Radio spot hypes Mid'town mayor's stand on housing BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer Gerard Scharfenberger MIDDLETOWN - Those turning their radio dials last week, flipping from station to station looking for a favorite song or talking head, heard a commercial extolling a local public official: Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger. The groupAmericans for Prosperity used their weekly 60-second commercial spot, "The Taxpayer Minute," with the voice of state Director Steve Lonegan, to highlight Middletown's mayor and his battle against the state Council on Affordable Housing. "The central planners are scheming to force over 100,000 taxpayer-subsidized, low-income housing units across New Jersey into every town, destroying neighborhoods wrecking already uncertain property values and driving up property taxes," Lonegan said in the commercial. "But one leader is saying no to the planners, Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger of Middletown. Mayor Scharfenberger has forged a council majority in support of a resolution opposing the state's radical scheme." Lonegan is the former mayor of Bogota Township and has been involved withAmericans for Prosperity since 2006. The commercial could be heard last week on metropolitan area stations WABC and WCBS as well as several local radio stations. Scharfenberger said that he didn't know about the commercial until he received it in an e-mail from Lonegan. "He contacted me and actually wrote a letter to the newspapers that was very complimentary, and I was happy he did that," Scharfenberger said. "He sentme an e-mail that he does 'The Taxpayer Minute,' and he said that he wantedme to listen to this one. So I heard it and it was great, and I've gotten a lot of compliments on it from all around the state." According to the Americans for Prosperity Web site, the organization is a group of "grassroots leaders who engage citizens in the name of limited government and free markets on the local, state and federal levels." The group advocates for public policies that champion the principles of entrepreneurship and fiscal and regulatory restraint. The radio commercial begins by describing the foundation's view of the state's assets and praises Scharfenberger and his administration on how they have handled pressure from the state to build more housing. "Some ofNewJersey's greatest treasures are in small-town charms and tightly knit communities, but Trenton's central planners have leveled their sights on every one of our neighborhoods," Lonegan states at the beginning of the commercial. Later, he praises the mayor for standing up to Trenton. "ButMayor Scharfenberger is the exception, not the rule. Too many New Jersey politicians are afraid or unwilling to stand up to Trenton's growing power." The spot specificallymentions the resolution passed by the Township Committee on April 2 that asked for a hiatus from COAH's proposed third-round rules and from the Fair Housing Act. Scharfenberger said that he has received a lot of positive feedback already from that resolution. "I've been getting calls from other towns across the state looking for a copy of the resolution," Scharfenberger said. "Everyone is kind of in the same boat with this and are looking for some help. I've been hearing a lot about it." The commercial winds up with onemore compliment for the mayor. "Thanks to leaders likeMayor Scharfenberger and thousands of Americans for Prosperity activists across New Jersey, there is hope for our state." For a college professor who is the top elected official in the largestmunicipality in Monmouth County, hearing his name on the radio is still a thrill. "I've been getting calls from people all week tellingme they just heardmy name on the radio," Scharfenberger said. "It's been fun getting the attention."