It was brought to my attention that two Democrats had decided to run for town council in the Borough of Sussex.  One was a lifelong resident Cathy Little, and the otherAl Decker a resident for more than 12 years.  At one time Cathy had been the mayor of the town, and also served on the town council.  Al has a well rounded knowledge of the politics of the Borough.

What follows is what I had to say on September 2^nd at the Open Public Session.  It was videotaped by Greg Watry a reporter for the New Jersey Herald newspaper, which is also known in Sussex as “The Newton Nothing News”.  Several of the attendees spoke, and I was one of the speakers.   The issue is the so-called privatization of the Borough of Sussex Water and Sewer Utility.  Cathy and Al are against it, while three of the Republicans are staunch proponents of it, namely Krynicky, LeBar, and Lagattuta.  Council person Masson is a staunch opponent of it.  I do not know just where the others stand based on this  council session.

The Herald reported the session in their September 4^th issue, but I was not quoted.  All of those that spoke and were videotaped were shown on their web page, but not me.  Perhaps I showed how foolish this move is, but it also shows a clear bias on the part of the paper.  So the following is a synopsis of what I said.

My talk began, of course with an introduction of who I was, where I was from and why I came.  Back in 2007 Cathy Little was the Mayor of Sussex, and she was the ONLY Democratic Mayor in all of Sussex County.  Cathy came to a Sussex County Democratic Party meeting to beg for help in getting re-elected. Other than Bill Weightman and I no other Sussex Democrats came to help.  At that time Democratic Governor Corzine was pushing for consolidation of towns.  This was supposed to facilitate cost savings, but (whether it would or not was debatable), but what it would do would dilute the voters’ influence in politics.  Corzine was withholding funds from small towns like Sussex Borough to force them into merging with the larger town Wantage.

Then on May 7^th, 2007 there was a meeting at the Sussex Grange Hall to discuss the merger.  At that time Cathy’s opponent for Mayor Chris Parrott was one of the speakers, as both sides were given ample time to express their opinions.   The meeting was attended by residents of both Wantage, and Sussex.   At that time Cathy could not get even a return phone call from the Governor.  Chris Parrott though a resident of Wantage, which he admitted at the meeting, was using a Sussex address to run for Mayor.  Mr. Parrot mentioned his conversations with the Governor, and let it be known that if the merger of the towns took place that the Governor would pay off the debt of the Sussex Water and Sewer Utility.  At which time the debt was somewhat over $6 Million.  Mr. Parrott went on that the town could then sell it and make quite a bit of money.

Some of you may remember that the Governor wanted to “monetize” , which really means “privatize” the Turnpike and the Parkway along with Rt. 78 and Rt.80.

I then asked the question.  “Was Governor Corzine in touch with Aqua America at that time?”

The economy of the US is in the toilet, and the dollar will eventually crash.  It is not a question of if, but when.   The Utility is a hard asset owned by the people, and the $2 Million that the proponents expect to receive after the debt is paid off may only have the buying power of only a million, a half a million or even $100,000.  The value of the dollar will drop.  The Utility Authority is a hard asset of the hard working people of the Borough, and it was paid for by their sweat.  It will never be reduced in value.

As for those who feel that the only way to reduce the water and sewer bill I mentioned only this.  In the Philadelphia area, Aqua Pennsylvania, a subsidiary of Aqua America, has sought rate increases every two years since 1993.  In November 2001 the requested 14.7 % increase, two years after that they requested 10.2% increase, two years after that they requested 14.4%, and again two years later the requested 13.6%.   

They have another tactic of raising the fees for service.  In some states they have lobbied for fees for construction of new water lines, so these fees are added onto the rates.  So the current end user is paying for the expansion.

Now let us take a look at so-called privatization.  It could more properly be called plunder and pillage.  The Chicago Parking Authority was sold to Morgan Stanley Bank for $1.15 Billion.  When I researched it the article said that if this had not happened the City of Chicago would have drawn over $11.8 Billion in revenue.   The rates immediately went up four fold, so that for two hours it would cost 28 quarters or $7.00.  It has since been increased again to bring it to five times the rate that the city charged, and this has hurt business.

Not only that, but if repairs are made on a street that affect the parking there the city has to reimburse the current owners for lost revenue.  If a large number of blocks are closed for a parade then again the city has to reimburse the current owners.  So as you can see this privatization has  not only cost the city of Chicago well needed cash, but also the store owners, and those that shop in Chicago.

To rub salt in the wound, Morgan Stanley sold the authority to Abu Dhabi.  Need I say more?