Economic Development Council deserves a chance

On Wednesday, Feb. 18, Township Committeeman John Pfefferkorn sprung an ordinance drastically changing the Economic Development Council (EDC) in our town. Together with committeemen Bill Nurko and Chet Halka, they voted to add the ordinance to the agenda, proceeded to limit comment on the ordinance, and passed the ordinance on first reading. The changes included in this ordinance were drafted just three days prior to the Feb. 18 Township Committee meeting. The question is, why the sudden rush and last minute wholesale changes to an ordinance none of our tenured committeemen saw necessary to activate in prior years? It is a travesty that our tenured committeemen never attempted to reactivate the long dormant EDC, and now that our newly elected committee members have done so, their first order of business is to dominate control over the EDC and dilute its nonpartisan goals on behalf of the residents of this community.

The EDC, as currently structured, is a council exclusively comprised of residents whose focus is to make recommendations to the Planning Board regarding potential commercial ratables that generate good tax revenues for the community while not adversely impacting our environment and the quality of life for the residents. The proposed EDC ordinance changes authored by John Pfefferkorn would increase the size of the council from nine to nineteen members; allow six members to be nonresidents of the community (including speculative landowners); require the EDC to report to the Township Committee as opposed to the Planning Board (the body that develops our zoning plans the EDC is reviewing); and strips the EDC membership of its right to elect its own chairperson, vice chairperson and secretary (a privilege every other appointed council, not regulated by state law, in this community has the right to do) — to name a few.

Giving nonresidents (specifically speculative landowners) the opportunity to exploit our community is like putting a gun lobbyist in charge of gun control. Millstone has the expertise in its resident base to accomplish the goals of the EDC without having to go outside the community. The residents of this community should be the ones to determine what is best for their future, not outside parties whose only interest will be to maximize the profit potential of their holdings at the expense of the residents of this community who will ultimately bear the burden both financially and environmentally. The EDC should endeavor to accomplish its goals through the use of subcommittees and focus groups which would allow local business owners, who may not be residents of our community, the opportunity to participate in the smart growth of our community.

I implore the Township Committee to make the final long-awaited appointments to the EDC and let this train out of the station. To steal a line from Committeeman Nurko regarding potential changes to the master plan ordinance, let’s give the current EDC ordinance a chance before we start changing it.

As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, why fix it?

Robert Kinsey

Chairperson

Millstone Township Economic Development Council