Democrats' views differ on affordable housing Caliendo calls for town meetings, referendum on issue BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer MIDDLETOWN - The old guard and new of the Democratic Party inMiddletown may have differing views on the issue of affordable housing but agree that through discussion, consensus can be reached. According to Middletown Democratic Chairman Joseph Caliendo, the township's mainstream Democratic Party may not agree with the Bayshore Young Democrats' stand on affordable housing obligations imposed by the state, but applauds their energy and organization for advocating for a cause they believe in. Caliendo specifically noted that Bayshore Young Democrats Chairman Matthew Morehead and Brookdale Community College Democrats President John Swift are "very dedicated to their cause." "The Democratic Party is not the same thing as the Republican Party, either in this town or in this country. In the Democratic Party, people are allowed to speak their mind so long as they do it in a reasonable way," Caliendo said. "The Bayshore Young Democrats have an idea about affordable housing for young people in Middletown. But it is an idea that has flaws and needs to be examined over time." Over the past three months, Morehead has been attending Township Committee meetings and has repeatedly expressed the concern that young adults cannot afford to live inMiddletown. He has been advocating for the township to create affordable housing units dedicated for young adults just starting out on their own. Caliendo applauded the Young Dems' ability to mobilize students and young people. "The energy, drive and determination of this group are great," Caliendo said. "These young people are organized, dedicated and should be heard. But where it involves the issue of affordable housing in Middletown, I believe it is an issue that should be dealt with in a thoughtful way, involving town hall meetings, real consensus in town and even through the use of referendum." Morehead said lastweek that he hasmet with Caliendo and other township Democrats at theirmeetings and that although he may disagree with some of their ideas, the fact that they can discuss these matters is what's important. "They agree with us in the fact that we are fighting as an organized group for what we believe in,"Morehead said. "I go to their meetings and theMonmouth County meetings to generate discussion. While we may not agree on a lot of issues, we agree that the issues are worth talking about." Morehead has been in the forefront of the Young Democrats campaign to put the issue of affordable housing forward. The Young Dems currently has more than 70 members, he said. Middletown recently held a joint Township Committee and Planning Board informational meeting about state Council on Affordable Housing regulations. At that meeting, Morehead expressed the same concerns and has been seeking an open debate on the issue of Regional Contribution Agreements. RCAs are agreements between two municipalities in which one town pays another town to assume a portion of its affordable housing obligation. The sending community may transfer up to half of its share of affordable housing units to a receiving community within the same housing region. Middletown currently has RCAs with Long Branch, Red Bank and Asbury Park. The township has used RCAs more than any municipality, according to Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger, sending $12.1 million to other municipalities to handle 649 of its affordable housing credits that would otherwise have been built in the township. The township's liberal use of RCAs has been criticized by affordable housing advocates like Morehead, while Scharfenberger has defended their use as a necessity. Caliendo said he doesn't disagree with the use of RCAs but that there needs to be a way formunicipalities to handle the problem of how to provide affordable housing within the law. "We agree the problem needs to be addressed," Caliendo said. "But there needs to be discussion on how to address it." Caliendo added that hewelcomes the discussion. "This is not to say that the Democratic Party does notwelcome the BayshoreYoung Dems or the Brookdale Community College Democrats, and that they are not a vital part of the Middletown Democratic Party," Caliendo said. "Something the Bayshore Young Democrats are right aboutwhere it involves COAH is that neither the Middletown administration nor any other in this state should act outside the lawwhen dealingwith COAHor any other agency. If this administration wants to fightCOAH, it should do it lawfully and not at the expense of the taxpayer." Morehead said that amajor issue for the YoungDems is the creation of senior housing as an affordable housing option as opposed to housing for younger people. "We are fighting so we can live in the town we grew up in," Morehead said. "They just created a large number of affordable housing for seniors and some housing for seniors that doesn't even qualify as affordable living." Caliendo lauded the Young Dems for being willing to fight for what they believe in. "The BayshoreYoungDems are the leaders of tomorrowof this party and this county. They should be congratulated on theirwork, even if not everyone can agree with the immediate outcome of it.