We need some conservative candidates since the past Mayor and commissioners spent too much money and have not work with the BOE and State to stop using union wage scale for public projects and convert 401 k for teachers and public employees,

I have attended several meeting where Mr. Moscatelli and Dr. Zigmund were in attendance and was always impressed by their well thought-out comments and questions. I get the sense that Mr. Moscatelli is a logical, common sense individual who isn't running on a personal agenda, but has the welfare of all residents of Haddonfield in his best interest. Transparency and fiscal responsibility in our local (and State/Fed) government is paramount, We need leaders who will be committed to both.

He isn't even sticking around... remember? We all have read the family letter to the editor.

It ended something like this(Dec 26, 2012 Haddonfield Sun)....
---------
Unfortunately the school board has lost its vision. And I’m sorry to say that my vision for my family has also been forced to change: Once my kids hit college, we hit the road.
And what do I envision for the town?
A glut of Haddonfield homes that can’t be sold because, as nice as the town is, it ain’t all that!
-----------
Now he wants our vote of confidence and for us to believe in his "Vision"? His family wants to put at least 2 kids into the schools to reap the rewards, then leave?Great vision. Where would we be if everyone did this? What a disgrace.

Eric, Every post from you is so negative. Maybe John was speaking to the sentiments of many. Recognizing change needs to occur to make staying in town once the children have grown a feasible option. Tish and Ed's tax and spend attitude are making this town unaffordable for many families and they wanted to continue the out of control spending with Bancroft. So instead of gripping like many John decided to step up to the plate. I am thankful there are two new fresh faces in the election who will bring new ideas and perspective not only the election but hopefully the office. Unfortunately, Eric you appear to be an individual who looks at the glass half empty.

Mr. Johnson,
Minor correction to what you've printed above: I wrote that letter, not my husband. It was clearly signed by me, not my family. Honest mistake on your part, I suppose. Sometimes we use literary tools such as hyperbole to make a point. I was expressing dissatisfaction with the conduct of the Commissioners and Board of Ed re: the Bancroft proposal. My husband and I (and our two children) love this town,chose to live in this town, have put down roots in this town, and believe that the citizens of this town make it what it is. John has come to the conclusion that if you don't like the way the local government is doing things, get in there and try to improve it.

There is a diverse field of candidates, each offering their view for the future of Haddonfield. It's an election that offers real contrasts and it's an exciting time for our town as we all get to participate in our greatest democratic process...the right to vote.

Is this Eric Johnson on the planning board

when are we going to see some debates

I am happy to see John joining the race. The great thing about elections is to see the issues facing our Borough, and the ideas each candidate puts forward to face them. We all get a chance to not only see the candidates and issues, but we also get a better understanding of the mechanics of our government. Otto Von Bismarck said "Politics is the Art of the Possible" and when ideas come from diverse points of view we can all see a our own hopes in the candidates. Remember we Vote for 3. I don't judge where each candidate's views originate but how well they can work with 2 other strong wills to do what is best for the Borough. Good Luck John and all the candidates.

David Siedell
President - Haddonfield Civic Association

"Pending Approval" Why exactly?

So glad you exposed Eric Johnson's clever little turn of phrase for what it was, Beth.

"Family" letter was it? Eh, Mr. Johnson? Nice try, but you stand corrected (I looked it up). When artfulness blazes so bright, surely all is lost, including your point. It appears you put words in someone's mouth. Not good.

Here is something that folks should all ponder when they listen to emotional campaign slogans in this election. The average homeowner pays approximately $165 per month to the Borough for municipal services. When you add up the basic services that come to mind such as police, fire, roads, trash, leaves, trees, parks, library, senior center, code enforcement and other employees, etc, it seems pretty reasonable. Many shared services have already been explored and implemented and others will be such as potential privatization of utilities, etc. Of course we need to hold the line on spending, but I would like to think that we collectively have better sense than to fall for rhetoric that is hollow without some serious backup and details. If one of these candidates who is pandering to the negative dynamic and can show us how they are going to materially cut that $165 without cutting services that we are willing to live without, let's hear it. But bring some real facts please. A lot of what commissioners do is deal with lifestyle and quality of life issues, not just dollars and cents. I personally place a lot of emphasis on how well they truly understand and are committed to this place and their track record of positive contribution to what makes Haddonfield special.

