Attend a Township Committee Meeting

Once again, on June 19, I attended the Wyckoff Township Committee meeting. And I have finally made a few observations that I wish to share here; indulge me for a bit. I am going to throw the party allegiance aside also.

What first struck me, and has becoming irksome is the lack of attendance by the town's residents. Besides myself Joe from Patch was there, a nice lady from the Surbabn News, a gentlemen I did not know, and Mr. Scanlan's daughter (I believe .) I am coming to believe that the residents are just not taking advantage of these meetings to learn about the Township, what it takes to operate the Township, the people involved and he very long hours they all put in. I believe that residents do a dis-service to themselves and the Township by not attending.

I find that residents love to complain, but after the fact. "They" do not spend the 90 minutes to learn what is going on and the decision process. They also miss out on some extraordinary things also. I have been present when the Township Committee did a proclamation for one of our youth football teams. It may not seem like much, it did mean a lot to each of the participants, their parents, and those of us in the audience. When you see the face of a young person, who is being recognized by the Town you would know what it means to them.

What residents also miss is the understanding, the knowledge each of these men has, and the kindness and consideration the have for every resident.

Last night, Mr. Scanlan, I will deduce has been in an accident. He was welcomed by each committeman and each person was truly concerned for his welfare and comfort during the meeting. This just was a demonstration that each of these men are true Gentlemen. One could not be but moved by the kindness on each's part. Not everything is politics.

What I also came to see is the dedication each Committeeman has for this job. And the dedication of our Administrator, our Clerk, and our Attorney. The interaction is one of getting the job done, in the best way possible, with consideration of any costs, legalities, and benefit to the Town.

This Committee works very hard to contain costs, find other sources of revenue, spends time in support of all the volunteers in our Town, and the list gets longer.

I sometimes hear about some cabal of good ole boys. Welp, been going to the meetings for a while now and have yet to see that one. What I have seen is that the so called good 'ole boys, have kept taxes as low as possible, will spend their OWN TIME to hunt down a truck for the DPW, is considerate of the tax payer and only wishes to do the best they can for a Town the all enjoy and live in. And no, this whole good ole boy thing is a myth. And if not, well, they kept our tax increase to 1% so how do you top that one eh ?

What now saddens me is the we, "the people" or residents do not support this Committee by attending meetings, and bring our voices to the table. The microphone is open, TWICE, each meeting. Yet no one speaks. I have, a few times, and have been received warmly and with understanding even though I am not a public speaker. Everyone can be part of the process if you spend the 90 minutes to listen, hear, understand and above all learn. You WILL learn a lot about your Township and its inner workings. You will learn that your voice, good, bad, loud or soft, WILL be heard. If you want to say something, stand up and say it. Why not, its your Wyckoff also.

Understand all that I do have certain appreciation for this process now. I have known one Committeman all my life, we grew up together in Wyckoff. I have come to know our Mayor, Mr. DePhillips over the past months and he is a very kind and attentive person. Mr. Christie I am now understanding and enjoy his outlook on many decisions they have made. Although Mr. Scanlan and I may have been a logger heads I must say that he does do what he thinks best and what he thinks is in the best interest of the Town.

But lastly I have been honored to come to know Mr. Rooney over the last 10 months. Last night it struck me the amount of time he puts into the Committee, his knowledge base is exceptional, he is a very civil man who appreciates some of the lost methods of discourse. Mr. Rooney is always ready to help out and speak with a resident. He is always helpful and will point you in the correct path. Mr. Rooney considers every point of view and will act as best fits the Township. I do know his leadership of the Finance Committee has kept our tax rate as low as possible and any increases to the absolute minimum. He has a passion for the Town and all of its volunteers, the Town's professional staff, the DPW, and the Police Dept. He is always considering the impact of what the Committe does to each and every person in this Town. If you remember the Halloween Storm of '11 Mr. Rooney was out there, in the trucks.

Well now, should we not, all of us, honor these men by attending the meetings and keeping them company while the wrestle with the decisions they face ? Should we all not show our support of them by speaking up so they do know "the voice of the people" ? And why not ? I am sure everyone can find 90 minutes twice a month to be part of the LIFE of the Wyckoff. And by doing so you will also be rewarded, now and then, when someone or some organization in Wyckoff is called to a meeting to be honored by our Committee and through them, appreciated by each of us.

The meeting agendas are posted in the Town Hall. You can read what will happen, and you might just enjoy yourself also. I know you will appreciate, the fine work, each of these men do as an additional 60 hours a week, unpaid, just to serve YOU. So come out and help them, attend a meeting. You will benefit from it as I have.

And the best part of it all is when a young person leads the Pledge of Allegence and they are a bit nervous, but they do it so well. The smile on the young ones face is worth every bit of 90 minutes.

ATTEND A TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE MEETING! MEET THE COMMITTEE AND BECOME INVOLVED.

Many thanks for reading this one.

John A. Unglert