Good Ethics Supersede Political Convenience

To the Editor:
On Sept. 8, 2010 the county election board held a hearing about Mike Voll’s eligibility to run for office in Middle Township. On Sept. 9, 2010, the Cape May County Herald reported that after that meeting, a press release was issued by Bob Noel. That release said, “The documentary evidence presented to the election board, and Voll’s testimony made under oath, confirmed that Voll knowingly maintained a voter registration in New Jersey and Florida at the same time, and that he voted where he chose. The board told Voll he was wrong and he knew it.” Yet in 2011, four of five Lower Township Council members, Simonsen, Douglas, Lare and Conrad, voted to appoint Mike Voll Township Manager of Lower Township. Did they not know about this illegal behavior?
Right before the last election, three members of the Lower Township Council, Beck, Clark and Neville, pushed through the appointment of an individual to the MUA board. Shortly thereafter, residents at both council and MUA meetings raised concern about the appropriateness of this appointment. The concern was based on past actions of the appointee. These actions made many in the community and the two councilmen who opposed this appointment uneasy that the appointee would in any way be involved in allocating and spending ratepayers’ funds.
Was a background check conducted in that first questionable appointment? It was not in the second one. I spoke with my councilman about instituting a policy that such checks be required for all board appointees. As a result, the Lower Township attorney was charged by council to study what other, local municipalities do in this matter.
When I followed up with that attorney, I was told council was doing nothing about this concern. At the May council meeting, I distributed a handout to all council members, the township attorney and township manager. It requested that Lower’s current background check policy to protect children be required for all board appointees. The handout included the suggestion that the Township of Lower Citizen Leadership Form be amended to include a statement that background checks would be required and that no appointment was final until an acceptable report was completed.
This is an easy way to help ensure that residents are protected from inappropriate appointments. At the June 1 council meeting, I was told that nobody on council had any interest in putting this policy in place. There is no ethical reason not to enact this policy. The only reason can be that it may be politically inconvenient. Lower Township residents deserve better. We deserve protection.