Iam writing in response to the letter to the editor written by Jennifer L. Fox of Milltown ("Why Would Borough Pay for Removal of Resident's Tree?") that appeared in the Sept. 20 issue of the Sentinel.

I am the resident who the tree in question affected. Contrary to the statements of the letter writer (who I believe to be affiliated with the Milltown Republican Party), the tree was not on my property but on the borough's property. If it were on my property this never would have been an issue, as I would have simply had the tree removed myself.

Although the health of the tree may be debatable, the tree was without a doubt a safety issue and an eyesore. Anyone who took the time to look at the tree agreed, except for the Shade Tree Commission.

The commission had the tree trimmed at its own expense, not at the borough's expense, without notifying anyone while we were supposedly still in good-faith discussions about the solution to the issue. Even Republican Borough Councilman Randy Farkas, who never looked at the tree, offered a solution involving planting many replacement trees, which the commission rejected.

The commission is apparently not concerned about safety issues or residents' concerns. There also is no policy in place to appeal a ruling, so the commission has full authority without any checks and balances.

When I brought the issue to Councilman Mike Skarzynski, he immediately came to look at the tree and agreed with me and all the local residents. He put his neck on the line without anything to gain but ridiculous comments such as the ones to which I am responding. He then presented the resolution to the council. He and the rest of the Democrats approved the resolution. The Republicans voted against it because one councilman appeared to be more concerned with developing the property, and the other (who I thought supported the issue) obviously changed his mind for some unapparent reason.

If dozens of homeowners are waiting for dead trees to be removed because they are truly hazardous, as the writer claims, this just supports the fact that the Shade Tree Commission should be downgraded to a committee so the council can expeditiously respond to residents' concerns.

I am not politically motivated or affiliated with any party, but I have learned much about politics during this ordeal. We should all learn to remove politics from our decision-making, and people should not be so opinionated about issues that do not affect them.

I realize election time is coming, which starts all of this political posturing. I am looking for a candidate who cares about the residents' concerns and acts accordingly.

Therefore, I will fully support Mike Skarzynski for mayor and the Democratic candidates for council come November. This is no knock on the current mayor. Mayor Gloria Bradford has always been very nice and helpful but she is unfortunately aligned with others from the Republican Party who frankly have the wrong priorities and who I do not trust will do what it is in the best interests of the residents of Milltown.

Brian P. Gebauer is a resident of Milltown