Who Is Brian Kelly and Why Is He So Ticked Off?
"This isn't the Haddonfield I grew up in and knew about."
Who says you can't fight city hall?
Certainly not Brian Kelly.
Kelly is a familiar voice in all things Haddonfield, with dozens of recent comments on Haddonfield Patch articles, many with especially biting criticism of borough government. He often refers people to his Facebook page Haddonfield United to continue the conversation. He started it in June with fellow rabble rouser Cliff Brunker.
Kelly is a man in search of the town he once knew. The town he grew up in more than a half-century ago. He wonders if there's a place for him now and how long he can afford to continue living here.
"I lived in Haddonfield for 40 years, moved away in 1999," said Kelly, 57, a massage therapist. "I came back to my home town a little over a year ago and as I got back into the flow of things, I noticed a shift away from not only the commitment to our historical heritage, but to a measure of disconnect between our elected officials and a large portion of our community. As someone with a deep love for hometown, I started going to borough meetings and became disenchanted with many of the issues involving the town."
But it didn't stop there.
"My first part of being ticked off was when I first went out people were saying to me, 'We need a voice,'" he said. "It was my way to get people motivated and into them. It was a way to get the attention of the mayor."
Kelly said he speaks for a part of town that is feeling increasingly marginalized and isolated. He cited the struggle his friend Mary Ann Campling is having. She sued the borough planning board after it allowed the Haddonfield United Methodist Church to replace a chain-linked fence behind her house with a 6-foot wooden fence that blocked the view on the other side.
The borough Historic Preservation Commission, an advisory body to the planning board, had rejected the church request to erect a new fence to border its cemetery behind homes on Lee Avenue such as Campling's.
He also crusades against the proposed public purchase of the Bancroft property across Kings Highway from Lee Avenue and adjacent to Haddonfield Memorial High School. The $16.9 million plan to buy, demolish and rebuild parts of the 18.7-acre Bancroft property has been a lightning rod for merging town interests. Kelly rails against the project as another burden to already besieged borough taxpayers who pay nearly two times the state average.
Kelly has used the comments section on Haddonfield Patch as a megaphone for his message, sometimes stirring debate about where he's coming from and what he wants.
"You want to know why that 'prime' piece of Haddonfield real estate was never sold?" he asked earlier this month in a string of comments on an appraisal of the Bancroft property. "You want to know why the original deal of three acres to be purchased by the borough was pushed over to the BOE and Steve Weinstein for the whole 19 acres? The executive meetings engineered behind closed doors courtesy of Weinstein and (Commissioner Ed) Borden? The over inflated buying price by millions of dollars in a depressed market? The announcements of critical information over holiday weekends? The placement of the vote in the dead of winter to discourage senior citizen voting? Here it is...BANCROFT IS A FINANCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN."
That broadside and a few others led to a thread of complaints about Kelly's rhetoric.
- Good Lord...why would anyone WANT to be a commissioner/public official in this town? asked Pat Walsh.
- Thanks Pat Walsh for what I believe is the best post we have seen in a while above, said Bill Tourtellotte, a past president of the borough civic association. Anyone thinking of running in May should read some of the posts on this site and if they still want to run, should have their heads examined. :-)
- Hyperventilated rhetoric contributes nothing positive to dialog about our community’s future," said Bill Reynolds, a former borough mayor. Many of these comments demonize the Borough Commissioners and make them out to be dishonest conspirators. I challenge the accusers to present their evidence. The charge has also been made that we “NEED TO SHRINK THE SIZE OF THIS MONSTROSITY WE CALL A BOROUGH GOVERNMENT.” I’d really like to see how you propose to do that. The old poker challenge -- “Put up or shut up” -- comes to mind.
Kelly responded:
"Here's your hyperventilated rhetoric. Forty-six million dollars in debt with a project that threatens to push to the state cutoff of 69 million dollars. When people sit in borough meetings and get told a reason for the purchase is to accommodate the growing number of students when there are 90 less students in school when I attended and the birth rate is at it's lowest 25 years, that's called a fact Jack."
But even Kelly admits he needs to dial down the rhetoric.
"Nobody is going to listen to somebody if they're shouting all the time," he said. "There's always got to be concessions. That's what democracy is all about, listening to both side and doing what's best for the town as a whole."
The bombast was needed in the beginning of his campaign to get people's attention and now he has it, he says. He said he even ran into Tourtellotte and Reynolds in a local coffee shop and they got along famously, apparently leaving the rhetoric at the door.
"After talking with these guys I realized we have a hell of a lot more in common than we have against each other," Kelly said.
But he fears time is running out.
"I don't know how long I'll be able to continue living here," Kelly said. "I'm renting now, because I can't afford to buy a house here. This isn't the Haddonfield I grew up in and knew about. It was really a surprisingly blue-collar town. The affluence that has hit Haddonfield is people want to be in a town that should be envied. To me, it's a town to be admired. There's a big difference between envy and admiration."
Questionable Spending
7:29 am on Monday, September 24, 2012
Keep the posts coming, Brian!
