OP-ED: Vote NO on Municipal Question 3 in South Orange

This Tuesday (November 8, 2011), you will have the opportunity to vote on a referendum to determine if The South Orange Board of Trustees should begin to receive PAYMENT for serving the Village. I urge you to vote NO on this referendum for a variety of reasons:

Serving as a volunteer is a longstanding Village Tradition

Since the Village was settled, serving as a member of the Governing Body has been an honor and a privilege for those who want to serve the community.   In all that time, this honor has been done by VOLUNTEERS who were not paid  for their service.  People served the community because they wanted to do the right thing for the Village, not because they were looking to supplement their income. This tradition is an important part of the culture and history of South Orange and should not be changed.

Providing compensation is not necessary

Serving the Village on the Board of Trustees is a part-time position.  The Village already has a large payroll of full-time paid staff that handle the day-to-day operations of the Village.  As a member of the Board of Trustees, I can say firsthand that serving on the Board of Trustees does not require a financial outlay for any mandatory expenses.  In fact, the Board of Trustees already receives complimentary admission to many political fundraisers, a complimentary parking sticker to park in any permit space downtown and other perks.  No compensation is required for the Board of Trustees to complete their duties.

Changing the Charter opens a Pandora’s Box

Altering the Village Charter to provide monetary compensation to the Board of Trustees will open a Pandora’s Box that can never be closed.  What begins as a modest “stipend” today, will inevitably grow over time.  Simply view the graph of Congressional salaries over time  as an example of how, when given the opportunity, politicians love to pay themselves more and more money over time.

Our Taxes are already overly excessive

In this time of flat incomes, reduced services, reduced staff, and skyrocketing property taxes, we simply cannot afford a new expense added to the budget.  The taxes in South Orange are outrageous and we need to find ways to REDUCE the budget, not INCREASE the budget by adding an additional expense to pay volunteers for serving their community.  We simply cannot afford it.

On Tuesday, please VOTE NO ON MUNICIPAL QUESTION #3!  

Please pass along this information which is also posted online at NoPayForPoliticians.wordpress.com (along with additional information about the election) and spread the word to your friends and neighbors in South Orange.