None of these folks are going to make a serious impact upon that $165. I am not suggesting support or lack of support for Mr Kasko in this comment, but I would defy any candidate to sit down with the budget he is charged with creating on behalf of the Commission and show him and us where all of the fat is and how they would cut it. They won't do it and even of they do, they won't find any smoking guns. Let's just call BS what it is and move on to the real issues. If folks want different commissioners, then this is America and vote for some combination of candidates who they are comfortable with. But let's be fair and respectful of people who have toiled for countless hours for years for free and at great expense to themselves and their families. The commissioners only control about 16 or 17% of our tax bill. Any candidate who runs on a platform that implies they will save us real money is blowing smoke. And if they think they are going to promptly fix all of our infrastructure issues without blowing the budget wide open, they are really uninformed, misguided, or just saying whatever it takes to get elected.

It's not just about the issues, but also about how cozy Jeff Kasko is with Lou Cappelli, and the type of "politician" he is. There is no room for politican today, rather only room for a public servant. Did Jeff Kasko help GOP chair Tom Booth get an appointment as solicitor in Tavistock? Is it true Jeff Kasko used his influence to get a job at the state health department AND work part time for the GOP mayor in Haddon Heights? We need leaders who are interested in public service, not self service! And it isn't negative if the facts are true.....so would somebody please ask Kasko if these facts are true.

I welcome John to the race but I am immediately concerned by his use of the soundbite "“Everybody in Haddonfield knows that the roads are in disrepair. Everybody knows our shade trees are dying and not being replaced. Everybody knows our water and sewer infrastructure needs attention. Everybody knows taxes are high and want to see them spent responsibly. Everybody knows it’s time to do something about these problems and that’s why I am running for commissioner,” Moscatelli said in a statement.

Great, you have identified some of the the problems that apparently "everybody" knows. It's the solutions we want the specifics on. For example, do you know that infrastructure and roads are capital investments but paying police longevity pay is operational? How would you fix the roads and NOT raise taxes because I am a member of the NO NEW TAXES TEAM.

Most of the budget is tied up to salaries, pensions and healthcare. We have less employees and less services but no less expense.

Whichever candidates can demonstrate a real understanding of municipal budgeting, ideas to reduce payroll costs and how to prioritzie capital investments will win my vote.

I have no special knowledge one way or the other about Jeff's political connections but isn't Lou Capelli high up in the other party? I'm not sure how Tavistock operates exactly but it's tiny and how significant can that job be and they likely make their own decisions about who to hire I would think? And do we care? As for the health department and Heights jobs, if you and others believe that those duties present either a conflict of interest to the position here or that they take up too much time that he should be spending on Haddonfield business, then they would seem like the more significant questions, wouldn't you think? I do not have these answers but there is nothing from stopping you from asking him directly. He is working for heights in what capacity?

The above concerns from everyone are good reasons for residents to study the issues and put their questions to every candidate. It's a diverse field and that challenges those running to broaden their perspective as they'll deal with a greater range of topics.
Dave Siedell made a great point about the ability of the candidates to work with each other for the common good of the town. The problems of the whole community need to be taken into account.
Democracy is based on debate, the gathering of the best ideas from all sides and a blending of those ideas to best deal with the problems we face. It will take candidates with open minds to do that.

Dave's point I agree is well taken because we have seen in other nearby towns where feuds between commissioners have led to serious problems in the operation of the town. We have had healthy levels of disagreement in memory here at the Commissioner level, but i cannot recall it having been handled in ways that were operationally detrimental publicly disgraceful, like was the case elsewhere locally. We do need people who can work well together but also those who can actually get some things accomplished. I will say that one of the most productive tools that we have in Haddonfield is the high level of resident involvement. More often than not, problems and needs that are identified by concerned residents are addressed at the volunteer level, which is highly tax efficient and effective. I would like to see a team that will continue and expand upon this fine tradition.

One recent example is the "Branch Managers". These concerned residents working under the Shade Tree Commission are saving the Borough thousands upon thousands of dollars and helping to ensure the long term optimization of our tree program. Rolling up their sleeves and caring for our younger shade trees is a great way to serve the Borough. This already has and will continue to prove to be a great savings tool and excellent example for empowering community groups to solve public problems.

We want the state and county to lower the taxes and BOE to convert to 401k and health benefits. Convert Government cost like the private sector has. We can not pay the 50 billion in pension deficiencies. We need to start affordable solutions to public project and stop using wage scale which drives up our cost 2-3 times what the private sector pays.
We can not afford the old way of doing business higher debt, higher taxes, and more spending .We need to fix those above problems 1st and we can reduce our pension health benefits and take that savings to make improvement to roads etc and local problem will be easy if we tackle the state and county way of spending and waste.

