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To the editor, from Fran Heineman. As seen in the Brigantine Beachcomber Newspaper >>
This is a response to Mayor Guenther’s article in the Jan. 2 Beachcomber, “Together we can move Brigantine forward.”
To quote the mayor, “New members of City Council will be seated in January, bringing fresh ideas and a less divisive approach to city government. With less focus on partisan politics and more unity of purpose, we can begin to address the big issues that impact our budget and taxes.”
How utterly self-serving.
People from outside want to retire and vacation here. Because they’re not ‘Real Brigantine’ they’re not welcome.
The Democrats brought fresh ideas and unity of purpose, but because the mayor didn’t agree with them, it’s called “partisan politics.”
The only ideas that Mr. Sera and Mr. Simpson’s replacement will bring to the table are the ones the mayor tells them to bring. But that’s OK for Mr. Guenther and Real Brigantine, now that they have their island back.
The mayor, in all his smugness, will once again control every decision made by council. He will fire a great city manager; he’ll blow the opportunity to have the golf course really pay for itself and will probably give his friends the keys to the city vault, again.
The mayor does not care about our budget and taxes. He’s proven that through the years with generous no-bid contracts, tax increases in every year except the ones in which he was running for reelection, and total disdain for anyone who questions his opinions.
The rest of us, who are not Real Brigantine, can only hope that this mayor has learned at least one important lesson. We are not all Stepfords marching to his beat.
He lost control once; he can lose it again if he does not consider all of Brigantine’s taxpayers when he tells his colleagues what “fresh ideas” to bring forward.
It’s unfortunate that the mayor cares nothing about the divisiveness within the city. If for no other reason than staying in control, he should try to get his followers to accept that this is a resort town.
People from outside aspire to retire here and they want to vacation here. But because they are not Real Brigantine they are not welcome.
I understand hometown pride, but in Brigantine it seems to be more than that. Maybe the mayor can work on that before the next election. I know three council members who would be happy to help.
Fran Heineman
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