Caldwell: When Kerrigan and McNish say "civilty" they really mean "fire Gordon Lawshe"

The two ladies running for Caldwell Township Council are emphasizing a platform of "civility." As in, they'll be the "nice folks", keeping rancor out of the public eye.

But make no mistake, rancor will still be on the menu. Only it'll be unleashed behind the scenes. Because as Democrats, Grace Kerrigan and Maureen McNish are only interested in one thing — power.

As in, the power to fire township employees.

The Democrats on our council want that power; nay, they crave that power the way a shark craves fresh meat. Earlier this year they tried to override an ordinance formally investing that power in the hands of our Borough Administrator.

How disingenuous can these gentlemen be? They can easily "know who works in town" by visiting town hall more than twice a month. No, what Mr. Durkin and his henchmen desire is to fulfill a vendetta the Caldwell Democratic Party has nurtured since 2010. They want Gordon Lawshe's head on a platter.

Whether you personally like Mr. Lawshe is immaterial here. He's an employee of the Caldwell Comunity Center, and as such his employment is subject to oversight by Director Rob Paterson and Borough Administrator Paul Carelli. Political interference in municipal hiring decisions reeks of cronyism and corruption. The ordinance which passed in August puts the council firmly outside of the employment process, which of course is where they belong.

But it passed with Mayor Dassing casting the deciding vote. Meaning a 5-1 Democrat council majority can revoke that ordinance at the first opportunity.

So, if you vote for Kerrigan and McNish, you are in effect voting to politicize borough hiring decisions, and you're complicit in putting Gordon Lawshe on the street.

Can you imagine the free-for-all if the Democrats get their way? Suppose a hypothetical Chris Wysocki got pulled over for speeding 4 times last year. He decides to run for council, and maneuvers his fellow councilmen into firing the police officers who cited him.

Yeah, that's good government!

Well, what the Democrats plan to do in town hall is no less execrable.

Back in July I overheard a rabidly partisan Democrat plotting to "put our people back in town hall." Need I remind you what his people did the last time they ruled Provost Square? Or would you enjoy seeing more eyesores like those multi-family monstrosities at the corner of Lane and Bloomfield Avenues erected on the vacant lots around town?

Remember when "his people" wrote checks without council approval? Or hired an outside accountant instead of a CFO, who then "lost" $120,000 of our money? Good times, eh?

So let me ask you. Should these guys really be put back in charge of awarding no-bid contracts in the dark of night?

Mayor Dassing has presided over a rebirth of Caldwell government. Our town is now run like a business, with solid financial controls and a definitive set of checks and balances. Why would we throw all that away just to settle some silly personal score, against a guy who's actually doing a good job?

Re-elect Councilman Tom O'Donnell. Elect Pat Capozzoli. Keep Caldwell government open and above-board. Send the Democrat Machine a message — your mendacity isn't welcome here. Because we're better than that.

Posted at 21:21 by Chris Wysocki   [/election]   Comments | Perm Link |
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