The BOE education has to come up with affordable health care and reduce pension costs .I want the commissioners to tackle this problem and address this in the debates

Dear Citizens,
I would like to take this opportunity to announce my candidacy for Commissioner.
A few things you should know:
After I'm elected please don't call me about pot holes. I'm busy.
My administration will lease all borough land to Dollar General so that we can increase rateables.
We will buy Bancroft and turn it into an "adult" oriented theme park.
No pets. Anywhere.
You will refer to me as Governor.
The historical society will be history.
Our children will be bused to Collingswood and the savings will be spent on my new kitchen. ( and Moorestown friends for my kids )
We will cancel the 4th of July parade because my wife makes me go two hours early to save seats along the curb.
We will use eminent domain to annex a property or two to build a proper driving range at Tavistock.
All the churches in town will be converted to Scientology and we will rename Kings Highway, Tom Cruise Blvd.
You will wake up one morning and realize how truly funny all this self important, holier than though baloney really is.

Now get out there and Vote!!!

Comment to Dave Siedell.
I didn't say anything about whether or not Ed Borden was the most qualified lawyer to deal with issues of racism in athletics in Collingswood. I don't know whether he is or isn't. Robert Kardashian and Johnie Cochran are dead and Alan Dershowitz probably doesn't do local issues. I just noted that probably his being Commissioner made it more likely that he would be chosen for this by the same solicitor who worked with him on the Bancroft deal for the Board.
It is probably completely appropriate and certainly public recognition is a perk of being a Commissioner. It just looks like there might be a potential for conflict of interest and interference with fair and unbiased judgment,.

Who can tell me what the average cost per employee is for healthcare for the BOE/boro? Healthcare is the #1 cost driver for the future. If we want to control taxes, we need to control how much we spend on someone else's healthcare.

James - we can do something about these pensions by educating the public to the problem they have created and electing people who will stand up for us and fight and over time, we can convert or eliminate them. Your oh well attitude is disappointing and part of the problem.

BTW, teacher's pension costs are not in the BOE local budget. They are at the state budget. See how smart the teachers union was years ago. If they put it in the local budgets, costs would skyrocket. If you don't believe me, can you identify in the BOE budget document below where the teacher's pension costs are?

http://www.haddonfield.k12.nj.us/BOE/Attachments/UserFriendly%20Budget%202012-13.pdf

Dear Jim,
I am serious....it's been neglected for far too long and we need a public servant with the courage to fix it.
Please remember to write me in!

Pat, yes I am well aware they are but this is an exercise for the rest. How much is pension versus healthcare?

James, my apologies I did misunderstand. It is mostly at the state level but if we don't force our local officials to take a stand and speak on our behalf then how can we expect the officials in Trenton to care. It starts here, with us. Let's all sign a petition to get rid of the pensions and provide tax relief.

REFORM? DOESN'T THAT BEGIN AT HOME? I BELIEVE HADDONFIELD STILL BONUSES ALL MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES BASED UPON THEIR TENURE? A DEPRESSION ERA BENEFIT WHICH STILL EXISTS IN HADDONFIELD FOR ALL BUT NEW EMPLOYEES WHO IT DOESNT IMPACT ANYWAY? HOW ABOUT A BIT MORE ACTION ON THE HOME TURF? THE HEADLINE ABOVE IS JUST THAT. ACTIONS NOT WORDS DAVID!

Comment to Dave Siedell.
Congratulations to Tish in signing along with the other 233 Mayors. The questions I have for you are:
1. Do you know how much Haddonfield owes in unpaid sick leave and vacation time?
2. What is the position of our state legislators on this?
Thank you for bringing this to my (and probably other peoples') attention.

Susan,
No. Ask Jeff or Sharon. Not as much as 4 years ago as we have about half the employees we had then. Joe T want to give us the answer? As for State Reps, first let me name them as I would guess most reading this can't. Jame Beach, Louis Greenwald and Pamela Lampitt. I can tell you not enough and why I didn't vote for any of them in recent elections, among many reasons.

You didn't directly answer my question. Are Beach, Greenwald and Lampit in favor or this legislation to limit the piling up of unused sick leave and vacation time or are they against it? If they are against it, why isn't our Mayor encouraging us all to write and to call them to advocate for this legislation?

The answer is I have no idea their position, but my knowledge of their voting records would lead me to think they don't have reform on our radar. My question back to you is do you think that the mayor's job, to cheerlead letter writing campaigns?

