|
|
Post by admin on Jul 21, 2011 7:10:24 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Mike Rosseel on Jul 22, 2011 8:20:18 GMT -5
I have to say, I agree with the mayor here, this gentleman should have signed it with his title as GOP president, it would have added credibility to what he was saying, now it looks like a cheap shot.
As far as the mayors views of Freehold GOP, he may be right but his group plays the exact same game. Thats called small town politics a game I think Wilson made up!
|
|
|
|
Post by admin on Jul 26, 2011 10:07:25 GMT -5
I meant to get back to this earlier, but here it goes. Before I say much, let me make clear, I am speaking for myself and just me. Due to the fact that I am happy to endorse Clayton and Earle, some people may mistakenly think I speak for the campaign. I do not.
In my opinion, the mayor did the republicans a big favor. To illustrate this, let me back up a little. Read the following series of statements:
It is nice that something is finally happening at that location.
We do ned a ratable and that will be nice to have.
I love slurpees!
The traffic there is awful and this will not help. It will make things worse there.
It will be another muster zone.
A 7-11 is not a destination or attraction, things this town needs. '
It could be worse.
After reading commentary on many other pages, the above statements are a general summary of what people are saying. To put it another way, reaction is luke warm at best. I think in general people are getting that the town has no plan and a very weak vision. Mayor Wilson and Presidente George have both aligned themselves against the general public opinion and put the republicans on the popular side. If the mayor had not made an issue with Alagna's party, most people would not be aware of that. Of course, the next challenge for the republicans will be to put forth a good vision. I already know they will.
Now, let's look at the Mayor's letter a little further. He writes:
This is yet another example of the same old, same old, for the last 30 years. There are no new ideas coming from the Freehold Borough Republicans, just new faces. They are always quick to criticize, but they never offer any appropriate alternatives or solutions.
The last time I heard the mayor say something like this was right after republican John Newman read off a long list of ideas. This is the broken record part. The mayor just doesn't know how else to respond. He fails to argue merits and instead reverts to attacks. That is a trait that permeates his entire party, he has taught them well. I can only hope that the new mayor, Higgins, will change this tone. It serves no purpose and only hurts a town like Freehold.
The mayor griped about new faces. Is that a bad thing? I also have news, the republican party is full of not only new faces, but many familiar ones too. People who have been here a long time and realize Freehold has far more potential and deserves better.
The mayor states that the republicans only complain. More breaking news- there is much to complain about. He just doesn't want to face it because he and his party own those problems that we have. The higher than acceptable crime rate, the problems in the schools, the quality of life problems are all owned by this mayor. His policies over the past thirty years have created these things. More on that during the actual election season.
|
|
|
|
Post by richardkelsey on Jul 27, 2011 14:29:02 GMT -5
That's funny -- I think I was the one who suggested a park. LOL I did -- on the FV facebook page I wrote: I tend to agree with Freehold VFW. The site presents a host of problems because of the lack of parking -- so I am sympathetic to the notion that uses there might be limited. While the Borough needs ratables, not every space requires that a ratable of less desirability be created. An over-all vision for economic deveolopment in the Borough probably would not identify that spot as critical to attracting new business. I'd actually consider an open space idea before cramming a 7-11 in there.
July 13 at 10:02am · LikeUnlike. |
|
|
|
Post by admin on Jul 27, 2011 16:32:59 GMT -5
That's funny -- I think I was the one who suggested a park. LOL I did -- on the FV facebook page I wrote: I tend to agree with Freehold VFW. The site presents a host of problems because of the lack of parking -- so I am sympathetic to the notion that uses there might be limited. While the Borough needs ratables, not every space requires that a ratable of less desirability be created. An over-all vision for economic deveolopment in the Borough probably would not identify that spot as critical to attracting new business. I'd actually consider an open space idea before cramming a 7-11 in there.
July 13 at 10:02am · LikeUnlike. Actually, parks are not a bad thing at all. They are tied in with higher property values and better quality of life. When it comes to recreation in general, I have said before, our commission has to do a lot with very little. Recreation in this town is not taken as serious as it could be. We do have some things, but there is a lot of room for growth on this. |
|
|
|
Post by richardkelsey on Jul 28, 2011 15:49:37 GMT -5
That's funny -- I think I was the one who suggested a park. LOL I did -- on the FV facebook page I wrote: I tend to agree with Freehold VFW. The site presents a host of problems because of the lack of parking -- so I am sympathetic to the notion that uses there might be limited. While the Borough needs rateable, not every space requires that a ratable of less desirability be created. An over-all vision for economic development in the Borough probably would not identify that spot as critical to attracting new business. I'd actually consider an open space idea before cramming a 7-11 in there.
