Middletown Matters when it comes to money too

This morning, I stopped by Town Hall, in Middletown, again. The purpose of the visit was to again hear why Courier staff writers are not permitted the same access to the governing body as are other newspapers or the public. In fact, this newspaper has not reported on any matter that did not bear public review. The newspaper attends to matters of tax money and how it is spent.

In the midst of Recession, amid a time of skyrocketing taxation, it is not out of line to cover and discuss the Municipal Operating Budget candidly. Indeed, items of great excess have been revealed through previous examination of the township’s budget in the past.

Lawmakers and administrations that have something to hide are not transparent: It is as simple as that. That The Courier does not practice institutional flattery of the municipal governing body is neither out of line nor expresses discourtesy. Newspapers should not ignore the issue of tax money for any nicety’s sake. What is discourteous is making residents of any tax bracket pay more than they should for municipal government. Residents should possess wealth, and businesses should possess wealth. Since all of government’s money is derived through taxation, it would be wrong for government to be wealthy, as wealth connotes that excess taxation has taken place. Personalities have nothing to do with that, though the ego of politicians (as all elected officials are) dictates that this is somehow a ‘personal’ thing.

A question I posed to Public Information Officer Cindy Herrschaft also involved the future administrator — whomever that may be. The question was simple enough: ‘What vehicle is the new administrator going to be assigned?’

Ms. Herrschaft said that Mayor Scharfenberger would be the authority as to if either of the questions I posed would be answered.

Mr. Scharfenberger is not an elected mayor. He is the president of the board, elected by a simple majority not of town voters but of committee people (and he had to vote for himself to win the job).

Why is a committee person with what amounts to an honorary title awarded the prerogatives of a strong-mayor form of government under Robert’s Rules. Specifically, this mayor is given an aide, which is superfluous under this organization, and executive oversight of staff, which is not a prerogative I have ever seen a mayor under a "township" form of government possess (meaning not a strong mayor, or even a weak mayor form). This is not a doctrinal road and, in my opinion, panders unnecessarily to this mayor, who is not elected by municipal voters. He was elected by a simple majority of five people, apparently to make financial decisions and rate a personal staff that township voters and taxpayers subsidize.

If the Republican Party in town wishes a strong-mayor form of government, and it certainly operates as such, I do not see why this issue cannot go to voters. What is more the shame is that actual oversight of this government does not take place by regulatory state or other agencies, ensuring the standard statutory propriety within the operation of the municipal government. There are exceptions being made in this municipality that represent what I believe is a dangerous precedent for governments organized in this state. I believe the first order of business relates to the transparency of government, but that is only where this situation begins, in my opinion.

Meanwhile, I believe it is wholly improper for any one committee person, who represents only one vote among five, to have broad executive powers when they were patently not elected to do so under this form of government.