Interesting question. No, I believe it is the Mayor's job and that of the Commissioners to fully inform the public about issues in a transparent and open way. Since I only learned about this from you on Patch, I would think that I was not well informed by either the Mayor or the other Commissioners. Maybe you should run for Commissioner! I also did not see anything about this in the papers. I think that a Mayor could easily write an Op-Ed piece about their position on this legislation with the hope that he/she would reach more citizens and then hopefully the citizens would take action. Many political figures write Op-Ed pieces. Usually around here it is to explain their votes or positions. This would be a better use of the Op-Ed as a form of leadership.

DAVE, DON’T LET YOUR COZY RELATIONSHIPS CLOUD YOU’RE THINKING! HALF THE EMPLOYEES IN 4 YEARS? I DON'T THINK SO. TRASH PRIVATIZATION, (BROUGHT ABOUT AFTER A GROUP OF CITIZENS URGED SHARON AND THE COMMISSIONERS TO PERFORM AN ACCURATE ANALYSIS AND MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION) RESULTED IN MOST OF THE REDUCTION 5+ YEARS AGO. THE LAST I HEARD, IT WASN'T GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO EMPLOY PEOPLE. TRASH COLLECTION IS HAPPENING WITHOUT A HITCH. WE SHOULD PRIVATIZE EVERYTHING AT PUBLIC WORKS, INCLUDING WATER AND SEWER, RECYCLING, AND THE OFT NEGLECTED SHADE TREES. IT'S GOVERNMENTS RESPONSIBILITY TO PROVIDE SERVICES AT THE LOWEST COST. BTW, MY CAPS GOT YOUR ATTENTION, DIDN'T THEY? NO NEED TO BE HOSTILE. IT'S CIVIL CONVERSATION!

David, no worries. I am just trying to help get the ball rolling and provide at least the documents for people to learn more. Sick & vacation time for us may not be a problem but statewide it is. Some towns have to borrow money to pay it out. Imagine if we had to borrow $1M next year to do that and pay the principal and interest. However, if we can check that off our to do list as being accomplished, let's move on to pensions and healthcare!

Please make no mistake about it. I love Haddonfield it's a gem and I want to keep it that way. I think we should invest in things that benefit the community. That can be turf fields, library, roads, etc. I just don't happen to think pensions and high government pay and benefits does this.

Here is some interesting information from 2008 compiled by the Haddonfield CBAC task force to help identify and increase school revenue, reduce costs and reduce taxes.

http://www.haddonfield.k12.nj.us/BOE/CBAC%20final%201-8-09.pdf

The problems in 2008: increased pensions, lack of state funding, operating costs going up,
The solutions: try to increase tuition students, a 4% tax hike, in and outsourcing, and some really great ideas.

Interesting comments about transparency and more open meetings with residents.

This thread is like a Fawlty Towers episode. Don't mention the spending. #sicsempertyrannis

A note to my constituents:
I just got off the phone with Collingswood and apparently they are fine with the kids, but they are not wiling to accept the parents. I'll update you all after my call with Pennsauken tomorrow afternoon.

Additionally, we're already making good progress on the shade tree issue.
Your overwhelming generosity and support are much appreciated. As a thank you I will be holding a victory party at Two ZZ's one the White Horse Pike next Tuesday night.

Jim Conway wake up

Bill,
I can confirm JT's story. Last year at the tree lighting my 7 year old looked up at Ed Borden and asked "Is that the REAL Santa Claus" and Ed looked her right in the eyes and said "why yes, of course". The pyramid of lies only gets bigger with these commissioners! Thank God we have the JT's and Jeff H's and Jim's with the courage to expose them for what they really are.

Re: Bill T reaction to JT liar accusation:
Before killing the messenger in a fit of panic because we don't know his/her name, wouldn't it be more civil to at least try to get to the truth of this seeming outrage? Here's a try: C'mon, JT, screw your courage to a sticking place. Come clean, or else your anonymous name is mud and you're making a cretinous fool of yourself. (And your accused is smelling like a rose.)

Dave Siedell,
For what might become a very interesting campaign season, I just joined the Haddonfield Civic Association, impressed with your "Vote for 3" webpage (http://haddonfieldcivic.com/hca/election-2013/) as a perhaps promising clearinghouse for candidates and electorate. How possible would it be (for someone of your particular technological expertise and political savvy) to set up a venue whereby questions could somehow be asked and answered by contenders and voters, alike? Q&A only (modeled on Brian Lamb's excellent C-SPAN show). Ideally, where an unanswered question would be conspicuously identified and known to all as an unanswered question (bugaboo as troublesome as double-speak). A special election campaign forum where the candidates could — and would be expected to — clarify their positions on the various public concerns. In short, tell what they plan to do if elected (vision) and tell how they will go about it (skill set). Idea?