Dear Editor,
I've been a Bernards Township resident for 38 years and I have never seen actions like the local Democrat campaign has resorted to this year and I am disappointed. In my time, I've witnessed candidates for the Bernards Township Committee put up signs, send mailers, advertise on social media, and canvas door-to-door. What I have not seen, until now, are candidates using extremely negative, attacking and clearly misleading or outright false attacks against their opponents. Unfortunately, Liz Graner and Adam Subervi have resorted to these abhorrent measures and we as Bernards Township residents deserve better.
We live in politically divisive times, a development that I believe most Bernards residents find distasteful. Historically, candidates for local office in Bernards, from both major parties, refrained from "going negative." lt appeared that Bernards was largely immune from distasteful, negative campaign attacks, at least at the local level, as we are all neighbors and part of our wonderful unified community.
With the political high season upon us, two first time candidates for Bernards Township Committee, Liz Graner and Adam Subervi, have decided to run negative attack ads on websites and social media. How shameful to attack the integrity of our elected officials and the good name of our town.
Further, while Mayor Asay and Committeeman McNally have consistently been battling to fight overdevelopment, the attack ads conveniently ignore that the developments at issue were approved because of State affordable housing mandates, which were recently reinforced by legislation passed earlier this year by the "Democratic Majority" in the State Legislature, and signed into law by a Democratic governor. Governor Murphy, has touted that one of his top priorities is to establish NJ as a national leader in expanding affordable housing. As such, it's dishonest and beyond offensive for Graner and Subervi (Democrats) to accuse the "Republican majority" of being responsible for overdevelopment in town. In my opinion, "the Republican majority" on the Bernards Township Committee has done an incredible job in managing these legal mandates foisted upon us by Trenton.
What's more, if I lived in one of these developments, I'd feel most unwelcome in Bernards upon seeing this political ad. While I too oppose overdevelopment, it seems to me that the Graner and Subervi campaign is casting residents of these new multi-unit dwellings as second-class or unwanted citizens.
Thankfully, Graner's and Subervi's incumbent opponents (current Mayor Jennifer Asay and Township Committeeman Andrew McNally) have not engaged in negative campaigning. Asay and McNally have instead run a positive campaign, focusing on all of the amazing work they have done for Bernards and will continue to do. And despite these negative attacks by Graner and Subervi, Asay and McNally have been the adults in the room looking out for all Bernards’ residents, and not sunk to their opponents' level.
I sincerely hope that the tactics Graner and Subervi have resorted to are an aberration and that future campaigns for Bernards Township Committee will be positive, as they have been in the past. With so much division in our country, the last thing we need in Bernards is negative, false, and attacking ploys at the local level. We as Bernards residents deserve better.
Barbara Madaio
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