I sat at the Middletown Municipal Center last night and watched our community at odds. As a resident, I was ashamed of and embarrassed by most of the behavior I witnessed. Rather than residents working together for the good of our community or simply communicating effectively, many resorted to screaming, bullying, heckling, and finger-pointing. How is it possible that people who all have the same goal (a safe community) cannot have a productive conversation?
Allow me to look backwards for a brief moment to state a fact. I’m not placing blame or pointing a finger – I am stating a fact. Members of the fire companies asked last night how they were dragged into politics. Republican flyers distributed as early as this past summer claimed the Democratic candidates ‘failure to support our volunteer fire and emergency services.’ As a resident and a candidate, this deeply offended me. Prior to this claim appearing in Republican literature, nobody ever asked me how I felt about emergency services so how is it possible that somebody could claim I failed to support them? For the record, I have the highest respect and regard for all emergency responders and I value the significant contributions, and personal sacrifices, they make to ensure that our community and our residents are safe. There are some administrative issues that need to be addressed in both the police and fire departments, but that has absolutely nothing to do with the service or performance of our police officers or our volunteer fire fighters. As an example (and this came from a volunteer firefighter in Middletown Township), each of the four fire companies that serve our township may need to purchase new hoses. When this occurs, each company purchases what they need. What a firefighter suggested was why not pool these purchases together and buy a total of, say, 800 feet of hose instead of each company purchasing 200 feet individually. Grouping purchases like this, and therefore using economies of scale to our advantage, is an example of the kind of administrative issues that need to be addressed. To ensure clarity, I am in no way trying to change how our police, fire fighters, or EMS respond to emergencies. They are experts in their respective fields and they do an outstanding job for our community. Listening to suggestions for improved administrative efficiencies directly from our emergency responders and then working with them to make these kinds of changes ensures that Middletown Township will continue to receive the best possible emergency services.
I have said to many people that I will talk to anyone with a concern about our township anytime, anywhere. However, that conversation must be reasonable, rational, and respectful. I will not engage in shouting matches, I will not be unprofessional in my communications (nor will I tolerate a lack of professionalism from others), and I will seek to solve problems, not place blame. This township must look forward and ensure we are prepared for whatever new challenges may be ahead. Everyone pointing fingers at everyone else only looks backwards, and looking backwards does not solve problems. I am not interested in looking backwards and I am not interested in figuring out who is to blame for a particular issue. I am interested in moving forward, solving problems for our community, and never again seeing what I saw last night.
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So your recent mail piece that calls the fire trucks "parade floats"... how do you explain that lack of respect for the volunteers who risk their lives to protect us from fire? And the lies about police overtime on Flag Day on the same mailer - you can't pay to say one thing and turn around and say the exact opposite a few days later. No one will believe you
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - The mail piece actually said “…to stop $600,000 fire truck purchases from costing $1.2M for parade floats.” It did not say fire trucks are parade floats. I have no issues with spending appropriate amounts of money for fire trucks that are best equipped to fight fires, keep our volunteer fire fighters safe, and protect people and property. I do have an objection to spending money on additional features that do not contribute to safety or fire fighting. Wanting fiscal responsibility when purchasing emergency equipment does not in any way mean a lack of respect for volunteers who risk their lives to protect us from fire. I have the utmost respect for emergency responders, but I also demand that the township and emergency services spend tax (and grant) dollars in the most efficient and effective ways, without compromising the safety of emergency responders or residents.
ReplyDeleteThe police officer who spoke last night admitted that Flag Day was a paid holiday in the previous contract and that officers received a one-time holiday payment check each year. I do not believe that Flag Day should be a paid holiday and I’m glad it was removed from the current police contract. This position in no diminishes the respect I have for police officers. It is about fiscal responsibility for our township and tax dollars.
Anonymous #2 – I received your post this morning (I’m opting not to publish it because of the way in which you chose to write it), but I will respond to it. I did not see any post you made yesterday. The only thing I received yesterday related to this blog was a direct e-mail that I did respond to, almost immediately after receiving it. If you don’t mind trying to repost or emailing me directly, I will respond to you.
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