The Board of Chosen Freeholders is the seven member board that governs Morris County. The Freeholders control a budget of approximately 285 Million Dollars, primarily financed by local tax dollars. These taxes have increased approximately 4.6% from 2006 to 2007.
The Freeholders meet in public sessions twice each month. During the morning session issues are discussed and questions from the public are not allowed. In the evening session, Freeholders review decisions made in the AM and typically vote 7-0 with relatively little discussion. There is commonly substantive homogeneity of opinion, as you would expect from a one party board.
After attending few of these meetings it becomes very clear why most of us know little about this one party group. Because of their mid-week, mid-morning schedule, the meetings are inconvenient for the average citizen to attend and contribute. Further exacerbating this problem is that both morning and evening sessions must be attended in order to raise educated questions. During the AM sessions, Freeholders take reports and discuss issues, and only during the evening sessions is the public allowed to comment! In the evening session the discussion and the voting are so predictable that the most contentious point of these sessions becomes the recognition of achievement of local community groups.
Public participation in discussion is nonexistent. When someone put a pointed question to the Freeholder board, the attitude is: You are not an invited guest in our fiefdom.
The public is not heard, not encouraged to attend, not challenged by creative thinking nor constructive discussion. We pay the taxes and don't even know who spends our money.
Morris County Needs a Second Opinion. We need discussion not just a rubber stamp. We need checks and balances.
Over forty percent of votes were cast for Democratic candidates in the last election, yet there are virtually no Democrats represented on county boards and appointments. These unheard voiced are your neighbors with whom you share common concerns about high property taxes, congested roads, parks and open space, education and healthcare. These voters are essentially excluded from the entire political process in Morris County. Do you really believe that 40% of the voters cannot contribute to making this county a better place to live?
I don't.
I was challenged by the exclusionary tactics of the current freeholders and decided to run and provide the second opinion that keeps Morris County Government clean, creative and inclusive.
Probably the most important task facing us is trying to eliminate the spiral of ever rising property taxes. We believe that some voluntary sharing of services among municipalities is desirable. Advancing this goal requires some common ground and trust among municipalities as well as representation in Trenton for assistance and funding.
We need broad participation of citizens and towns. A one party county does not provide
this broad participation at home or in Trenton.
Help us open the process so that next year you are part of it and you know what freeholders do!
"No one party can fool all of the people all of the time; that's why we have two parties".
Bob Hope
