The Alternative Press

Andy Lark has made reducing Summit taxes and good government the foundations of his campaign, but while he sat on Common Council for the last six years, Summit lost 1.3 million dollars of taxpayer money due to lack of oversight. That is not the way to reduce taxes and it certainly is not good government.

When I moved to Summit in 1974, our community had the reputation of being a well-managed city, with a Republican majority that respected the Democratic minority. Today, the Common Council is too busy fighting with itself to pay attention to good government, while tolerance and concern for others seems to have flown out the window.

I believe Common Council has become a divide-and-conquer legislative body. Neighborhoods are pitted one against the other over inappropriate development projects, turf fields, parking decks, Mount Laurel housing, helicopter landing pads and other issues. The outcome is too often a win-lose decision that satisfies some people who don't live in a neighborhood at the expense of those who do live there.

Steve Murphy has demonstrated his commitment to preserving and protecting neighborhoods, while reaching compromises that make the best of difficult situations. He is focusing on improving Summit for the people who live here. He is advocating cooperation and collegiality, rather than confrontation in city government. He is speaking up for smart development that is appropriate to the neighborhoods in which it is located, rather than caving to commercial real estate developers. That is why I am supporting him.