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Politics & Government

Transparency and Democracy: Hot Topics at Township Committee Meeting

The number of public meetings scheduled in 2011, as well as meeting rules and procedures, were brought into question.

A heated discussion arose at the Manalapan Township Committee meeting on Wednesday, July 13; residents and officials sounded off on the governing body’s transparency, or lack thereof, when conducting public meetings.

The topic arose when Committeewoman Michelle Roth noted that the number of public meetings has decreased from its average of 22 public meetings per year. Roth said that in eight months, from April through November of 2011, the Committee has scheduled only one meeting a month instead of the usual two.

Moreover, Roth said that the Township Committee has been lacking in transparency, and that the sparsely-attended Town Hall-style meetings are insufficient in addressing constituents’ questions.

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“When we do have public meetings the problem has been made worse by the elimination of any dialogue and discussion either amongst the elected officials or between elected officials and the public," Roth said. "These actions do not rise to the level of government for the people.”

Resident Ray Kalainikas agreed, “I think there should be two meetings a month given the size of the township."

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Another root of the issue is the governing body’s meeting rules which prevent, as resident Debora Smarth called it, “give-and-take” between politicians and residents. Under current guidelines, once public comment comes to a close, residents must take a seat and remain silent, therefore preventing further dialogue with the officials.

Smarth called on Mayor Andrew Lucas to lead the governing body in changing these rules. “I think it’s a really important cornerstone of representative democracy and republican form of government,” said Smarth.  

Former Mayor George Spodak went as far as to call Lucas a “coward” for getting the last word in over residents. Spodak was most likely referring to during a meeting on June 15. “It’s time that members of this committee grow up and conduct this meeting correctly,” said Spodak.

 “It seems to me like if that MTTN isn’t filming, people don’t show up,” Committeeman Jordan Maskowtiz responded. “We’re sitting at the table for residents to walk in."

During public comment, Butch Budai, the head of the Manalapan Republican party, said that he has always been treated respectfully during public comment. Budai said he thought that the traffic light, which limits residents to five minutes of speech, began a few years ago when Michelle Roth was the mayor of the township.

However, Roth maintains, and even Lucas later confirmed, that new rules went into effect in 2010. Roth also added that due to a scheduling conflict, she was not present for the vote.

During his comments, Budai had also brought up the issue of a , which Roth voted against when she had a permit.

Deputy Mayor Ryan Green, who was called out by Roth for failing to recuse himself from a vote that involved a personal matter, encouraged Township Attorney Roger McLaughlin to look into the issue; McLaughlin remained unsure of whether or not this exhibits a conflict of interest. 

When Roth asked Budai if she has answered all of his questions, she was reminded by Lucas and McLaughlin that public comment was over.

“The rules are the rules whether or not you voted on them; they govern the operation of our meeting,” said McLaughlin.

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