Watch The Tea Bags!

They say “A man is like a tea bag. He shows his true colors when dipped in hot water.”

And in hot water they are! The lies, the concoction of facts, and the fearmongering are truly emblematic of someone in hot water.

Otherwise, why would they say that the proposed form of government is unpopular when a survey shows that it is the most popular form of government with 40% of towns nationwide adopting the Council-Manager form of government?

Survey Research Snapshot_MFOG.pdf (icma.org)

Why would they try to deceive you with mistruths and half-truths, when a study shows that the Council-Manager form of government (the proposed form of government) is more ethical than other forms?

(https://icma.org/blog-posts/study-confirms-council-manager-governments-are-more-ethical)

And why would they spook you by saying that it provides for less accountability, causes more instability, and is less transparent when the same study shows that this directly elected Mayor system significantly reduces corruption?

Clearly, they benefit from the status quo.

The status quo that produced a series of scandals, censures, unethical behavior, and referrals from the prosecutor’s office, not to mention the staggering debt that they amassed over the last decade all costing taxpayer dollars.

The status quo that benefits the political machine by maintaining a majority and managing all professional appointments via backroom deals.

And the same status quo that allowed some professionals a quid pro quo for their political contributions to overcharge Holmdel for their services.

What puzzles me is the fear that they have conveyed to the public, for there is no prohibition or inherent handicap in the system for them to gain a majority and the mayorship in the new system. I would not be one bit concerned if this were to happen, as the new system has the necessary controls in place to prevent us from repeating our past misdeeds.

The systemic checks and balances in the proposed form of government guarantee that regardless of who is in power we’d have a transparent and accountable government.

So, it is a bit surprising and puzzling, when they conjure up “facts” and feed us one-liners to show their hatred for the proposed system, or line up past luminaries - many of them embroiled in past controversies - to showcase their unity in maintaining the status quo.

As former US Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said, “you can have your own opinion, but not your own facts.” Their “facts” belie their desperation. They are bleeding like a tea bag!

Prakash Santhana

Deputy Mayor

Holmdel Township