Brian Kelly
9:26 am on Monday, September 24, 2012
I think it's important to note that economic status is not a measure of how much you love Haddonfield or the respect you have for your neighbors across the board.
Most people who are more affluent worked hard for their success and remember a time in their lives when life wasn't so giving. They deserve everything they've earned.
What has to be taken into account when moving forward with projects like Bancroft and the turfing of the fields is the financial burden on every resident. If you're a moderately successful provider for your family and you're putting money away for your children's college fund and find out one of your kids needs braces, another big tax increase is the last thing you need.
These people are the majority of Haddonfield. The projects being proposed aren't taking into account the sacrifices they will have to make. For most people, from young families to senior citizens, these projects won't benefit them yet they are being asked to carry the load.
If you're going to buy Bancroft for 12 million dollars when its highest estimate was 6 to 8 million, you better explain with total transparency to every Haddonfield resident exactly why.
There are a few who think we shouldn't question things and if you can't afford the new Haddonfield, you should leave. Those are not Haddonfield values.
October 18 there will be a town meeting hosted by the Civic Association concerning Bancroft and all things related to it. Residents...make your voices heard!
Sue Martin
9:57 am on Monday, September 24, 2012
Brian, I appreciate your voice and work on behalf of Borough residents. I also grew up in town and remember what it used to be like--there was horse living down the street, pheasants in the field behind my childhood home, and no buses or trucks down Kings Highway. And I am only 58! We enjoyed a beautiful & peaceful town--and affordable taxes. Times have changed and so has the mindset of our government. Stewardship of what we have is not as important as acquiring "new stuff", like artificial turf fields. Meanwhile, the school buildings look neglected and taxes rise to the stratosphere. Time has come for a change.
Joann Loughrey
4:13 pm on Sunday, September 30, 2012
I to grew up in Haddonfield I remember the pheasants and quail that came out of the woods to the edge of our yard . What happened to Evans pond ? My brother use to put his boat in the water to fish and watch a beaver build his dam. Don't think that is possible today. The pond is in sad shape today. . Haddonfield was a beautiful town when I was growing up.
Jack S
3:35 pm on Monday, September 24, 2012
Although my family is blessed with a comfortable income, I know of many in Haddonfield who are unable to afford the current tax burden together with their other expenses. This is evident, among other things, from the ever-growing number of townsfolk who are deliquent in their property taxes. Understandably those individuals are too embarrassed to risk further public exposure of their financial situation, so the spending spree that Haddonfield is prepared to undertake on recently announced projects including Bancroft does not meet the public opposition it should in an economy that finds many unemployed and underemployed. In the case of Bancroft, Bancroft has offered to retain and improve their property, something which would cost the town nothing and would be a win-win if such development were allowed to proceed in accordance with zoning reg and in a sustainable fashion. Hats off to Brian Kelly for his willingness to shed a strong light on such alternatives.
Jeremiah Wright
6:56 pm on Monday, September 24, 2012
Major props to Mr Brian Kelly. The taxes in this town are unreal. The spending obscene. And yet they continue to pile on the debt, now with this ridiculous purchase of the Bancroft site, and of course these sidewalks nobody asked for and we don't need, marring a perfectly nice stretch of Washington Ave. Oh, and one more thing - the people who scheduled the Bancroft vote so that it wouldn't fall on Election Day are bunch of jerks. That's right - I said it.
Bill Tourtellotte
4:49 pm on Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Always question things, but I would encourage folks to not be so quick assume the worst about this town and its leadership. Yes, even our leaders at the BOE and Commissioner level will acknowlege that we can always do a better job. But as a community, we ALL need to particpate in facilitating optimal results and maintaining the tradition this town has enjoyed of excellence. This is in fact the most wonderful community in the southern half of the state and the best place to live in the entire region that I know of. We should be careful about contributing to amped-up rhetoric about how terrible things are and how screwed we are as residents. It simply does not match up with our reality here. As for the spending and taxes, how about we start looking at the real culprit, which is our state government. Haddonfield spends no more per pupil than our peer group, yet we get a raw deal from the state on getting our tax dollars back from them for schools. For county taxes, we are approaching a rate of double what we pay to the Borough. Our Borough taxes are a small part of our tax bill or roughly $1,700 per year on average. For fire, police, trash, roads, library, parks, trees, etc, I think $140 per month is not something that any of use cain claim is outrageous. What makes this town such an awesome place is people digging in with their own time and energy and helping to row the boat. Positive energy and effort is what differentiates us and unfounded negativity only kills progress.
Jack S
11:18 am on Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Bill, your point on the Local Tax burden is well taken. I think many of us do understand that the Borough endeavors to do much with relatively limited Municipal Tax revenue. However, your point merely underscores the fact that nonessential projects such as installing turf and purchasing Bancroft will put further strain on our town's already limited resources and revenue. Additionally, the School Tax levy, which is three or four times the Municipal Tax levy, is astronomically high in Haddonfield, in part because, as you note, the Borough must make up for a lack of school funding from the State. Whatever the reasons, however, those reasons do not change the fact that in this economy many cannot afford otherwise avoidable and subtantial increases in property taxes or, for example, in my case, will choose to no longer afford such increases and relocate. The Borough is misguided if it believes it can continue to allow its property taxes to skyrocket as a consequence of nonessential projects and there will always be a supply of new residents to backfill those who move out. That type of pre-recession thinking has landed the State of NJ and many other public and private entities in untenable financial positions re: debt. And ultimately it's those that choose (or have the luxury) to remain behind who will bear an ever-greater proportion of the tax burden, particularly as our area loses many of its financially financially stable residents.
