IS FREE SPEECH STILL FREE IN NORTH ARLINGTON?
Mayor and his followers apparently don’t like others commenting on Social Media, and then do exactly the same thing by making questionable comments on FACEBOOK as well!
NORTH ARLINGTON – With a rash of car break-in’s in the community recently, numerous residents have made their opinions known on platforms like FACEBOOK, which gives them an opportunity in real time to discuss the issues North Arlington really wants to talk about! It seems the Mayor is trying to “twist” the conversation among residents as somehow undermining the NAPD, when that was never the case. In fact maybe Pronti and his councilmembers should produce these posts that were critical of anyone? He can’t because they don’t exist. At the end of the day residents elect the Mayor & Council. Ultimately, they are in charge. And responsible for what occurs in the borough. For these assumptions of micro-managing anyone are just baseless accusations as they seem to fear that their collective grip on Borough Hall could be slipping away.
Someone should remind the Republicans that former two-term Democratic Mayor Pete Massa, is a lifetime law enforcement professional, and retired NAPD sergeant, as well as a life-long resident. It seems because in 2024 the NA Democrats are committed to run a vibrant and spirited, positive campaign that will be about the record of the incumbents, not the employees of North Arlington. It will be about political leadership or the lack of it, depending upon your point-of-view. What is counterproductive is going on FACEBOOK days before Christmas to criticize a resident’s right to free speech and to infer some lack of trust or support for the law enforcement community. That is juvenile and unproductive. It is the classic, “do as I say, not as I do” syndrome of embedded and arrogant elected leadership that believes this is their town and you just live here!
For many of the employees in Borough Hall were hired by previous Mayors & Councils, long before this Mayor even served. It seems the local Republicans get extremely irritated when they can’t control the online conversation or debate, and that those residents who have an opinion are somehow against those who protect the community.
So stop dragging the “professionals” into your political rhetoric when people have a right to discuss the issues facing the community in a level-headed and common sense fashion. For that is what a democracy is all about. Residents having an opinion and expressing it as much. For North Arlington is not a one-company town. For that belongs in places like Cuba, China and Russia.