A New Year, A New Township Committee and No New Ideas

The governing body of Barnegat Township re-organized January 1st.   The new year brings a change in party control with Democrats taking control giving Committeeman Len Morano the mayor’s gavel.  The meeting is described in a .

It is interesting that just prior to the first meeting, the new Mayor apologized for comments made at an earlier meeting.  I do not find this surprising.  Many voted for party change hoping to see change in local governance. The names and party changed but I doubt the results will.

Mr. Morano was great at throwing darts at Republican proposals. This is easily done when one is not responsible for governance. Mr. Morano does not have a history of proposing strong alternate solutions with the darts thrown. If he had better solutions; he kept them secret. His fellow committee Democrats ran a campaign of “not being the incumbents,” offering no solutions or proposed changes and therefore have no clear mandate for specific change.

There is one thing more important than what changed and that is what did not change. The Township Administrator David Breeden remains in place. The politicians may not tell you this but much of the change they take credit for comes from the leadership of this position.  

Mr. Breeden holds the reins of power and control of the daily activities of the township and is uniquely responsible for the township’s strategic planning. He was brought in by a Republican-controlled Committee. It is highly unlikely he kept his best ideas in hiding waiting for a new democrat majority.  

The tax burden falls on Barnegat homeowners and will until the government becomes more business friendly. I served on the Planning Board and Board of Education and did not witness any significant attempt to develop any strategy for commercial development. Rational attempts to bring commercial development by boards of education I sat on were met harshly by the township. Prime commercial properties are now parks or developed for low income housing. We need strategic vision, not slogans.

I may be wrong, but I expect Mayor Morano and the new Democratic majority will find themselves apologizing many more times before their terms are up.