It's not Data, it's Deceit

It should mean something to you that the people behind changing our government continually deceive you. Their FIRST INSTINCT is to lie, to mislead the public. That’s scary - and not up to the standards of our community.

So, once again, the Charter Study Commissioners and their advocates are trying to deceive you. Their latest lie? Using national statistics from a biased organization to trick you into thinking their proposed form of government is widely used in New Jersey and is better for Holmdel.

Don’t be fooled! As always, they forgot to mention a few things. So, let me fill in the blanks for you:

1) The ICMA is the “International City/County Management Association”. They are an advocacy group for professional city managers. Their goal is to “actively promote the council-manager form [of government] as the preferred structure.”

I wonder why they didn’t disclose that to you?

ICMA research is highly biased. As an advocacy group, they are not an independent source - it's important to me you know that.

2) They don’t want to tell you about New Jersey statistics because the facts do not support their recommendations. In fact, they don’t even have data for New Jersey! That’s why they’re posting their very first statistics two months after they published their “study.” They didn’t do any research. But we did.

And that’s why we are happy to remind you of the truth regarding just how unpopular the Council-Manager form of government is in New Jersey:

• Only 8% (43) of New Jersey’s 565 municipalities use the “Council-Manager” form of government.
• In Monmouth County, only 5 of 53 municipalities (9%) have a “Council-Manager” form of government: 1) Aberdeen, 2) Asbury Park, 3) Howell, 4) Keansburg, 5) Ocean Twp.
• Relative to Holmdel, “Council-Manager” municipalities in New Jersey have larger populations, higher population density, higher levels of municipal spending, lower voter turnout, and more crime.
• If you combine the Council-Manager form of government with the Charter Study Commission’s voting structure recommendations (direct elect mayor and non-partisan elections), only 5 municipalities in all of New Jersey use that very unpopular form of government: 1) Asbury Park, 2) Belleville, 3) Byram, 4) Cape May, and 5) Montclair.

3) NO Monmouth County towns like Holmdel have a “Council-Manager” form of government. Not Colts Neck, not Fair Haven, not Little Silver, not Millstone. Not one. Why don’t they want you to know that?

4) No “affluent” Monmouth County communities use a “Council-Manager” form. Not Rumson, not Sea Girt, not Spring Lake, not Allenhurst, not Deal, not Avon by the Sea. Not one. Again, why don’t they want you to know that?

We care about New Jersey. We care about Monmouth County. And most importantly, we care about the quality of our lives and the quality of our government right here in Holmdel. Why are they talking about what cities in other states are doing?

Here are some even more worrisome facts for you to remember before you vote:

• When the Charter Committee has been faced with real data – they call it lies.
• When asked about their political connections, they refused to answer.
• When challenged on how they saw fit to cite Wikipedia in their formal recommendation to change our government, they remained silent.
• And when they try to defend their surreptitious plot – they lie to you … over, and over, and over again.

If this change in government were such a good idea, why not just tell the truth?

Regardless of the outcome, I will do everything I can to support and defend our community.

But, we need to put an end to the lies and the deceit. The data, the FACTS prove this is wrong for Holmdel. Please, make your voice heard. Get out and vote NO on 7/26!

You can follow me at: facebook.com/CommitteemanRoccoImpreveduto