching out! Yes there was public notice given, and this year (my first as
chairman overseeing a candidate screening) I wanted to make it even more accessible than years prior. Usually, we are only required to post a public notice in two local papers. I wanted to go further, since more people are consuming their news online nowadays. So, this year, I had the notice posted not just in two local papers (Home News and Sentinel), but also their online sites, as well as another local online newspaper, TapInto Edison, in the hopes that it would reach more people. You can search any of their websites and view it, or see it in the paper itself. Here is one of the notices for your reference (all were identical):

https://www.tapinto.net/towns/edison/categories/press-releases/articles/edison-democratic-organization

 On the public attendance at the screening query:

Yes, there is lots of interest in serving Edison Township via elected office. As I understand it, usually the speech portion of the screening is open only to the committee. I am willing to open it up to the public, especially folks who have long-time interest in the town's governance such as yourself. You and others from the public are welcome to attend. 

There are 3 factors I will take into account if I decide to close it to the public on the night of the screening:

1. If there is not enough space, I will obviously give priority to committeepeople, and ask non-committeepeople to step outside for the duration of the screening. The room and everything has already been reserved and so I will take logistical considerations into account. 

2. If it is too loud or chaotic in the room, I will request the public to leave so that the committeepeople can focus on the important task at hand and listen intently to each candidate. 

3. If the candidates or several committeepeople ask that I close it to the public and give me a valid reason, I will honor their request. Ultimately, it is a meeting of members of the Organization and they are allowed to make such requests.

I then asked if there was a list of candidates (with some bios) who were screening he was willing to share to include in this post.

Mr. Ahmad provided the following:

Candidates:

1. Sheila Angalet

2. Willie Araujo

3. Richard M. Brescher

4. Joseph A. Coyle (I)

5. Nilesh Dasondi

6. Michael R. Lombardi (I)

7. Steven P. Nagel

8. Ajay Patil (I)

9. John H. Poyner

10. Leonard D. Sendelsky (I)

11. Joyce Ship-Freeman

12. Maria C. Wise

  (I) Incumbents




Anyhoo, thank you Mr. Ahmad for allowing the people of Edison to know about the screening process, the public ability to be part of the process with candidates' paper and attendance at the screening meeting (with the caveats stated), if they so desire to attend. Also important to know who the candidates are and why they are seeking the party endorsement to fill one of the four council spots up for grabs.

Well, here's something Humongous you might not want to close your eyes to here in the 'DemBadLands' of Downtown Edison!

Well, saw this piece here about the potential $800 million Water and Sewer deal the town is considering and may soon enter into a 40-year agreement with Suez North America to operate and manage Edison's water and sewer systems.

According to this piece, 'Mayor Lankey outlined the principle terms of the agreement during his speech on Thursday. According to Mr. Lankey, Suez has agreed to:  

           1.         Capital improvements by Suez to Edison’s water and wastewater systems.

           2.         Provide the Township with a sizable “upfront payment” ($100 million) that the Township will use to retire its existing debt and utilize a small portion for the  design, development   and construction of a new municipal Community Center.

           3.         Provide improved service to the Township’s residential and  business customers.

           4.         Rate protection and keeping the senior freeze intact

According to Mr. Lankey, the total value of the transaction over 40 years, inclusive of investments to infrastructure, will be $811,344,330.'

Also, according to this piece, it comes with a lot of controversy and sites examples from other towns including our own township attorney's involvement.

Apparently, there will be a public hearing on March 28 on the proposed lease agreement. 

It's always interesting to me when they call a public meeting and they're the only ones who know all the important details and the public does not. Guess we have to play 20 questions to get all the details about what constitutes the deal they apparently agreed to and just needs council approval.

And let's face it, not for nothing but you can't always rely on the 7 processing clerks to do what's in the best interests of the People of Edison.

Maybe it's me, but something this humongous, controversial and long-term shouldn't be left to Mayor Lankey and his all -Dem Council to decide in a hurry - it should be put up on a ballot referendum, which gives the People a chance to gain the same understanding about the deal that the Council apparently has and then let the People decide.

Anyhoo, what do I know? I still can't figure out how the powers-that-be here in Downtown Edison think that you can have an open, honest and free exchange of ideas about anything in this town when not everyone is given the opportunity of dealing off the same facts at the same time!

Ahh..when Great Dem-Party Minds Think Alike!?!

Remember this picture below that Mayor Tom 'Now 17.1% but Won't Debate' ChoiLankey had up on the Township website after he won his first election and before he realized that he was Mayor of all the People of Edison and not just the Democrats?

Anyhoo, such grandiose thoughts!

Edison Mayor Lankey's State of the Township Address - geez, even he's gotta have a hard time believing his own words!

Well, saw this piece here in MyCentralJersey.com about Mayor Tom 'Now 17.1% but Won't Debate' ChoiLankey's 2019 State of the Township Address.

Nothing more than the usual Blah..blah..blah - but with some more self-serving and disingenuous rhetoric and promises from a leadership that has long gone astray.

From a controversial $800 million Water & Sewer Deal that brings along the Stench of our Local Leaders to a Second Overcrowding Task Force, it's pathetic the way the People of this town are treated.

This speech must of been so bad that the text and video still haven't been put up on the township website, as of this posting, and had to find the text in the piece above.

Nice!

Here's the text of the speech as reported above:

Edison 2019 State of the To... by on Scribd

Anyhoo, quite predictably just more of the same - but hey, you really can't expect change if you keep sending back the same people to elected office here in the 'DemBadLands' of Downtown Edison, now can you?

