Resident defends Hazlet's administrators In response to a letter to the editor from a bitter-sounding doomsayer, Al Solana, calling Hazlet the "Soprano Township of New Jersey" and renaming our town "Taxlet" (April 23), came Vincent Solomeno's myopic haze of praise for Hazlet's Democrats (April 30). While Mr. Solana complains of inept spending, Mr. Solomeno professes that the Democrats are the saving grace of our tax dollar. This congestion of contentious rhetoric inspired me to take a turn down the middle road. Corruption is a problem inherent to all forms of government. Greed and ego are the real causes of this crime, and political affiliation has nothing to do with it. Both Republicans and Democrats have had perpetrators of public mistrust in their midst. Likewise, each party has honest and hardworking public servants within their membership. Hazlet had an undisputed, decade-long need for a new town hall. Both Democrats and Republicans supported various and expensive explorations of ultimately impractical ideas, but it was former Mayor Michael Sachs and Committeeman Scott Aagre that demonstrated vision, courage and fortitude by building a municipal complex in Veterans Park. The location was the subject of much debate - most of which was led by Committeeman Joe Marques - but given the logistical challenges of limited, buildable space, a non-recreational corner of Veterans Park rose as the most feasible and least expensive solution to what had become a seemingly unsolvable problem. Sure, the projected opening date was delayed (to force builder compliance with contract obligations), and yes, taxes had to rise to cover the cost of a new town hall, but the result is a beautiful yet functional building that will serve our township for many years to come. For the first time in a long time, the Hazlet Board of Education - under the capable direction of Superintendent Dr. William George- has presented and passed a responsible and well-planned budget. Past school boards, which included Committeeman Joseph Belasco, have relied on gimmicks such as adding new sports teams and selling land to developers, while Dr. George used sound financial principles and planning to achieve a practical plan for funding our children's education. Mr. Solomeno's claim that Mayor James DiNardo and Deputy Mayor Kevin Lavan have "made it their priority to stabilize property taxes and hold the line on spending increases," is an egregious misrepresentation if not an outright delusion. This year alone, Hazlet's leadership has bonded (read, future tax increase) for over $400,000 to purchase an undeveloped pocket-lot on Middle Road. Unfortunately, they have done nothing to preserve the sensitive estuary of Waackaack Creek, which fits into county, state and federal greenway efforts. Furthermore, Mr. DiNardo and Mr. Lavan are proposing another $2.5 million bond (read, much larger future tax increase) for "road improvements." Shouldn't the annual public works budget already include at least some funding for road improvements? Considering that the state or county maintain the most heavily trafficked roads in Hazlet (Route 35, Route 36, Middle Road, Union Avenue, Poole Avenue, Laurel Avenue, Bethany Road, etc.), why not complete this project in smaller portions, spreading the work over a longer period of time to minimize the cost? The fact that taxes continue to rise is less of an issue than the irresponsible use of those tax dollars. Mr. Solana lays blame for tax increases at the feet of all public servants, while Mr. Solomeno blames only the Republicans. Resentful rhetoric does not inspire intelligent spending of municipal funds; it inspires ambiguous and wasteful initiatives designed to garner votes for a particular political party and/or provide sound-bite fodder for misleading campaign literature. Why worry about the tax-and-spend approach to municipal administration when Hazlet is veering toward the more precarious spend-then-tax approach amidst glad-handing, pomp and circumstance? Meanwhile, responsible administrators like Mr. Sachs, Mr. Aagre, and Dr. George quietly, and often thanklessly, work to bring us a tangible return on our tax dollar. Rich Kohler Hazlet