Letter: Voorhees “needs a new beginning”
Mario Di Natale, took the Voorhees Health care benefits to the tune of $200,000 during the last 8 years. In effect, he still currently is receiving benefits through the end of this year. Currently our debt is up 47 percent from 2003 to 2012. This debt will continue to rise as the payment for the municipal complex will add to the debt next year.
Moving over to the Voorhees Town Center, and spending over $6 million was very foolish as we do own the land were the building was constructed. The Democrats claim this was an effort to save the ratable’s in the Voorhees Mall. There is no guarantee that the stores will stay, if they are not earning a profit. That is not stable income to save the shopping center. We would have been better off if we had demolished the old building at 620 Berlin Road and constructed a new building where we own the property. Currently there is no Commercial for sale sign, that the property is for sale for almost two years. Initially, we were told that the property at 620 Berlin Road would sell for 2.5 Million, the best offer currently has been $1.35 million. We will never own the current building, where we spent taxpayers money in the tune of $6 million.
How can DiNatale say they kept taxes down when tens of millions of dollars in business ratable’s have left the town. For examples, Lone Star, Palazzo, Eagle Plaza (empty stores), Diamond Diner, Country Club Diner, Ventura Restaurant, Genaurdi’s Food Store, Taco Bell, Baja Fresh Mexican and Fuddruckers. DiNatale has done nothing to revamp business in this community.
What we have to do is start with a zero based budget every year, however Mario continues to build off the last years budget. No wonder why there have been over 1,100 tax appeals this year in Voorhees. A zero based budget would eliminate waste spending when you have a budget like the one DiNatale and is Democrats currently support.
Service contracts should be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder including the township Solicitor & Engineers. There has been “Pay to Play” going on in Voorhees for too many years. There has been close to $300,000 per year in legal fees alone. Many campain funds have come from these types of vendors, where they get back thousands of dollars in profit. Lawyers have been billing the township on a hourly basis, costing the township thousands of dollars — Go with a yearly flat fee as Cherry Hill, Berlin and Haddonfield did.
In addition, this past year many residents wanted to have an input on the budget, as a “Citizens budget plan.” However, the Democrats fought that last year. Bring the township committee meetings on the road to various schools so we can get more input from the taxpayer’s view points, and add a suggestion box in the Town Hall. Lets bring the meeting to the voters for more involvement.
In looking back at the last ten years, DiNatale has been in office there has been issues with one’s character. All elected officials are on a pedestal and
looked at by the voters and taxpayers through a magnifying glass. You must show examples of leadership and do not step over the line such as the incident in January 2012 with the police badge in Berlin Township.
Voorhees needs a new beginning of leadership and accountability in keeping our residents from moving out the community because of the irresponsibility and reckless administration with higher taxes.
- Bill Robbins
