Dems Trying to Change the Rules b/c they can’t win???

In an earlier post, we covered the false claim that the proposed form of government is to give the new mayor a $100,000 salary for life.

Now, we will address the false claim that Democrats can’t win elections and are trying to change the rules.

First of all, the public question to establish the Charter Study Commission was passed by the Township Committee consisting of 4 Republicans and 1 independent. Holmdel residents voted 53%-47% in favor in the November 2021 election. The Commission, consisting of 3 Republicans, 1 Democrat, and 1 Independent, unanimously agreed on the recommendation.

Now, Red Bank’s Charter Study Commission just recently voted to also recommend a Council-Manager form of local government with non-partisan elections – the same as Holmdel.

The Mayor and all the Council members of Red Bank are all Democrats. So, Democrats can and do win elections in Red Bank but their Commission still recommended Council-Manager form with non-partisan elections.

Why did you ask? In both cases, the respective Charter Study Commission made recommendations for what they thought was best for their residents after a thorough review and comprehensive study.

Before this year’s primary election, the Star-Ledger Editorial Board published an Opinion that echoed comments made at the Holmdel Charter Study Commission hearings. The findings of the Commission, the Star-Ledger’s Editorial Board Opinion, a federal lawsuit, along with an increasing body of evidence confirm that the Commission’s recommendation to go non-partisan election at the local level is the best option for Holmdel.

From the Star-Ledger Editorial Board Opinion:

“No other state tolerates such a corrupt configuration. Most states simply group the names of candidates under the office that they seek, and those names are randomized or alphabetized to ensure fairness, with no attempts at deception.

But in New Jersey, the party chairmen and county committees believe that voters should defer to their wisdom, because they know the best candidates for their turf, they raise the money, and they build the volunteer base -- all true -- and the clerks design the ballots accordingly. The system works very well for them, and candidates throw piles of money at the state and county committees to secure their space in Column 1. The higher the office, the higher the pile.

Remove the party line from the ballot, and that changes. Its elimination restores some sanity and fairness, for starters: Jesse Burns of the League of Women Voters of New Jersey, which filed an amicus brief supporting the suit, does not exaggerate when she calls the line “a voter suppression tactic, used to pre-determine elections outcomes and diminish the voice of voters.”

We cannot expect all party bosses and elected officials to acknowledge the cracks in the existing system and embrace reform, however, because they would rather eat a raw wolverine.”

https://www.nj.com/opinion/2022/06/one-step-closer-to-ending-njs-rigged-primaries-editorial.html?fbclid=IwAR15kEliQ--ys9EO8sIPJY1F1MAojEOQ9TslrkY4YdDouPHfNUliOxuRogw

Don’t let their fear-mongering and misinformation tactics deceive you.

The Simple TRUTH is that the proposal is very similar to our current form of government but residents get to:

• elect the mayor directly
• have a say in local law
• eliminate undue influence by out-of-town party bosses.

Holmdel residents have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to decide the future of Holmdel.

Vote YES and put Holmdel residents first!

Kin Gee

Chairman

Holmdel Charter Study Commission