Mr. Ritter and Mr. Cody- Tell us your view

[Voter]

As we have seen on this board over the past few years, the TC is not listening to our residents.

Mr. Cody and Mr. Ritter, please let us know how you'll involve residents in the decision making process. How will you differ from the current people on the TC?

I assume a non-response to be indicative of your view of residents in this town.

[Guest]

I believe that the Cranbury Press will be asking the Candidates a few questions and will be printing their response each week.

To be fair, I don't think John Ritter posts on this forum - and not everyone in Cranbury reads this forum either (but they do read the paper). Perhaps if you should post your questions on the Cranbury Press's website. Maybe it will be added to the list of questions for these 2 distinguished gentlemen.

http://www.packetonline.com/articles/2008/09/09/cranbury_press/your_views/doc48c16314a1b2f164591400.txt

[Cranbury Conservative]

Lets be real Cranbury.info gets just as much if not more traffic regarding Cranbury as the press site does. This site is the voice of Cranbury.

[voter]

I understand, valid comment about the Press. I differ though on excusing Mr. Ritter from responding.

This site is no secret and every other person I talk to in town knows about or has been on it.

I assure everyone that Mr. Ritter has at least one friend who can tell him this post exists. If he does not respond then I still stand by my comment that this is indicative of his role on TC. Not a statement of him individually as a person, just on whether he is right for the job at hand.

[Jersey Dad]

Cranbury.info is great in many ways. However, for the most direct responses to your questions, I recommend talking to them. Both are very approachable. All of us, especially current and future TC Members, should use our best judgement about what gets posted in a public forum that can be attributed to Cranbury. Not everyone reading these pages has Cranbury's best interests at heart.

[voter]

I would also encourage everyone to meet the candidates. I agree they both seem like very nice people. Pari and David are also nice people.

However, I stand by my post. I am not asking for a comment on their plan for COAH, I am not asking views on litigation, I am asking a very valid, very open question and the posters here should know the answer. Especially in light of our current TC.

How will residents be heard? My comments are not heard at public comment with today's TC. See the ballfield, west property, revaluation, staff increases, etc...

I find it amazing how many people are jumping to defend a lack of response from the candidates. I wonder if this is Democrat support for not having to put Mr. Ritter on the spot for voicing an opinion that may differ from the other Dems on TC. Or justifying Mr. Ritter from having to committ to a plan on hearing resident concerns. If not, it certainly doesn't help his cause. I really hope he responds because these statements are doing him a great disservice when in all fairness he may not be and likely is not aware.

My initial question is fair and stance is fair. I really don't understand the opinions posted opposing the question being answered on this forum.

[voter]

I would also encourage everyone to meet the candidates. I agree they both seem like very nice people. Pari and David are also nice people.

However, I stand by my post. I am not asking for a comment on their plan for COAH, I am not asking views on litigation, I am asking a very valid, very open question and the posters here should know the answer. Especially in light of our current TC.

How will residents be heard? My comments are not heard at public comment with today's TC. See the ballfield, west property, revaluation, staff increases, etc...

I find it amazing how many people are jumping to defend a lack of response from the candidates. I wonder if this is Democrat support for not having to put Mr. Ritter on the spot for voicing an opinion that may differ from the other Dems on TC. Or justifying Mr. Ritter from having to committ to a plan on hearing resident concerns. If not, it certainly doesn't help his cause. I really hope he responds because these statements are doing him a great disservice when in all fairness he may not be and likely is not aware.

My initial question is fair and stance is fair. I really don't understand the opinions posted opposing the question being answered on this forum.

[wcody]

[voter]

Mr. Cody,

Thank you for the information you put forward. I appreciate your taking the time to respond.

Hopefully, we can hear from Mr. Ritter and see his views and plan.

[Jersey Dad]

[voter]

Sorry, it was late and yes I most likely did read too much into it, but please know I was not talking about you specifically. I was going to post an immediate follow up about the tone of my post, but went to bed instead.

Some background. I ran into people at the grocery store who were complaining about my post not knowing it was me who posted. Saying it was not right for someone on this forum to ask for a candidate to respond. Then I saw the first post about the Cranbury Press and that Mr. Ritter doesn't post here, then I saw yours and well I hope you can understand.. So I did not mean to cite you specifically. Since you say I took it out of context or misread it I apologize to you. I read your post one way that was you had not intended. I took it as saying ask the candidates direct, not here. Just as the others.

My intent is simply that I can't believe people (just generic not anyone poster or person specifically) don't want to hear an answer from the candidates in an open forum or not even question why candidates may ignore a forum like this. I say this because you'll never see Pari challenge David, so it is important to know if Mr. Cody and Mr. Ritter will be like Mr. Wittman or if they will be like Pari. A lot of people can't go to meetings, but do read this forum.

I hope this clarifies things. Again, no harm meant.

[Guest]

On the one hand, I do believe that Mr. Cody has a "home field" advantage on this forum since he has been a long-time poster here and the majority of overall posts have clearly expressed parity with many of his positions and strong opposition to some held by Mr. Ritter, including the PNC site and library and support for the current TC leadership and policies. Also, the fact that this is a mostly anonymous board (an amazing feat in such a small town) has led many to post more aggressively than they might in-person. Mr. Ritter has every reason to be concerned that he would meet with some hostile responses whether that is the intent or not. And perhaps a written forum like doesn’t play to his strengths.

All that said, I a concerned that the Cranbury Press is not going to be an adequate forum to fully appreciate the positions and integrity of the candidates. While the editor seems to have embraced the suggestions that started on this board to do much more detailed coverage of the candidates this year, the format still doesn’t lend itself to the more iterative back-and-forth discussion that will really allow us to understand these candidates. I feel burned by having relied on that for the last TC election where I voted along my party lines and this contributed to helping elect the majority that I now feel is undermining Cranbury’s economy, future and non-political tradition. And when you go back to what they said in the Press, it is clear that they haven’t minded directly contradicting their campaign pledges, in spirit or letter.

I won’t personally feel satisfied with anything short of an in-person opportunity to ask questions, hear answers and further have a chance to re-press or clarify them if I didn’t feel I got clarity. Mr. Ritter indicated in the Press that he is making the rounds house-to-house. If so, I welcome the chance to speak to him but he has yet to come to my neighborhood or house. Ideally I would love to see an open forum where both candidates appear and stay as long as it takes to answer everyone’s questions – we’re a small enough town that this could work. In lieu of any of the above, this forum is the next best thing.

I will say this. I have made a pledge, since realizing the huge mistake I made in blindly voting for Mr. Stout, that I will never again vote for a candidate in the local election that I did not get to meet or directly question about their positions. If I haven’t met either, I will withhold my vote for that position before voting along party lines or reputation. But as a responsible citizen, that is a last resort and I will strive to meet the candidates. I have been able to speak with Mr, Cody numerous times and would like to with Mr. Ritter.

[Jersey Dad]

[Jersey Dad]

[James]

[Traveler]

How about staging a town hall meeting where the two candidates can come before our residents to field questions from a select panel.