Post by Freehold Resident on Aug 4, 2006 8:46:30 GMT -5
News Transcript
This is an open letter to the Monmouth County freeholders. I founded and chair a group called PEOPLE in Freehold Borough. Unlike other day labor advocacy groups you’ve heard from recently, we are made up almost entirely of Freehold Borough residents concerned with deteriorating conditions in our town resulting from the influx of undocumented workers and their families.
I’m sure you noticed, too. You live and/or work among us.
We’re very concerned about [an article published in a local daily newspaper on Dec. 13] that advises that the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders will ask borough officials to delay closing the muster zone on Throckmorton Street in favor of locating an alternative location. This seems to be at the urging of an ad hoc group of people who do not live in Freehold Borough nor, for the most part, have any known interests in the borough.
I truly believe that the county should not make such a request of the borough and should instead involve itself in the regional issue, regardless of the borough’s announced plans for closure. These are two separate issues.
The reason for my concerns is clear. The borough’s muster zone must close because it is illegal, by law, and it is on Conrail’s property over which Freehold has no legal jurisdiction.
Furthermore, alternative locations suggested within or immediately adjacent to Freehold Borough will be unacceptable to borough residents seeking relief from being overrun by the massive influx of day laborers to our town.
We wish to rid ourselves of the overcrowding, excessive property tax cost and rationing of services necessary to support an underground economy that benefits undocumented workers, slum landlords, greedy contractors and residents of other towns who contract their services.
PEOPLE is a peaceful group of borough residents and we are not looking for mass arrests and deportations of these day laborers as other groups have advocated. We are only looking for relief and a return to favorable quality of life for the approximately 11,000 people legally living here.
Our residents are looking for a county wide solution that will spread the problem among all 53 county municipalities and not just keep it here in Freehold Borough. That is unfair and inequitable to us.
We ask our county freeholders to heed PEOPLE’s advice by letting our mayor and council move ahead with their plans to close the muster zone on Jan. 1, but to also become part of the regional solution to the day labor issue, as no other levels of government seem to want to help us.
Finally, if there are committees formed to address illegal immigration regional issues, members of our PEOPLE group need to be involved. I know that will be the case, especially if the representation is to be fair and well balanced.
Marc LeVine
Freehold Borough
This is an open letter to the Monmouth County freeholders. I founded and chair a group called PEOPLE in Freehold Borough. Unlike other day labor advocacy groups you’ve heard from recently, we are made up almost entirely of Freehold Borough residents concerned with deteriorating conditions in our town resulting from the influx of undocumented workers and their families.
I’m sure you noticed, too. You live and/or work among us.
We’re very concerned about [an article published in a local daily newspaper on Dec. 13] that advises that the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders will ask borough officials to delay closing the muster zone on Throckmorton Street in favor of locating an alternative location. This seems to be at the urging of an ad hoc group of people who do not live in Freehold Borough nor, for the most part, have any known interests in the borough.
I truly believe that the county should not make such a request of the borough and should instead involve itself in the regional issue, regardless of the borough’s announced plans for closure. These are two separate issues.
The reason for my concerns is clear. The borough’s muster zone must close because it is illegal, by law, and it is on Conrail’s property over which Freehold has no legal jurisdiction.
Furthermore, alternative locations suggested within or immediately adjacent to Freehold Borough will be unacceptable to borough residents seeking relief from being overrun by the massive influx of day laborers to our town.
We wish to rid ourselves of the overcrowding, excessive property tax cost and rationing of services necessary to support an underground economy that benefits undocumented workers, slum landlords, greedy contractors and residents of other towns who contract their services.
PEOPLE is a peaceful group of borough residents and we are not looking for mass arrests and deportations of these day laborers as other groups have advocated. We are only looking for relief and a return to favorable quality of life for the approximately 11,000 people legally living here.
Our residents are looking for a county wide solution that will spread the problem among all 53 county municipalities and not just keep it here in Freehold Borough. That is unfair and inequitable to us.
We ask our county freeholders to heed PEOPLE’s advice by letting our mayor and council move ahead with their plans to close the muster zone on Jan. 1, but to also become part of the regional solution to the day labor issue, as no other levels of government seem to want to help us.
Finally, if there are committees formed to address illegal immigration regional issues, members of our PEOPLE group need to be involved. I know that will be the case, especially if the representation is to be fair and well balanced.
Marc LeVine
Freehold Borough