In Your Opinion : Vote Republican To Restore Good Government

By Catherine J. Barrier, Former Franklin Township Councilwoman-At-Large

Two decades ago, I had the privilege of serving the residents of Franklin Township as their Councilwoman-At-Large (2000-2003), a job I took very seriously. Not interested in playing Party politics as an elected official, I instead had one unwavering desire: to do what I could to help provide the best local government policies possible, ones that would benefit the diverse members of our local community.

     Thankfully, during those first few years of the new millennium, Franklin’s Town Council was a much healthier one than what we now have. We were not merely a one-Party-rubber-stamping group of followers voting for whatever was placed before us or proposed by the mayor. Since we were four Republicans and five Democrats, ours was a tenure during which very diverse ideas were continually presented, explored further, and debated, all of which, I believe, led to the whole Council making much better policy decisions for the good of the residents of Franklin Township.

Indeed, the diversity of ideas, as well as the frequent need to justify before the public why we were going to vote or not vote for a certain proposed ordinance (local law) made the whole lawmaking process a much more serious and careful one. In truth, I think it’s time that we move back to that healthier form of a Township Council.

     Over the next two weeks or so, Franklin voters will have the opportunity to restore a healthier form of local lawmaking to our town as they are given the chance to elect three fine Republican candidates as Mayor and Council Members: former Mayor Brian D. Levine, with whom I served and who has proven  his leadership, his fairness, and his ability to work in a bi-partisan manner; Noah Fofanah, a member of Franklin’s large Sierra Leone community and a man with a business degree who takes time to mentor our young people in town, and Frank Kunz, one of Franklin’s successful small business owners and one of our volunteer firefighters.

With the diverse backgrounds, experience, and skills that each of these men would bring to the Council dais during Council meetings, I am sure that the Franklin Township Council would again be more fit to do the work of representing the diverse population that calls Franklin Township home, and so I would encourage all qualified voters in Franklin to elect them and restore the possibility for better local government to town, something that would be good for all of us.

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