Here We Go Again...

The campaign of Marvin Anhalt has chosen to emulate last year's revolting Englewood Democratic Primary.  At that lamentable time, Englewood voters endured an outrageous barrage of political smear pieces from the campaign of Vernon Walton, currently a political appointee to Michael Wildes' Planning Board and a crony of County Boss Joe Ferriero. One of these attack ads featured a picture of Walton's challenger, Assemblyman Gordon Johnson, digitally manipulated to make him look like a sinister villain.  Englewood voters rejected these tactics and Johnson went on to crush Walton in a landslide.

One year later, Marvin Anhalt is employing the same losing tactics in this year's Democratic Primary.  This time, Councilwoman Charlotte Bennett Schoen is the target.  The front of Anhalt's glossy mailer is a digitally manipulated photograph of Councilwoman Schoen that could be a promo for The Blair Witch Project.  In contrast, the back has the usual saccharine picture of the candidate with his family -- apparently laughing on their whoopee cushions.  Judging from his campaign literature, Anhalt would have you believe that this race is really between the Partridge Family and the Wicked Witch of the East Hill. 

Unfortunately for Anhalt, he's got a record to go along with his chutzpah:

• Candidate Anhalt's hit piece claims that the incumbent has raised taxes "up to 18.5%" by voting for Englewood's municipal budgets over the last three years.  Yet, Anhalt doesn't say where he would have cut the budget.  Continue to let the parks fall apart, perhaps?  Maybe reduce the number of police officers or firemen just as our population is expected to grow by another 10%?  Without the courage to suggest a single cut, Anhalt's attacks are no more than empty political posturing.

• Candidate Anhalt promises to "lessen reliance on residential property taxes in redevelopment planning."  Meanwhile, Chairman Anhalt's Planning Board recently ruled in favor of a huge tax giveaway to the developers of the huge South of Route 4 development.  And just two weeks ago, his Planning Board voted to remove yet another Englewood property from our tax rolls.  If that's what we can expected from Chairman Anhalt, why should we believe Councilman Anhalt will be any better?

• Candidate Anhalt also claims he has "zero-tolerance for political conflicts of interest by government employees."  Really?  Then we have a few questions:
1. Why is Anhalt running on Joe Ferriero's BCDO "pay-to-play" line?
2. Why did Anhalt accept the chairmanship of the Wildes-appointed Planning Board the year after he paid Wildes thousands in campaign contributions?
3. Is it not a conflict of interest for Realtor and Developer Anhalt to head the very board that controls real estate development in Englewood?

Unfortunately, we expect Anhalt's campaign to continue to deflect these critical questions and avoid the real issues with more political posturing and mudslinging.