Skurnick: Wildes/Anhalt "Dangerous" to Taxpayers
May 30, 2007 Filed in: Op/Ed
The following is an op/ed by former Englewood
Councilman Eugene Skurnick:
In the Northern Valley Suburbanite's May 23 article on the 2007 Englewood city budget by Christine Kumka, Mayor Michael Wildes is quoted with his typical grandiose statements, “If I had the authority to veto this budget I would have my pen cap off already.” In addition he offered only one specific budget criticism about an expenditure to clean up the little league fields.
What Mayor Wildes failed to state is that property taxes are determined by both expenditures and income and that the Planning Board that he leads (along with Chairman and Council candidate Marvin Anhalt) have recently approved a $2million/year tax giveaway to a developer. He and Anhalt also allowed numerous developers to forego their COAH obligations (a loss of $1.6m). The “veto pen” of the Mayor stayed capped when the Bern/Drakeford/Walton council spent over $20m to acquire property for developers, build roads for developers, build a garage and subsidize infrastructure to benefit developers. He also never criticized the wasted legal expenses used for a political vendetta against a political enemy of his.
On the other hand, Council President Charlotte Schoen convened a blue ribbon finance committee over two months ago that developed over 20 specific budget reduction ideas that are being addressed by the City Manager. Council President Schoen also uncapped her “veto pen” by initiating legal action against the Wildes/Anhalt Planning board tax giveaway. Initial negotiations with the developer have already yielded almost $1.5m in additional future taxes.
Mayor Michael Wildes and his protégé, Marvin Anhalt would be laughable if they weren’t so dangerous to the hardworking taxpayers of Englewood.
In the Northern Valley Suburbanite's May 23 article on the 2007 Englewood city budget by Christine Kumka, Mayor Michael Wildes is quoted with his typical grandiose statements, “If I had the authority to veto this budget I would have my pen cap off already.” In addition he offered only one specific budget criticism about an expenditure to clean up the little league fields.
What Mayor Wildes failed to state is that property taxes are determined by both expenditures and income and that the Planning Board that he leads (along with Chairman and Council candidate Marvin Anhalt) have recently approved a $2million/year tax giveaway to a developer. He and Anhalt also allowed numerous developers to forego their COAH obligations (a loss of $1.6m). The “veto pen” of the Mayor stayed capped when the Bern/Drakeford/Walton council spent over $20m to acquire property for developers, build roads for developers, build a garage and subsidize infrastructure to benefit developers. He also never criticized the wasted legal expenses used for a political vendetta against a political enemy of his.
On the other hand, Council President Charlotte Schoen convened a blue ribbon finance committee over two months ago that developed over 20 specific budget reduction ideas that are being addressed by the City Manager. Council President Schoen also uncapped her “veto pen” by initiating legal action against the Wildes/Anhalt Planning board tax giveaway. Initial negotiations with the developer have already yielded almost $1.5m in additional future taxes.
Mayor Michael Wildes and his protégé, Marvin Anhalt would be laughable if they weren’t so dangerous to the hardworking taxpayers of Englewood.
