Resident defends Hazlet against author's attacks Al Solana's April 23 letter criticizing Hazlet's local tax rate renamed our community "Taxlet" and a "New Jersey Soprano Township." With respect, I could not disagree more. Across New Jersey, elected officials and citizen leaders are working to solve our state's addiction to high taxes and reckless spending. In Hazlet, that is no different. Since the Democrats gained a majority of seats on the township committee in 2007, Mayor Jim DiNardo, Deputy Mayor Kevin Lavan and Committeemen Joe Belasco and Joe Marques have made it their priority to stabilize property taxes and hold the line on spending increases. According to the Monmouth County Tax Board, under Republican leadership Hazlet's municipal tax rate - the part the Township Committee controls - increased 28 percent between 2004 and 2006. Coupled with a loss of $241,498 in state aid, Mayor DiNardo and his colleagues deserve praise for demanding that the coming year's municipal tax increase not exceed 5 cents per every $100 of property value. No one likes paying higher taxes, and it should be noted that our neighbors in Keyport, Matawan and Union Beach pay a higher municipal tax rate than Hazlet homeowners. Mayor DiNardo is exploring creative ways to bring local taxes under control. Working with our legislators and county elected officials, he and his colleagues have been able to secure grants to improve recreation for our community's young people, maintain curbs and streets, and preserve what little is left of Hazlet's open space. Moreover, the health department has been absorbed by Monmouth County in order to eliminate the kind of wasteful spending Mr. Solana rails against. As municipalities continue to grapple with the statewide tax crisis, Hazlet is negotiating agreements with other towns to share the cost of local services. Our community is changing under the leadership of Mayor DiNardo and the Democratic Township Committee. Saddled with the Republican legacy of corruption and mismanagement - Operation Bid Rig and the staggering cost of the new town hall chief among them - Mayor DiNardo has worked tirelessly to stabilize property taxes and limit spending increases. That work is not finished, but the renewed attention to budget discipline is a welcome one. Mr. Solana can call Hazlet what he chooses, but I would call it a successful example of elected officials responding to the concerns of residents and paying careful attention to the way tax dollars are spent. Vincent Solomeno Hazlet