Letter to the Editor: 'Town Budget Most Definitely Does Cut the Library’s Budget'

Rich Fortunato argues that the library ought to be a higher priority.

Dear Editor: I, along with quite a few Scotch Plains residents, attended last week’s standing room only Town Council meeting where many people spoke in opposition to the budget cuts proposed for the Library. I and four other members of the public also attended the public budget workshop on March 19th when the Library cuts first came to light and at that time the Library director objected to the cuts, as did a member of the public.  The Council has been aware of objections to the cuts to the Library's budget since the day they were first made public.    Contrary to statements made at the council meeting, it is clear that the Town budget most definitely does cut the library’s budget. On sheet 34 of the Town’s budget summary (which is …

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Letter to the Editor: Santa Thanks Children Who Visited Him at Scotch Plains Holiday Celebration

Santa Claus thanks all who made the Scotch Plains Holiday Celebration possible.

To The Editor: I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank the children of all ages who came out to see me at the Holiday Celebration in Scotch Plains this past Sunday.  It was great to see so many people come out on a beautiful, unseasonably warm day.  It was so warm I had trouble keeping my glasses from getting all fogged up.  I had a lot of fun meeting so many great children and their families.  As we speak, the elves are working feverishly up at the North Pole filling all the requests. I want to thank the many people who made my visit possible.  Thanks to the Scotch Plains Fire Department, Department of Public Works, and Recreation Department for helping to set up the event and also allowing it to run smoothly.  Thank you to the …

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Donna Dolce, Lynn Sorf Thank Mahr and Fanwood Supporters for Heartfelt Farewell

Dolce and Sorf thank Mahr, the Parker brothers and all Fanwood residents who made their time in Fanwood special.

  Dear Fanwoodians:   We would like to personally thank Mayor Colleen Mahr, as well as, Jason and Steven Parker, owners for K-9 Resorts for coordinating the most memorable and heartfelt, farewell event held recently on our behalf.  It has been a labor of love and our pleasure to have served the greater Fanwood community for the better part of 20 years.  We also want to thank the many guests, community volunteers and friends who have enriched our lives by joining us in our journey to keep Fanwood a “great place to put down roots!”   As we move on to our new home and the next chapter in our lives, we encourage everyone to make a commitment to service.  We will forever cherish our “key to the city, “ and promise to return to visit often.   …

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Letter to the Editor: Resident Thanks Mountain Deli for Their Generosity After Sandy

Resident Patty Pasko takes the time to thank Sal and Jacquie Merlo for their dedication to their customers during the power outages following Hurricane Sandy.

Thank You Mountain Deli   Sal and Jacquie Merlo, owners of Mountain Deli on Mountain Avenue in Scotch Plains were concerned about their customers. With no power they used a generator at their deli to open for business each day from 6am until about 2pm serving hot beverages and sandwiches to area residents. Every day Sal would make trips to Pennsylvania for gas to run the generator, Carlstadt to get food , and then back to the deli to prepare for the next day. He did this so his customers would be able to have hot coffee and some hot food making little or no profit.   Unfortunately because of the loyality to their customers, since they opened for business they are not eligible to collect for any food loss from FEMA. So... all the area …

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Election 2012

Letter to the Editor From Mayor-Elect, Kevin Glover

Scotch Plains Mayor-Elect Kevin Glover discusses moving forward following the Nov. 6 election and Hurricane Sandy.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR FROM: KEVIN GLOVER, MAYOR-ELECT, SCOTCH PLAINS TOWNSHIP   I first want to express my heartfelt thanks to our Township employees for their dedicated work during Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath, with a special thanks to our Department of Public Works, Police Department, Fire Department and Rescue Squad for their dedication in keeping our township and all our residents safe.   Clearly, in the aftermath of the storm, we need to focus on improving communications within the Township so our citizens can be kept better informed on what is going on around them.  I heard often as I traveled the Township the frustration of our neighbors. They told me over and over again, “I can deal with bad news, but not with no news”.   …

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Letter to the Editor: Scotch Plains Republicans Reply to HM's Letter About SP Republican History(PART TWO)

In a second letter, Paulette Coronato outlines her history of the democratic party.

History of Kevin Glover and the Scotch Plains Democrats Part Two You can find the first part here.    Scotch Plains Budgets From his very first budget process, Mr. Glover showed his partisanship and lack of understanding of our finances.  Even with Township professionals such as our Municipal Manager, Chief Financial Officer, and Auditor, in addition to his four Council colleagues warning that expending too much of our fund-balance or surplus is dangerous to the finances of the Township, Mr. Glover would not relent.  His mantra year after year was, “We can do better.”  He said this of course without offering realistic alternatives to our budget appropriations.  Each and every time it was all about spending down our fund balance and …

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[POLL] Should Council Members Receive Benefits from the Town?

Due to the overwhelming response to the letter to the editor, we want to hear what you think.

Earlier this week, Patch received a letter to the editor stating Councilman and mayoral candidate, Kevin Glover, receives health benefits from the town. What do you think? Should he take these benefits? Participate in the poll below.  

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Letter to the Editor: SP Resident Against Council Receiving Health Benefits

The following is a letter from a Scotch Plains resident.

To the Editor: I understand that being a member of the Scotch Plains Township Council can be time consuming and in many instances, a thankless job.  While I do not begrudge these elected officials a modest stipend for their service to the community, I am thoroughly outraged that Councilman Kevin Glover takes $25,000 worth of health benefits for him and his family from the Township.   The fact he has been doing this since he was first elected means that his family has received well over $100,000 of benefits from the taxpayers of Scotch Plains. Mr. Glover has consistently proclaimed that “We can do better” when it comes to our municipal budget.  Well, we can; and we can start with Councilman Glover. I call on the Councilman to relinquish …

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Nicole Bitette

6:01 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

Hi Lance, I can verify that that email address associated with the comments was not either of the email addresses I know of for Mr. Saridaki. Also, the account was created at the time of publication of this letter, where Mr. Saridaki noted creating account for Patch awhile ago and hasn't used it recently.   more ›

Letter to the Editor: Call to End Wasteful Spending in Washington

Kenneth J. Cody is an independent candidate in New Jersey's 12th Congressional District from Lawrenceville. Most of Scotch Plains and Fanwood are now located in the 12th district.

  Now is the time to end politics as usual and stop the reckless spending that goes with it. My name is Kenneth J. Cody and I am an independent candidate in New Jersey's 12th Congressional district. The outrageous amount of money used in campaigning needs to come to an end. In 2010 House candidates raised over $1 billion to be spent from contributions. I believe we need to change the process for elections to be run more fairly. Strict campaign finance reform should be enforced from local elections to the presidency. All candidates need to focus on the issues instead of fund raising. Think of what could have been done with a fraction of the $1 billion raised in 2010. That funding could have gone to educational programs, medical research, …

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