New committee members will preserve open space On Jan. 1, Hazlet Democrats James DiNardo, Kevin Lavan and Joseph Belasco took their places on the Township Committee. Having regained the majority after four years of Republican control, DiNardo was elected mayor and Lavan the deputy mayor. Together with Belasco, they outlined the priorities for our community in the coming year: managing the budget, developing shared services, and most importantly, acquiring much-needed open space to preserve what little is left of Hazlet's undeveloped land. With open space in mind, I am honored that the Township Committee asked me, along with several other individuals, to serve as members of the Planning Board. One of the principal responsibilities of this body is to develop a master plan to guide development within the community. In the future, Hazlet will embark on a revision of its master plan, and it is my hope that we can come together to address the serious challenge posed by overdevelopment to our community. By focusing on goals that curb the construction of new homes, not only will we halt the destruction of our precious environmental resources, but we can keep property taxes down by placing a check on the growing burden borne by municipal services and the public school system. There is no guarantee that we can stop overdevelopment in Hazlet, but we can try. Under the provisions of the present master plan, the Township Committee's hands are tied when it comes to dealing with developers. Yet those same builders have had their run of the place for far too long, and it is time for that to change. Looking forward, my hope is that through determined leadership and honest dialogue, we can preserve what is left of Hazlet's open space. Nothing less than the future face of our community is at stake. Vincent Solomeno Hazlet