Middle Dems Pull from “Woke” Playbook – Dividing and Hurting the Taxpayers

Middle Township Democrats have clearly decided to use the National Progressive Democrat playbook of division and anger, resulting in dishonest tactics bound to hurt our taxpayers.
Recent legal filings against Middle Township by the Fair Share Housing Center were partly motivated by distortions and disinformation provided to the State of New Jersey by persons supporting the campaign of the Democrat Candidate for Middle Township Committee. This cynical political ploy, meant to falsely smear the Republican governing body, could force the
Township’s taxpayers to pay tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees to defend against unfounded accusations related to Township land sales, the recently approved Master Plan Reexamination and related zoning changes.
The motions filed could also open the door to costly builder’s remedy lawsuits that could take development decisions in Middle Township away from the peoples’ representatives and leave those decision up to the Courts.
Worst of all, these selfish, political maneuvers will only cost the Middle Township taxpayers and not advance any effort to actually address the affordable housing issue.
 This is yet another sad chapter in the Middle Democrat’s record of failure and folly on affordable housing.
In 2011, the election of our current Mayor, Tim Donohue, brought a new political paradigm and fresh perspective to Township Committee for the first time in over seventy years. The new GOP majority inherited a Democrat-created affordable housing nightmare. Under pressure to answer the state-mandated COAH demands for housing, the Democrats had spent $250,000 on well-connected “professionals” who utterly failed to move a workable plan to the finish line. For years the Middle Dems kicked the can down road. Zero units of affordable housing were built.  The Township was mired in costly legal action brought by the the Dems’ own handpicked affordable housing corporation.
Who cleaned up this mess?
The Republicans.  Under the leadership of former Mayor Lockwood and then Deputy Mayor Donohue the lawsuits were settled, $1.4 million in Affordable Housing Trust Funds were protected and the much-needed housing developments moved forward. Those are the facts, all in the public record.
That is the truth. The truth should matter.
That’s why it is sadly disturbing to see the Middle Dems adopt the divisive and disingenuous tactics of the National Progressives; tactics that have little regard for the truth.
And it is sadly ironic that one of the main architects of the prior, troubled Democrat plan was current Middle Dem campaign consultant, Bob Noel. Noel is suddenly expressing grave concerns that the Township might be exposed to builder’s remedy lawsuits, while at the same time facilitating the dissemination of the disinformation that has played a role in the pending litigation now threatening Middle Township taxpayers.
 One has to wonder why Noel didn’t become a whistleblower from 2016 through 2018, when his political ally, Democrat Mayor Michael Clark, had no affordable housing plan, zero immunity from lawsuits and total exposure to potential affordable housing litigation?
Clearly, the Democrats sudden, “grave concerns” over these issues are purely political and power driven.  They give no consideration to the negative impacts on the good people of Middle Township.
The immunity was only restored when the Republican majority was restored in 2019.
At multiple public meetings over the course of the past two years, the Republican team has taken formal actions to restore and maintain the Township’s immunity from costly lawsuits.  A recognized, experienced,  Affordable Housing Counsel was hired and earnest, good faith negotiations were begun. Professional housing planners were brought on board early in 2021 and a reasonable and balanced plan is nearing completion. 
Mayor Tim Donohue, Deputy Mayor Ike Gandy and Committeeman Jim Norris brought all of these moving parts together to create a smart and innovative plan to address our housing needs.
Now, thanks to purely self-serving and misleading accusations, unnecessary legal costs loom, the path to a final resolution and the reality of additional affordable housing opportunities in our town are in jeopardy.
 Contrary to the disinformation being spread, the recent and reasonable zoning changes will not reduce housing opportunities. The fact is that these changes add the potential of an additional 1400 housing units within the Township.
Also disingenuous and distorted is the claim of a spike in Township land sales in Whitesboro. This is a fiction designed to paint the current Township Committee members as insensitive to the historical nature of the community. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The truth is, that in the past ten years, a total of 14 properties in Whitesboro have been sold through the land sale process. 14.
In the previous ten years (2001-2010), under 100% Democrat control, a whopping 139 properties in Whitesboro were sold off. 139.
The Middle Dems are either completely uninformed, or lying to the voters.  Either way, the people of Middle Township deserve better.
Total fabrications are being spread for purely political purposes by the leadership of the Middle Democrat party and their candidate’s campaign. They are trying to divide our township using the cynical, “Woke”Progressive playbook. 
Damage is being done. Legal costs will escalate. And Middle Township taxpayers will be forced to foot the bill.
Fortunately for the people of Middle Township, the Middle Township Republicans have gotten very good at cleaning up the messes created by Middle Township Democrats and the voters have overwhelmingly supported those efforts. Experience is the best teacher. The Middle Township experience of the past decade is that Republicans fight for the taxpayers while Democrats fight only for their own, narrow political interests.
Ordered and paid for by Gandy for Committee, 7 Seagrove Avenue, CMCH, NJ 08210