Letters

It’s about time that NJ Transit is held accountable for the service, or in most cases the lack of service, it provides to its commuter clients.

Don’t get me wrong — for the money, commuting by bus to New York City is probably one of the most affordable means of transportation. That being said, NJ Transit is constantly taking advantage of the commuter clients.

For instance, there is a 5:45 p.m. bus that leaves Battery Park, with stops in East Brunswick and Old Bridge. The first issue is that this is the last bus that leaves from downtown and services our area. One recent evening, there were at least 12 people standing in the cold and rain, waiting more than 45 minutes for a bus that never showed. After making a call to the garage, we were told that the bus had already passed. Apparently, a replacement driver didn’t realize Battery Park was the first stop.

Drivers have missed this stop several times over the past months, but when it’s the last bus, the rider has to either take an Academy bus at an additional expense of $8.75 or take the subway uptown and find a way to get to his or her car after getting off the bus. Personally, I’ve paid an additional $17.50 this week, even though I hold a $220 monthly pass. NJ Transit has nothing in place to compensate riders for additional expenses, and most of all, they don’t seem to care.

I plan on creating a commuter Web site where people can leave stories about NJ Transit commuter service. Hopefully, there will be great interest and we can form a group that could meet with NJ Transit and come up with solutions to commuter problems that work for the company and for the rider.

Isaac Crosson

Bus No. 134 rider

Old Bridge

Many contributed to success of Pumpkin Festival

Century 21 Gandy & Brown Realty and Mendoker’s Bakery, both Jamesburg, would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who made the Pumpkin Festival a complete success. The festival was held on Saturday, Oct. 29, at the Jamesburg Fire Department Firehouse, West Railroad Avenue, Jamesburg.

The real success of the Pumpkin Festival is measured only by the look on the children’s faces as they experience the events of the day.

We are indebted to all of the volunteers who gave of their time and talent to make the day all that it could be. From the numerous rides available to the children, to the face-painting, penny pitch, music and dancing, it was quite evident that everyone who participated had an unforgettable time. Of course, the Pumpkin Contest is always delightful because of the incredible variety of decorating schemes that are expressed in the decorations.

The Jamesburg Fire Department and its Ladies Auxiliary, the Jamesburg Community Alliance and the Jamesburg Police Department DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program all deserve a special thank you for their contributions. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Evelyn Mendoker

Jeanne and Larry Libassi

Peggy Gandy

Gandy & Brown Realty

Mendoker’s Bakery

Jamesburg

Voters sent message: No more business as usual in Monroe

I know that I’m late, and for that I want to apologize right up front. Secondly, I just want to thank everyone who extended so much of their time and helped me in getting out our message. The list of names is long, but you know who you are, and I want to thank you all for all your support. We came oh so close this time around, and the message has definitely been sent to this administration that it will not be business as usual.

One person who I have to name (and many of you met her on our door-to-door campaign throughout Ward 3) is still my biggest supporter, my daughter, LeAnna. Thank you, my sweet, for always reminding me why I took up the banner to run in this election.

You have to give the opposition credit — they did a great job of ducking me during the election. Who can blame my opponent? If I had her record, I wouldn’t want to debate either. Had we had a true debate, the voters would have seen that we have the better ideas and we truly have the better outlook for how growth should be handled within our town.

Thank you for all the e-mails and phone messages congratulating me on a good fight. I still feel that I let you guys down. Maybe if I had just gone out and knocked on a few more doors or had the funds to send out another flier — who knows? Maybe that would have been the difference.

The one thing that is very encouraging, and one of the many things that I’m taking away from my first-ever run for office, is the hunger for change within our community. Plus, we made them work, especially in Ward 3, when you figure that the Democratic machine took out several full-page ads and sent out at least five fliers (with incorrect information) with respect to accomplishments that my opponent never accomplished. Best of all — how many 4-by-4-foot signs did they plaster all over the township and then send out their minions to knock down my little campaign signs? That’s when I knew that we had struck a chord and that people were beginning to listen and realize that there was a clear choice, something voters within Ward 3 hadn’t had for a while.

They sent everything at us but the kitchen sink. And you know what? They even tried their old favorite, using negative banter with respect to where Joanne Connolly and I reside within the ward. I am so glad that the majority of the voters didn’t stoop to their level and saw right through their game.