Bill Tourtellotte
4:58 pm on Tuesday, September 25, 2012
As for Brian, it was obvious to me that he cares a lot and was a likeable guy when we spoke recently. However, as he and I both realized when we met in person, we are not all that different as people go. The lesson for all of us is that when we speak to each other in electronic world locally, is that we should remember that we are all neighbors and just a conversation or two away from perhaps being friends as well. What I would encourage Brian to do is spend some energy actually sitting down with the leaders who he is concerned about and I'm certain that he will start to realize that he has far more in common with them than he may think. Sure, reasonable people can always disagree on certain issues, but more information and explanation of things that concern us usually adds to far greater comfort and understanding on these local issues. As far as I am aware, Brian has never sat down with each of the commissioners individually about his concerns. I am sure that they would be willing to meet with him and I strongly urge him to do so.
Brian Kelly
7:39 pm on Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Bill, Instead of me talking to the commissioners, what would be far more beneficial for the commissioners to take a day and walk with me all around town, checking out the places of neglect, talking with the residents and seeing how that affects their lives, and more importantly how the agendas they want to enact are not in the interests of the majority of Haddonfield.
As for me, I'm just a guy. It's not about me at all. if my comments were solely mine I'd be one loudmouth yelling at elected officials. I've spent the last 16 months walking to every part of town talking to residents across the economic, political and religious spectrum. I've spent hours talking to people on their front porch, people who were strangers and are now friends. It's the essence of what small town America is all about. It's what Haddonfield has always been about.
The reason for the passion in my letters is simple. I'm relaying the thoughts and feelings of hundreds of people all over this town. I represent the majority of Haddonfield...people who see this town as a historical treasure, where you can raise your kids with real values and give them a good education, surely the most important thing to any family.
MSM53 put it perfectly when saying Stewardship is now not as important as inquiring new things like turf fields.
This fall, there will be opportunities for the majority to shape the future of the town. You will be able to make a difference.
Jeff H
8:54 am on Wednesday, September 26, 2012
MAKE SURE YOU WALK THROUGH THE PUBLIC WORKS YARD AND DISCUSS THE MESS THAT YOU SEE BOTH INSIDE AND OUT. THEN ASK WHY LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS STILL IN THE WATER UTILITY BUSINESS.
Jack S
7:54 pm on Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Personally, I don't find Brian's comments offensive. Passionate, yes. But in no way inappropriate. Often people who complain about tone simply don't like aspects of the message -- and they will never like aspects of the message, regardless of tone. Governor Christie is criticized for being a loudmouth, and while he may not have achieved everything I would have hoped for, he's achieved much more than his let's-all-get-along predecessors. Ultimately many local officals may not embrace Brian's message, but they weren't going to embrace Brian's message anyway, even if that message is wrapped up with a kumbaya bow.
Sue Martin
10:30 am on Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Agreed!
Brian Kelly
10:39 am on Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Thanks to all for the comments. I can tell you what we're doing at Haddonfield United has made things happen behind the scenes that never would have happened before. The commissioners know just what I'm talking about.
The response we get on our facebook page is amazing. Thanks to all the residents of Haddonfield for your support. Believe me when I tell you it's an honor for us to help give everyone in this town a voice.
Jeff H, there's a photo album in HU on the water works building at Lake Street that supports just what you're saying. Check it out.
There wouldn't be an HU page if not for fellow rabble rouser Cliff Brunker. He's the guy who puts it all together. We urge everyone to view it. There are articles and stats on everything from your taxes, turf vs natural grass, the condition of the schools and the money we spend on them...the list goes on and on.
My favorite feature is the Lost Haddonfield photo albums that Cliff does. As one of our concerns is the preservation of Haddonfield's history, it shows what we've lost and how important it is to preserve what we have.
Remember...facebook.com/HaddonfieldUnited
Maryann Campling
7:28 pm on Tuesday, October 2, 2012
What a terrific article and the comments are outstanding! I, too, hear on a weekly basis the complaints and concerns of folks who remember Haddonfield as it once was, a town where people cared more about you as a person then the price of your real estate, or what social circle you belong to. It is good to know that people can speak up out of frustration or with great passion without being accused of being anti-Haddonfield, or against the political constituency. I am especially flattered to know that after being painfully aware of negative changes to the culture of our town, Brian and Cliff....both born and raised here...felt that the treatment of the Lee Avenue neighbors by the HUMC and the Borough, was the catalyst for the launching of HaddonfieldUnited! It's comforting to know that some good came out of a disgraceful situation. Keep up the GREAT work.