The following letter appeared in the August 3 edition of Bergen Record:

"Open city" (Editorial, July 19) speaks as much for the majority of Englewood residents as it does for your editorial board. The self-serving fund-raising of Mayor Michael Wildes has resulted in an embarrassing loss of integrity in local politics.

Pay-to-play has allegedly facilitated approvals of donors' proposals by the mayor's too-obedient Planning Board - a board now bereft of the architects and professional planners it had in past years. Political contributions to the mayor may have sidetracked proper inspection of ongoing construction and led to reported structural deficiencies. This disdain for high standards of official conduct violates the mayor's responsibility to ensure public safety and well-being.

The mayor's conduct also endangers our city's quality of life. The City Council's plan to require full disclosure of financial contributions to any other municipal officials by Planning Board applicants is a promising safeguard against the dangerous circumvention of mandates for safe construction.

Shirley S. Passow
Englewood, July 22

The writer is a former member of the Englewood Planning Board.