Town needs new leadership; Struben gets 'thumbs up'

Woodbridge Township is over $100 million in debt. This huge amount was run up over the past decade while the Democrats were at the helm and had complete control of the municipal government. During this time, homeowners throughout the township received large tax increases, doubling of established user fees and new fees imposed on services that were once included in our taxes. Behind the scenes during the McGreevey administration was John McCormac. It was his duty as the CFO and business administrator to protect the financial welfare of the township. Instead, however, he left us with the debt that we and our children will be paying off for decades.

After leaving the township in financial shambles, John [McCormac] went to Trenton with Jimmy [McGreevey] to see what he could do for us there. He was then appointed treasurer of the state of New Jersey, the results of which can be seen in the fact that the state has had to increase the sales tax because of financial mismanagement. Of course, John will tell you it's not his fault, but what did he do while he was treasurer to try to correct the problems at the state? Rather than working to correct those problems, he increased debt and made things worse. Newspapers and state agencies have referred to the McCormac years as being plagued with one-shot financial gimmicks and poor budgetary forecasting. It's the same type of thing he did while he was here in Woodbridge, and we the taxpayers are the ones who are forced to pay the price of what was borrowed. Now John wants to come back to Woodbridge and give us another dose. That's the last thing we need.

I, for one, will be voting for Chris Struben, the Republican candidate for mayor. We need a plain-talking, honest guy like Chris. For too long Woodbridge residents have elected politicians who paint rosy pictures of the township's affairs in an effort to get elected or re-elected. Chris, on the other hand, will tell it like it is and pull no punches. It's the duty of our elected officials to tell us exactly how we're doing. Chris is that type of guy. I therefore urge my fellow residents to join me in voting for Chris Struben as mayor.

Paul Alaimo

Colonia