Holding the Line on Tax Increases: A Most Serious Sport

One thing that has been somewhat inspiring to me as a West Orange resident is that the township council has been responsive to residents when the council members are told things in a clear, non threatening and demonstrable manner.

Though it took a long time to get there, the council eventually voted in a tree ordinance. It has its flaws, but it does have some protective mechanisms for the trees.

West Orange was the only council of those towns adjacent to the Reservation to vote down the deer "hunt" in South Orange. This, despite two of the members supporting Essex County Executive DiVincenzo's determination to continue to kill these deer in a most inhumane way and, as many people see it, for no reason at all.

Now, a group of West Orange residents are asking the Council to assure that everything will be done to hold taxes at their current levels. They are advocating for greater transparency in governance as well as a better informed governing body.

Apparently at the last Council meeting, members at the council dais were scoffing the notion that foreclosures have an impact on tax revenues. In particular, Councilman Anderton and Parisi were left looking somewhat foolish when their dismissive statements were corrected by a very knowledgeable resident concerning the impact of the great number of foreclosures, and how that is going to impact tax revenues.


This is all caught on the tape of the meeting, if you have not viewed it yet on TV.


For Comcast subscribers the Council meetings are aired on Channel 36, for FIOS subscribers I think, but I'm not sure, it's Channel 43 (it's in the 40's somewhere).

You need to stay tuned to the entire program, i.e., before and after the sports presentations.

Taking up the suggestion of the StarLedger as outlined in today's editorial, A Pledge for Elected Officials, these town council gadflies are asking that everyone come to the next WO council meeting and request that every member of the Council neither seek nor accept a raise in salary as one way to acknowledge the growing economic crisis in towns across America. The tax moratorium advocates are going to ask that each council member take this pledge in a public and recordable fashion. The next Council meeting is scheduled for January 6 at 6:30.

If you want to be part of this advocacy effort, please come to this meeting and let your concerns be known and voice be heard!