THE NA NEWSLETTER: REAL NEWS OR STATE SPONSORED PROPAGANDA AT TAXPAYER’S EXPENSE?
NORTH ARLINGTON – If one didn’t know any better you would think North Arlington began when the current Mayor assumed office, and anyone who served previously (including this Mayor as a councilman) was seemingly unable to get out of their own way! For the recently delivered North Arlington newsletter seems to be a tribute to the all-Republican Mayor & Council, that can do no wrong, and anything that was wrong or incorrect happened before they took office! For the record, the governing body’s current Council President who also claims everything is just fine is running unopposed this year and the fact the newsletter was sent just days before the election should be interpreted as just a coincidence?
For the record, that same Council President was defeated for reelection in 2016, after not really accomplishing anything at all!Unfortunately this year he gets a free ride for another term of office.
While it is normal for one to tout their own collective horns days before a municipal election, there are recurring political narratives and themes that are consistent and constant, and have little to do with accomplishments or the essential services that are paid for by the taxpayers and homeowners of North Arlington. For the reality that North Arlington’s home values have soared is a national boom, hardly anything that was done by these local Republicans who don’t miss an opportunity to pat themselves on the back!
Unless this Mayor sits on the Federal Reserve or can influence national policy, taking credit for everything and blaming everyone else becomes stale and quite frankly, insulting to most. This notion that capital improvement projects occur and the Municipal Tax Rate miraculously stays the same is not to tell the complete or full story of North Arlington’s borrowing practices and debt statement, which is where you will find the actual cost to the community.
There are no free rides.
Municipal spending and borrowing continue to increase as does salaries, health costs and pensions. This simple-minded rhetoric as usual just tells half the story! For the real question is how does the proliferation of rental units add to the character of North Arlington along Ridge Road? Does constructing these dwellings create additional revenues or just more traffic? Do they conform with the “mass, character and scale” of a community that is for the most part, one-family homes, and suburban?And more importantly, does this “urbanization” of North Arlington fall in conflict with the “small, safe and suburban” character of Bergen County, rather than trying to replicate an East Newark or Harrison in Hudson County? And finally, does this kind of short-sighted and misguided planning eventually push out long term residents because at the end of the day, North Arlington is less affordable? Most people believe making things more expensive does not add value to a community. Simply constructing apartments for the sake of building them and changing the overall landscape of Ridge Road is a serious topic that demands a rational discussion for all residents to have a seat at the table.
And there lies the problem. Because sadly, conversation and consensus does not take place in North Arlington any longer. North Arlington from a political perspective is a one-man, one-company town. A political monopoly that controls the conversation and is opposed to responsible, two-party government.They want to end and eliminate any political opposition from anyone who is not a Republican, and that Democrats should be blamed and vilified for any and all problems the community faces even though not a single Democrat has served on the Borough Council this decade! Not one, and they are hell bent in keeping it that way! This arrogant and condescending approach leaves North Arlington out-of-step with county and state representatives as our Mayor rules as a proverbial big fish in a very small bowl with no real allies in county or state government because of his attitude that all Democrats are the enemy of the state! His state and his town. Ironically, there are more registered Democrats than Republicans in the community, but Democrats have been systematically removed from volunteer boards and commissions unless you’re a GOP ally or donor, as the notion of responsible two-party government is a thing of the past. For how does a political monopoly make for a better community ? So for years you have every council member voting “yes” for anything and everything, thousands of votes all in the affirmative with no debate or discussion. For the two incumbents are not running on their record as they appropriate the funding, not the Mayor. The reason to vote for them is because like two blind mice, they will “rubber stamp” and approve his every whim. They are actually proud to be pawns, political puppets for simply attending one meeting a month and receiving about $10,000 annually for stopping by Borough Hall to pick up that pay check! Selfless political grandstanding aside, what can these two incumbents claim as accomplishments other than voting “yes” to increase their own pay?
For the 2023 municipal council election in North Arlington will be another coronation, but 2024 will be far different.
In 2024 local Democrats will be fielding an excellent team of council candidates who are already walking, listening and learning about North Arlington. Lifelong residents, graduates of North Arlington High School with deep roots in the community.
True Vikings!
They will be our voice, not puppets of a part-time Mayor gone astray and run amok! So when you run into one of your Republican council members, ask them how much that newsletter actually cost taxpayers and was it a coincidence it mailed one week before this year’s election?
Call Borough Hall at (201) 991-6060 and see if you get a straight answer.
Ask for Dan when you do.