But hey, I do agree with this line in his speech (with one caveat) - 'Lets get it done. The town we hold in our hearts is waiting.' What needs to get done is to get Señor Lankey and his Band of 7 Processing Clerks out of office - and that will benefit the the town We the People hold in our hearts.

Vote for democracy, not Democrats in Edison - just a reminder with 4 Edison Council seats up this year

That was the title of a piece (below) that I wrote some 16 years ago. Given the actions by Mayor Tom 'Now 17.1% but Won't Debate' ChoiLankey and his 'Fresh Start Tour' entourage - just change Spadoro and his all-Democratic rule to ChoiLankey and his 'Band of 7 Processing Clerks' and you get the same results.

Moral of this tale of Woe - because of the powers that be here in the 'DemBadLands' of Downtown Edison, it's impossible to have an open and free exchange of ideas or debate in this town when everyone isn't given the same opportunity of dealing off the same facts at the same time!

[[About the only thing that Edison Mayor George Spadoro and the local Democratic party like more than winning is making the other side lose. In the latest example, while it's called wards, it's really the will of the people they're trampling all over to keep the status quo. It's not surprising, since it's all about maintaining power and one-party control over the purse strings - and they'll do and say whatever is necessary to keep it away from the people. It's the reality under Edison's all-Democratic rule; protect and preserve the Democratic party's interests above all, including those of the people.

Someone once quipped. 'a democracy is where two wolves and a sheep take a majority vote on what's for supper.' The point is democracy works best when there is an open and free exchange ideas, and when debate is encouraged. When dissenting opinion is absent, representative government is at its weakest and most clandestine. Such is the case under Edison Mayor George Spadoro's all-Democratic government. It's an unfortunate by-product of our form of government - the one-party rule.

The overwhelming concern with Spadoro's one-party government is information or more specifically, the lack of information, With total control by the democrats, what you get to know, how much you get to know, and when you get to know it is all predetermined and detrimental to your pocketbook. There's no one to challenge anything or to tell you otherwise. Priorities are set and monies disbursed without any substantive questioning or verifiable rationale.

There is no distinction between the administration and the council and hence, no checks and balances. The open and free exchange of Spadoro's ideas and policies is non-existent. Public involvement and input is impossible since debate is limited to what they want to tell you and only when they tell you.

The simple reality is that Spadoro's one-party government unnecessarily costs us money to fund party excesses. It's not what they tell us that costs the most but rather what and when they don't tell us.

With four council spots up this year, it's time we arm the sheep and prevent the wolves from determining what they'll be having for supper again. We need to vote out the democrats and break-up the one-party rule.

On Nov. 4, whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent, a vote for the Democratic slate is about the most un-Democratic thing you can do.]]

Anyhoo, welcome to one-party rule in Mayor ChoiLankey's 'DemBadLands.' As Yogi Berra says, 'it's deja vu all over again!'

Edison School Overcrowding is a Long-time Joke - but Not as Big a Joke as those Failing to Fix it!

Well  just saw this latest piece here about Edison School Overcrowding. Good thing we loaded up that Overcrowding Task Force with a bunch of do nothing politicians.

They seem to be helping out a lot and working well together, don't you think?

What do you get on 'fixing the overcrowding' when you cross the inept leadership of Jerry 'The Poster Child for April Elections' Shi and his Board of Mythomania with Mayor Tom 'Now 17.1% but Won't Debate' ChoiLankey and his band of seven Cluck..Cluck processing clerks?

Nothing..absolutely nothing to fix the overcrowding. And that even includes such Edison disappointments as Charlie 'I Abstain' Tomaro, aka Deputy Dog and 18th District Rob 'Mr. Temper-a-Ment' Karabinchak - the Poster Children for Everything That's Wrong with the EDO and The EDO's Greatest Failure, respectively.

There's a shocker.

So much for dealing with the Overcrowding issue here in the 'DemBadLands' of Downtown Edison.

Anyhoo, it's only February 2019 Now. Welcome to Edison where You Get What You Deserve and You Deserve What You Get in this politically dysfunctional one-party town.

Remember what it's all about in this town - grabbing more $ from you to support their inefficiencies and waste on both sides of town:

Edison High School's Latest Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees

Just saw this piece here about the latest inductees into the Edison High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

According to the piece, for the first time since 2008, and for just the third time ever, the high school will induct thirteen new members into its Athletic Hall of Fame.

Congratulations to all the inductees with particular notice to the family of recently deceased Coach Ken Pagach, along with John Shroba, Pete Ulozas and Keri Shutz.

Here's the list of inductees:

1. Bob Coward - Longtime EHS Athletic Director (1972-98) and Head Basketball Coach (1962-1975, 1986-87). Maybe because I was around then - and not for nothing but Not a big fan of this selection.

2. Ken Pagach - EHS Wrestling Coach 1964-94. You can read a previous post about him in this blog.

3. Ken Bjornsen - EHS Head Bowling and Softball Coach

4. Rusty Swartz - Football Class of 92

5. Al Jackson - Football Class of 92

6. John Shroba - Basketball Class of 66

7. Debbie Madi - Softball Class 89

8. Joe Duhigg - Wrestling Class of 90

9. Rasheed Simmons - Football Class of 94

10. Joe Lynch - Baseball Class of 81

11. Bob Brownlie - Baseball Class of 99

12. Pete Ulozas - Baseball Class of 91

13. Keri Shutz - Basketball Class of 02

Anyhoo, good to see they're reinstating the recognition of all the outstanding athletes that have passed through the Halls of EHS.