Speak Out!

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 …

By Mark Grieco, Somerset. For those busy sharpening their pitchforks in preparation for the Great Hunt for the Emboldened Trumpists Who Don’t Want “Colored” Statues, let me go out on a limb and tell you that particular corner of the fevered Trump Universe is probably a figment of an equally fevered Democratic mind possessed by Councilman Rajiv Prasad. To be …

By Charmil Y. Davis. My parents bought their very first house in Franklin Township in August, 1980. After purchasing the house after my parents passed in 2005, I kept the house 10 years after (tax payer). I was schooled in Franklin, as were my children. Somerset County has its prestige, and is one of the most diverse communities in NJ. …

By Bill Grippo. On Gazebo Ribbon Cutting Day I wish to thank all the many wonderful people in Franklin Township and beyond who generously supported the vision and dream of a performing arts gazebo in Franklin on the municipal complex. I want to personally thank my side by side partners John Felix and Michael Steinbruck for their unwavering support during …