All this said and done, I am here to announce that after sitting down with my family and friends, both old and new, this administration has two years to straighten out. In two years, there will be a mayoral election and two at-large Township Council elections. Look over your shoulders, boys, because I’ll be there, and this time I won’t be a write-in candidate or working out of my garage.

There is a vibrant and tougher group coming up through the ranks, and this time the whole township will be able to vote. Our slogan has been and will continue to be “A Change Is Coming,” unlike the last signs that the Democrats put up the day of the election, asking for a message. Believe me, they got it — the message was clear and very, very loud. This is “our town” and not the builders. The only “civics lesson” that Ms. Connolly taught us was that we can as a concerned group make a difference, and with all your support we will start to take back our beloved Monroe.

Thank you again for all your support, and let’s begin to work together toward a new vision for 2007.

Have a great and prosperous holiday season.

Carlos S. Lopez

Monroe

Developer-driven project will cause E.B. to lose

Thank goodness the mayor and four members of the East Brunswick Township Council (Christi Calvano voted no) have saved us from the ugliness of Sam’s Club and prevented developers from putting a few gas pumps in the garden spot we call Route 18.

Instead, we have been blessed with the ambiance of several 10-story buildings and 400 additional families — just the type of place I want to call my town center. I bet people can’t wait to move out to the country and into a tenement over an upscale store (and we can’t wait till they’re here). Hopefully, they’ll enjoy the fresh air and the sunshine near the bus depot, the sunsets over the Edgeboro landfill and the view of the warehouses.

Who will move here? Someone mentioned that Hoboken is becoming overcrowded. The comparison is obvious. These buildings will overlook a dump and postal warehouses, while buildings in Hoboken overlook the river and the New York City skyline. People move there because they don’t need a car and can be in the city in 15 minutes (OK — that’s at 5 a.m. with a tailwind).

So the reasons to move here remain the same — the school system, our library, recreation, our senior center and services, all of which will be severely impacted by 400 additional families. There’s no room for a park, so these children will play in the halls and bike and skateboard around the upscale stores and the bus depot that, thank goodness, will be made safer.

Perhaps we can have a parade through the town center with residents waving little flags in celebration when it opens. Wouldn’t that just be so nice?

East Brunswick should have decided in the beginning what it would or wouldn’t accept as proposals for this site. If no bids came back, that would have been the time to consider compromises. Instead, what we’ve gotten is a developer-driven project. It went from 200 senior apartments to 400 families. Buildings have soared to 120 feet. Who knows what they will ask for next?

Every day we lose more of the rural atmosphere many of us enjoyed. I have no idea where the additional 300 new apartments required by the state will go. We’ve saved our tax rate and gained a youth center but lost and will lose so much more.

Anthony J. Riccobono

East Brunswick

Hats off to Bruno for dedication to camp program

The East Brunswick Township Summer Day Camp was recently recognized as an “official” camp by the American Camping Association.

I would like to use this opportunity to thank everyone who worked to make our township camp great and to get it the recognition it deserves as a great place for kids to spend their summer. I’d like to thank all the staff — the counselors, directors and specialists.

I would especially like to say thank you to the township employee behind the success of the program, my grandmother, Carol Bruno. Thank you for putting your tireless energy and passion about kids into the program every summer. You made our summer camp experience one to always remember. It was your dedication and that of the people you hired that made the program a huge success and kept kids signing up year after year.

Besides having a fun summer, we got to experience great trips and spend time with our friends in a safe, and sometimes even educational, environment. As I think about it, during the eight years I was a camper, the summer camp program got better each year, and we were never bored.

I’d like to say good luck to my grandmother as she retires from the township and wish her the best of health and happiness in her future years.

May she never lose the energy and qualities she had to run such an amazing camp.

Nicholas Navara

ninth-grade student

Churchill Junior High School

East Brunswick

Successful candidates offer thanks, pledge good work

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the residents of South River for their support in the recent general election. We take seriously the trust you have placed in us and pledge to do the best job possible for all people of the borough.

We look forward to working with the mayor and other members of the council. Our best wishes to Art Londensky and Laura Lipkin — they ran a good, clean campaign, which is a credit to them and a benefit to the borough.

Thanks again to all those many people who supported our campaign.

Raymond Eppinger

councilman-elect

John Krenzel

councilman

South River