Nothing Changes for Hillsborough if Nothing Changes in Leadership

For twenty years, the current township committee majority has administered Hillsborough through a penny-wise, pound-foolish approach to municipal government and master planning and residents are paying the price. Boro residents are rightly demanding transparency, accountability, and change from our leaders — who is going to give it to us?

As noted in TAPinto, Catherine Payne and Rob Movshin have run a well-coordinated Letter to the Editor campaign in advance of the November 3 election. However, looking closely at the endorsements reveals a pattern:

• Helen Haines: Republican Committee, Board of Adjustment, former Township Committee, former Deputy Mayor
• Frank Herbert: Republican Committee, Board of Adjustment
• Steve Cohen: Republican Committee, former Township Committee (resigned after three months)
• Ken Scherer: Republican Committee Chair, former Township Committee, former Mayor, former County Commissioner
• Raj Deb: Board of Adjustment Alternate
• John Ciccarelli: Republican Committee, Planning Board Chair, former Township Committee, former Mayor

In other words, the same Boro GOP decision makers who have held power in Hillsborough for over 20 years. The same decision makers who have spent 20 years spending millions fighting development instead of responsibly planning for the future. The same Boro GOP who continue to act as though "only we have the solutions to the problems we created." That same pattern extends throughout Hillsborough's municipal government; multiple former mayors, all still members of the Republican Committee, hold both paid and unpaid roles of responsibility in town, as do other members of the Republican Committee.

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But Hillsborough Republicans have an even bigger problem with their endorsement strategy: one of their endorsers didn't exist.

A long-time independent voter suddenly appears out of the woodwork to write an endorsement a week before the election? Who coincidentally writes a letter whose content exactly matches the online talking points of the campaign? That is coincidentally published in the same 45 minute window as two other partisan letters? If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. A quick public records search revealed that there was no registered voter matching the "Totally Independent Endorser" and, as a result, the letter has since been removed* — a removal loudly complained about online after being claimed by — wait for it — a pseudonymous Facebook profile connected to the Boro GOP.

This is where we are. Catherine Payne and Rob Movshin are willing to accept their campaign inventing voters for fake endorsements. And not just invent voters, but do so childishly and offensively through pseudonymous initials: F.S.M. "Let's Go Brandon," indeed.

Hillsborough deserves better.

*I was asked to verify my identity to contribute to TAPinto; I presume their endorser was given the same opportunity and declined, leading to the removal of the letter.