Taxpayers' largest investment at stake

Another slap in the face for Edison taxpayers! Seems hard to believe it took the Spadoro council five years to come up with a plan to rob residents of their largest investment - their home's future value and equity - all in the name of good government and reform. The fact is, it's just political trickery and duplicity.

Councilman Charles Tomaro, the sponsor of this crafty political stunt, has been a developer's dream over the past eight years because he happens to sell brick and block to every developer in the township, including Jack Morris and John Lynch. Could this be why such an ordinance has been stalled for the last five years? It's a well-known fact that thousands of housing permits were issued over the past eight years, causing the current economic problems in our school system.

Moreover, low- and middle-class seniors and other residents feel the burden of this poorly thought-out inverse condemnation ordinance. Many residents depend on their home's value for their twilight years. By the council placing restrictions on their homes, they will now be forced to sell their homes for less than market value. It seems that while this stupidity will affect all township residents, it will hit the neighborhoods in the south end of town the hardest.

Councilman Peter Barnes' statement that it adds a certain uniformity to the township is a cunning but quite insincere statement. Nothing could be further from the truth. South Edison residents do not have the luxury of securing more land in order to meet the ordinance, while in many cases North Edison residents have bigger lots.

Additionally, more and more people are being forced to accommodate their in-laws, in part because of the escalating taxes brought about under the current Spadoro council. Many Asian residents would have it no other way, as they hold dear the ability to afford such living arrangements.

Again, the Spadoro council has gotten us hoodwinked into believing they're worthy of our trust. These people will stop at nothing to be re-elected. Misrepresentation and dishonesty have been the spirit of the 12-year reign - it's time to send these people out to pasture once and for all.

Anthony Russomanno

Edison