Why I’m voting Fettes, Dorsi and Liberato
My name is Scott Lavender. I served five years on Long Hill’s Township Committee, including one year as mayor, and led our finance committee every year. Residents may remember that I presented our annual budgets to the public to be transparent about how the town collects revenue and how we spend money. I’m going to explain my endorsement for this week’s election and, spoiler alert, it may ruffle some feathers. I’ve been on both sides of the dais. I’ve sat in the chair as a committeeman, accepting the slings and arrows that come with the job, and spoken at the podium as a resident firing a few of my own. I hope you will consider what I have to say before you vote this Tuesday.
This election is consequential. Three committee seats are at stake, a majority of the five total seats. There are two races in play. Mansi Patel and David Hands are the Democratic candidates challenging Matt Dorsi and Frank Liberato, the Republican incumbents. The two candidates with the highest vote total will be elected to the committee. In the other race, Democratic candidate Jason Foley is running against Republican incumbent Theresa Dill Fettes. You may remember that Theresa was appointed to the committee to fill a vacated seat. The winner of this contest will serve the remainder of the term, which ends December 31, 2027.
The Democratic candidates, Mansi, David and Jason, are promoting change. I agree that change is good when it’s for the better. But change simply for the sake of change is risky. This election should be a job interview, not a popularity contest, and residents are best served learning as much as possible about the applicants. I’ve listened to the Democratic candidates’ positions and aspirations, and frankly, they don’t hold up. I can’t get past their unrealistic idealism coupled with a lack of relevant experience on the part of Mansi and Jason. I’m disturbed by what they have to say.
The Republican candidates, Matt, Frank and Theresa, are committed to managing change, and that starts with keeping our financial house in order. They’re committed to continuing the record of financial discipline established by Republican leadership: keeping taxes as low as possible and keeping Long Hill debt-free. Over the past 16 years, the municipal tax rate has risen an average of just 1.8% a year, well below the 2.7% average rate of inflation over the same period. And Long Hill is one of the few municipalities in New Jersey that can claim to be debt-free, thanks to the innovative sale of our sewer system. That sale protected rates for residents while relieving the town of the cost of modernizing the system. Financial discipline gives us options when change is forced on us. The biggest threat to Long Hill’s character is overdevelopment driven by state affordable housing mandates. You need only look at neighboring towns to see how fast that can happen. Long Hill has met its obligations while minimizing their impact, guiding projects to areas most in need of redevelopment, or to where they will least affect the character of our neighborhoods. Theresa, a lawyer by trade, has six years on the Planning Board and helped shape our Master Plan, which guides how we meet these obligations. Frank’s experience in construction and infrastructure is unique among the candidates and especially valuable here. And Matt’s legal background and his 11 years on the Township Committee give him a deep understanding of how Long Hill has handled affordable housing for more than a decade.
Earlier I said I was disturbed by what the Democratic candidates have to say. Here’s why:
The Thermoplastics eyesore.The north side of the site is owned by a developer, Elite Properties. Because it’s an abandoned industrial site in a flood-prone area, homes can’t be built there. Elite recently presented a realistic plan: a storage facility designed to look like an office building, surrounded by greenery. It would clean up an eyesore, add landscaping, and bring in much more tax revenue than it does now. Based on my experience leading the finance committee, I estimate it would generate over $100,000 a year, all with very little traffic and no new demand on our schools. However, David Hands doesn’t like Elite’s idea. He would rather see a park or gathering space.
Who doesn’t like parks? David’s heart is in the right place. But we already have a location for a park. The town owns 73 acres of designated open space across from Town Hall. Trails have been designed, and work will begin when funding becomes available. If we’re still waiting on funding for the park we already own, how would we pay for a second one? Look closer at David’s proposal. His plan assumes Elite would sell the property to the town. At what price? Would the town spend down its reserves to buy an abandoned industrial site and take on the cost of cleaning up whatever contamination lies underground? Finally, the town doesn’t collect taxes from a park. Eliminating revenue from that property would shift even more of the tax burden onto homeowners. As former finance chair, I know our budget and the headwinds we face from rising health insurance costs and inflation. A park at Thermoplastics is a nice idea we simply can’t afford. Elite’s plan fixes the eyesore and helps pay the bills.
Finances.Staying on finances, Mansi has stated her team would eliminate the grant-writing service the town uses to pursue state and federal funding and replace it with a volunteer committee to save the fee. What she did not mention, or does not know, is that we have only spent in the range of $5,000 to $6,000 on that service in each of the last two years. Last year, the town received $220,000 in grants that this service helped with, an impressive return on investment of more than $36 for every $1 spent. The service handles complex grant applications that would strain our own employees, let alone volunteers.
Data centers.Jason and Mansi have come out in favor of an ordinance banning data centers. It’s a fair concern, but it’s a problem Long Hill has already solved. Even their running mate, David Hands, has told the Township Committee on the record that data centers are effectively prohibited here, and explained why. We have ordinances against the kind of equipment data centers need, and ordinances that limit any industrial activity that would disturb this town. Beyond that, a large data center makes little sense here, given how little dry land and utility capacity Long Hill has compared with other parts of New Jersey. Proposing a ban on something we already prohibit isn’t leadership. It’s a talking point.
Experience.David Hands is my friend and will remain so after this election. I’ve served with him on the Planning Board, and I give him full credit for his work there. He’s a hard worker, and his idealism is an asset on that ten-member quasi-judicial body. On the Township Committee, however, idealism must answer to the budget, as the Thermoplastics park idea shows. When tough decisions must be made under public pressure, ideals alone aren’t enough. That’s when leadership counts. Mansi has cited having volunteered for the Recreation and Digital Engagement Committees. However, attendance records show her participation has been light. Jason’s only cited volunteer experience is coaching softball. Both clearly care about the town, and that matters, but the Township Committee is responsible for a $19 million budget and decisions that affect every household in town. Caring isn’t the same as being ready.
I recommend that residents watch the video of the Candidates Forum sponsored by the Echoes-Sentinel and the Long Hill Chamber of Commerce on October 22 at the Long Hill Senior Center. What you will see is Theresa Dill Fettes, Matt Dorsi, and Frank Liberato confidently explaining their vision for Long Hill and the accomplishments they intend to build on. Compare this to what Jason Foley, David Hands, and Mansi Patel have to say.
I have, and I am enthusiastically throwing my support behind the Republican ticket of Fettes, Dorsi and Liberato. This is a job interview, and they’ve earned the job.
Scott LavenderFormer Mayor, Long Hill Township