Speak Out!

By Bill Connell, Somerset. Twelve years ago my kids were growing up and professional circumstances changed. It allowed me to step out into community. I have lived in my current abode for 22 years but the first 12, I was only recognized by my dog. Nobody knew me. Then around the same time, over-development threatened my community and my older …

By Mark Grieco The events surrounding Catalpa Park, especially the behavior of Democratic Township Councilman Rajiv Prasad, have taken their toll on the township. The haggard looks of some of the council members at the last council meeting, and what I take to be their sincere calls for healing, tell the story. This has been one of the ugliest episodes …

By Bill Connell, Somerset.  Councilman Rajiv Prasad’s abuse of power has revealed the understanding gap between Council and the public. Something was said about Donald Trump that can apply to the Tranquility group. They are not tethered to reality so they can say whatever they want. To tell the Township Council you don’t want something and pay no mind to their …

By Raleigh Steinhauer, Somerset. Mayor Chris Kelly is correct in calling for Councilman Rajiv Prasad’s immediate resignation. Prasad has proven himself not only unfit to serve as a representative of the public, but a danger to the very public he was elected to serve. The Mayor is also right in his assertion that the issue goes further than Prasad. It …

There’s no gentle way of phrasing this, and there’s no point in beating around the bush: Township Councilman Rajiv Prasad must resign immediately, and must remove himself from the Democrats’ 2015 council ticket. We don’t come to this opinion lightly or with any sense of joy; to endorse what is in essence overturning a public vote is a weighty matter. …

By Mayor Chris Kelly, Somerset. As Mayor of Franklin Township, and fully understanding and appreciating the seriousness of what I am doing, I Chris Kelly, am officially calling for the immediate resignation of Councilman at Large Rajiv Prasad, as well as the Franklin Township Democrat Municipal Chair Joseph Danielsen. Councilman Prasad should resign for the following reasons: Councilman Prasad used …

By Bill Connell, Somerset. At the last town council meeting I asked a question: How much of the traffic on South Middlebush road was local and how much of it was pass-through? Based on previous data, about 60 percent was pass-through. For the town planners, should you deny services to local people just because people that don’t live here are …

New members of the Franklin Township Chamber of Commerce receive a plaque, upon which is engraved the following: Dedicated Subscriber to the Principles of Honesty, Integrity, Community Service. The irony of that is not lost on us as we consider the results of a recent Franklin Reporter & Advocate investigation into a situation involving the Chamber and the township Board …

by Bill Bowman, Editor. We started this online news site nearly two years ago with a simply stated mission: To bring to Franklinites the news that affects their lives as township residents. We think we’ve done a pretty good job of that in the ensuing 23 1/2 months, bringing our readers stories about what’s good and excellent – and not …

By Raleigh Steinhauer, Somerset. Councilman at Large Rajiv Prasad has accused opposition to the Catalpa Park project of being racially motivated against Asian Indians. Councilman Prasad singled out the Facebook group leading the opposition known as the Tranquility Protection Alliance of Franklin Township, and directed the Human Relations Committee to issue a statement denouncing Tranquility’s Facebook page, which was founded by …