Councilman wants to set record straight on Keyport issues
(Open letter to Keyport residents)

As you may or may not know by now, the Borough Council held a meeting Aug. 5 to address the issue of what to do about Keyport’s antiquated water/sewer system. Briefly, the system can be sold or renovated, either at a cost increase for town residents. The Sept. 4 edition of the Independent published letters from two concerned residents — Sam Minor and former Keyport Councilman George Walling — that were critical of the proposal to sell the system and called for our residents to vote against the referendum. To support their arguments, they mixed some facts with some political agenda items that were a bit off base.

Since my name was mentioned in one of the letters, it is my responsibility to set the record straight. Additionally, I am the council member who introduced the ordinance that brought this issue to the table. The possible sale of our water/sewer system has been a topic of discussion at meetings for nearly two years, and just this year became hot. The more the council learned about the system, the clearer it became the issue had to be researched, addressed and resolved.

The system is old; in fact the meters in place now were installed around 1966. The significance of that is their efficiency is outdated. This indicates the issue has been known for some time, but allowed to stagnant for many years (and many administrations). By pushing for a resolution, I have been able to bring a focus to an important issue.

The letters to the editor chastised me for not stating my position on the issue or having charts or other facts to present. The fact is, the council received information just prior to the meeting that if Keyport were to stay in the water/sewer business, rates would have to be increased immediately and then again at five-year intervals to cover the required bonds. The timing of the information was such that I personally was not able to process all the data sufficiently to make a decisive case for either generally accepted possible solution.

It often is best to say nothing rather than comment without a full understanding of the facts. This is a philosophy that has always served me well, and one that the writers of opinion pieces should consider adopting as their own, especially if — as in one case of one writer — he was not even in attendance.

I do agree with the writers when they call for the residents of Keyport to become involved. I, too, call for each of you to learn more about this issue and express your thoughts on this matter. I urge you to not simply read a letter or column that does not present all the facts and base your decision upon that — for example, what does a new fire truck have to do with this issue, or is it simply a party knock? You owe it to yourselves and the future of Keyport to help the council make the right decision. That is how the process is supposed to work, and it is the methodology this council has been using since taking office.

Be assured the council will make the correct decision based on all the facts. I know I will not vote for anything detrimental to the future of my town, and no one else on the council will either. We have been building a track record of reviving and resolving issues left unattended by past administrations. Come on down to some meetings and check out your town council. I think you’ll find it is much more in touch with the community than you may be led to believe, and you just might find the process of government really does include the people.

Robert L. "Bob" Hyer

Councilman

Keyport