Speak Out!

By Dr. Alex Kharazi.   “I see sorrow and trouble in this land Although there will be struggle We’ll make the change we can We’ll work it ‘til it’s done Every daughter, every son Every soul that ever longed for something better Something brighter” Last week was a difficult week for our nation. A white supremacist killed 11 worshipers at the Tree of Life Synagogue in …

Submitted by Barbara Cuthbert, member of the Franklin Township Task Force Against Compressor Station 206. The NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has scheduled a Public Hearing for the Freshwater Wetlands Permit Application for the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) Project with Compressor Station 206 and pipelines in Old Bridge, Sayreville, and through Raritan Bay. DATE:  Monday, November 5, 2018 STARTING …

By Joan Pritchard, Bridgewater. Somerset County is one of the wealthiest counties in the United States, yet the infrastructure and transportation system remain neglected. The Freeholders have maintained the same policy for several decades, build new but neglect the existing. This continued neglect is now costing the residents of Somerset County financially and in their safety. The county has paid …

By Bill Connell, Somerset. I have been a member of the Open Space Advisory Committee for the better part of a decade. As part of our charge we review the data on deer and help modify hunting policy recommendations to the Township Council as needed. Some of those changes have made headlines, in fact, the changes have been minor. They …

By U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman. My core belief in equality is one of the reasons I first decided to run for Congress. My belief that we all deserve a fair shot extends to every corner of the things that shape our lives, including the notion that your income, social status, occupation or lack of an occupation should not determine …

By Richard Seamon. I have read all of the recent letters to the “Speak Out!” section of the FR&A and I appreciate the perspectives of so many people.  I have personally attended the Township Council meetings the last couple of months and spoken directly to the council, reminding them of their responsibility to the Township and its citizens.  Most importantly, …

By Mayor Phil Kramer. I would like to respond to the Op-Ed in the September 24th FR&A titled “Scrap the monument park; No reward for Prasad’s bad behavior”. First, I believe I have some credibility when I disagree with the premise of the Op-Ed. My actions have drawn the ire of monument supporters. It was my probing earlier this year …

The Township Council at its Sept. 25 meeting is apparently set to create yet another “Citizen’s Committee” to discuss the proposed “Peace and Nonviolence” monument park, targeted for some township-owned open space at Route 27 and Cortelyous Lane. This is the “start from square one” approach that several council members advocated at the Aug. 14 council meeting, after the council …

By Bill Connell. I am getting tired of the statue saga but it has a storyline that’s speaks to my disillusionment of government and the sad state of affairs of public discourse. Mark Grieco, who has written in this space, is a relentless critical thinker. I would never ask him to join a glee club or hire him to work …

By Bill Connell, Somerset. I have been a member of the Open Space Committee for many years.  Referring to it in its abbreviated name is misleading. The full name  is“Open Space, Recreation and Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund.” In my mind, I am a member of the second generation of the committee. It was created at a time when …