July 13 at 10:02am · LikeUnlike. Actually, parks are not a bad thing at all. They are tied in with higher property values and better quality of life. When it comes to recreation in general, I have said before, our commission has to do a lot with very little. Recreation in this town is not taken as serious as it could be. We do have some things, but there is a lot of room for growth on this. The bigger point too is this - and not surprisingly it was completely lost on the Mayor -- the "ratable" comes at a cost of a less desirable rateable that, if it becomes a 6-12 store East, will actually serve to be a drag on economic development in Freehold. The spot is not essential to an economic development plan in Freehold. Any economic development plan should focus on the prospect of commuter rail and would incorporate a rail corridor re-development plan that is a public-private partnership. The best thing Freehold can do is work to put a better face on the Borough to help encourage such development. The second thing it should do is develop a sophisticated, broad, future-forward looking development plan that shows private businesses, investors, and other government players, that it has the savvy to create a plan that completely re-works that corridor. That broad vision, or one like it, should not be outsourced to other associations or town organizations. Instead, economic development is best driven by firm leadership and vision, and someone who can and will sell that opportunity to interested parties. With Mayor Wilson retiring, the Borough has a unique opportunity to re-make itself from a small town of cliquish big shots, into a smart player with a vision for its role as the economic king in the County. It is after-all, the County seat, as well as a gateway to Western Monmouth and the Shore, all while being a corridor to the City. What it now needs is leadership big enough for the job, and not overly concerned with small town politics. Nolan Higgins may or may not have thought about things this way -- but his name, his reputation, and his position at this unique time of transition puts him in the best position to clean house and build a team of strong, smart, experienced, professional people who can push Freehold ahead and exploit its best assets. It's funny how time changes people. I remember when Wilson ran on his Renaissance plan. Some people thought his idea of putting down brick sidewalks was dumb and a waste of money. (My Dad included) Wilson saw it as an investment at the time to give the Borough a face-lift and encourage economic development. After far too many years on the job he seemingly has lost any sort of vision, and now sees myopically only an extra ratable, at any cost, in order to feed the machine. This is exactly why serving this long is not good for the people being served or the servant. Fresh is almost always better. People rarely pack a new place and ask for the item on the shelf that has been their the longest. They want to know what is fresh, new, and filled with taste and possibilities. In the Mayor's case, the expiration on the can is quite old. |
|
|
|
Post by admin on Jul 29, 2011 8:16:31 GMT -5
Actually, parks are not a bad thing at all. They are tied in with higher property values and better quality of life. When it comes to recreation in general, I have said before, our commission has to do a lot with very little. Recreation in this town is not taken as serious as it could be. We do have some things, but there is a lot of room for growth on this. The bigger point too is this - and not surprisingly it was completely lost on the Mayor -- the "ratable" comes at a cost of a less desirable rateable that, if it becomes a 6-12 store East, will actually serve to be a drag on economic development in Freehold. The spot is not essential to an economic development plan in Freehold. Any economic development plan should focus on the prospect of commuter rail and would incorporate a rail corridor re-development plan that is a public-private partnership. The best thing Freehold can do is work to put a better face on the Borough to help encourage such development. The second thing it should do is develop a sophisticated, broad, future-forward looking development plan that shows private businesses, investors, and other government players, that it has the savvy to create a plan that completely re-works that corridor. That broad vision, or one like it, should not be outsourced to other associations or town organizations. Instead, economic development is best driven by firm leadership and vision, and someone who can and will sell that opportunity to interested parties. With Mayor Wilson retiring, the Borough has a unique opportunity to re-make itself from a small town of cliquish big shots, into a smart player with a vision for its role as the economic king in the County. It is after-all, the County seat, as well as a gateway to Western Monmouth and the Shore, all while being a corridor to the City. What it now needs is leadership big enough for the job, and not overly concerned with small town politics. Nolan Higgins may or may not have thought about things this way -- but his name, his reputation, and his position at this unique time of transition puts him in the best position to clean house and build a team of strong, smart, experienced, professional people who can push Freehold ahead and exploit its best assets. It's funny how time changes people. I remember when Wilson ran on his Renaissance plan. Some people thought his idea of putting down brick sidewalks was dumb and a waste of money. (My Dad included) Wilson saw it as an investment at the time to give the Borough a face-lift and encourage economic development. After far too many years on the job he seemingly has lost any sort of vision, and now sees myopically only an extra ratable, at any cost, in order to feed the machine. This is exactly why serving this long is not good for the people being served or the servant. Fresh is almost always better. People rarely pack a new place and ask for the item on the shelf that has been their the longest. They want to know what is fresh, new, and filled with taste and possibilities. In the Mayor's case, the expiration on the can is quite old. Last night I was chatting with more borough residents and I have yet find one that is thrilled with the 7-11. Last night I was talking with new people who really do not like the idea. This goes back to my main point that the mayor just put the republicans on the popular side of this issue. That aside, your mention of the mayor's renaissance is an interesting topic. I have debated the red brick thing with people before, in my case in favor of it. In the grand scheme it is a small thing, but I always see the value in the little details. The town does look better with each years addition of the brick sidewalks. Throw in the planters and the town does look great. When we get to the bigger issues, I still have a mixed bag of thoughts. My perspective is only that of the past 17 years. I am not Old Freehold and I do not know what Freehold really was three or four decades ago. It really doesn't matter to me either. What I do know is that when I moved here, Freehold was on the upswing. In that time it has stagnated-badly. Our downtown has not been able to get beyond one single block on East Main. The restaurant industry is doing well here, but not much else, at least in terms of points of interest and attractions. This town has far more potential than what we see now. And I do hear very good ideas coming from many people, so I know there is no shortage of a vision from the non politicians in town. Even the vision study from a couple of years ago was a massive disappointment. The only real idea was a parking garage which is not a new idea. |
|
