A Former Middle Rec Employee Sets the Record Straight

It pains me to write this, as I’ve always hated the dirty part of politics. So to the reader, please know this is not something I am used to doing and would much rather be writing something positive about the town I call home. But, I am compelled to write in response to Mayor Michael Clark’s baseless and underhanded attacks on Committeeman Tim Donohue’s solid record of accomplishment with the Middle Recreation Department.
As a former Rec employee and a sitting advisor of the Recreation Advisory Board, I can personally assure the reader Mr. Clark’s statements toward Mr. Donohue are wrong. Middle Township’s Recreation and Open Space plan is based on a survey of Middle Township’s resident that was done in 2013. The Rec Advisory Board played a big role in that study. Mr. Clark was not even a member of Township Committee when this plan was developed.
You can view the plan here:
www.middletownship.com/Sustainable%20Jersey/Open%20Space/Middle%20Township%20Open%20Space%20and%20Recreation%20plan.pdf
As a member of the Board, I’ve been involved with planning for the future of Middle Township Recreation. Tim Donohue is the only Committee member who has come before the Board with concrete plans, diagrams, costs, facts and figures, mapping out a vision for the future.
The Rec employees are tireless workers who strive to provide excellent recreation options for the public. They take pride in their work. Tim Donohue held the first ever employee meetings for all Recreation employees. He instituted cross-training, so employees would be trained to work at both the MLK Center and the Goshen Complex. Before Tim Donohue got involved, Rec employees were offered zero opportunities for training. Donohue had the supervisors join Recreation Associations and attend training paid for by the township. All of these programs were put in place before Mike Clark came on Committee. It was Committeeman Donohue, Lockwood and Delanzo who established the Recreation Code of Conduct Board in 2013 (again, before Mike Clark was even in office). This was in direct response to the many disciplinary problems at the Rec at that time. The Code of Conduct Board weeded out several bad apples and established clear guidelines for coaches, parents and the kids.
Tim Donohue helped develop the vision for Ockie Wisting, along with the Rec Advisory Board. He worked to make Cape Express a viable partner in the plan and personally made the presentation for funding to the County Open Space Board, before Mike Clark was ever in office.
As a volunteer coach for multiple Middle Township Recreation sports programs, I have to laugh at Mr. Clark’s claim he has “fostered” recreation. The individuals who have fostered the programs in recreation are the hard working recreation staff, and the volunteers who work enthusiastically to keep these programs afloat for our kids. Mr. Clark’s only recreation involvement seems to be the excellent photo-ops he receives from football and baseball home openers; even using our kids as a prop in his campaign commercial.
In 2015 and 2016, when Mike Clark had oversight of the Rec programs, sports like lacrosse were ignored while they had to beg for a field to call their own. Lacrosse has continuously lost players to other township programs because of this issue. The parents and coaches were ready to step up and do whatever it took to make the lacrosse program a success. They got zero help from Mike Clark. Does that sound like “fostering’ our recreation programs to you?
There were two scenarios that immediately came to my mind when I saw Mayor Clark’s smear campaign.
I remembered Christmas in Middle a few years ago, under Donohue’s leadership. The Town Hall parking lot was packed. We had Radio Disney with characters from “Frozen,” the Christmas tree auction, choirs on the library steps, food trucks and vendors, face-painting, libations for the adults and more. Flash forward to Christmas in Middle 2016, under Mike Clark’s “leadership.” We had a parade and cookies at the firehouse – that’s it.
The second scenario was this spring. For the two years that Mike Clark had oversight of the Rec Department, there was a problem with the overhead lights in one corner of the Goshen gym. Staff and parents repeatedly asked for help to get the lights fixed. It was so dark that league games could not be played. Mike Clark did nothing about it. Within one month of Tim Donohue taking back oversight of the Rec, in January of 2017, a contractor had been brought in to discuss fixing the lights and a contract has been awarded for the work. Oh, and the water fountain that had been broken for months was replaced and a bid request has gone out to finally redo the gym floor.
Maybe now the reader is starting to understand why I felt the need to speak out. Anyone who has paid attention for the past six years knows how hard Tim Donohue has worked for this town.
I’ve been following Mr. Donohue’s campaign. It has been full of new and positive initiatives for the future of our town. Donohue has never once in this campaign spoken negatively of the Mayor Clark, Deputy Mayor Devico or his opponent for Township Committee. Mike Clark’s vicious attacks are totally unwarranted and unprovoked. This is what Americans hate about the state of our politics. Clark should be ashamed of himself. His attacks are beneath the dignity of someone with the title of Mayor.
James Norris
Del Haven, NJ
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