Councilwoman Salmon’s Lack of Concern for Our Children’s Safety.

As your councilman, I take the safety of our children very seriously. It is deeply troubling to see Councilwoman Salmon not only spread disinformation but also fail to prioritize the well-being of our children. She has repeatedly tried to undermine the importance of the Recreation Director position, despite its vital role in ensuring the safety of our kids. Our community deserves honesty and clarity, and it’s time to set the record straight.

Recently, Councilwoman Salmon has claimed that the salary of our Recreation Director is $100,000, a blatant exaggeration. The actual salary is $68,000—significantly lower to do not one, but two jobs in town—and as a member of the finance committee, she should know this. Yet, she continues to mislead the public, focusing on disinformation rather than addressing what truly matters: the safety and well-being of our children.

One of the main reasons the council decided to establish a full-time Recreation Director was to ensure best safety standards for our children. Before this position was created, we relied on a volunteer model. However, the borough discovered that the volunteers running programs were NOT consistently conducting background checks—a basic but crucial step in protecting our children. The thought that children could be at risk because of incomplete or non-existent checks is unacceptable. Would any parent trust an aftercare program or school that fails to consistently conduct background checks? I don’t think so. That’s why I’m grateful for our mayor and previous council members who made the important decision to invest in this position, prioritizing the safety of our children.

As a father, I would be outraged if I enrolled my daughter in a program that wasn’t doing something as simple and necessary as background checks on the adults involved. No parent should ever have to worry about their child’s safety in community programs, and this is precisely why the council took action. The Recreation Director ensures that everyone involved in our children’s activities is properly vetted, prioritizing safety.

Moreover, mental health is a major cause of harm to our youth today. Numerous studies have shown the large health benefits recreational programs provide in preventing mental health issues. By undermining the importance of the Recreation Director, Councilwoman Salmon is also ignoring the positive impact these programs have on our children’s emotional well-being. After all, we all want our children to go outside, play with others, and engage in physical activity, rather than staying inside playing video games or scrolling on their phones.

Also, the Recreation Director has ensured that our summer recreation counselors are now trained through the borough’s insurance company having received CPR and first aid training. This marks the first year our counselors have received this crucial training. A testament to our recreation directors hard work and commitment to our community.

Unfortunately, Councilwoman Salmon’s focus on disinformation distorts the facts and detracts from the importance of this decision. By placing political games over the safety and mental health of our children, she shows a clear disconnect from the needs and concerns of Garwood families.

Garwood families deserve leadership that puts safety and well-being first, not leaders who spread falsehoods and ignore the real issues. We cannot afford to take risks with our children’s safety and I hope Councilwoman Salmon will recognize that and refocus her attention on what truly matters for our community.

Councilman Sean Keagan Foley